TheHorizonfranchise has had its ups and downs, with the likes ofLEGO Horizon AdventuresandHorizon Zero Dawn Remasteredstruggling to bring in the same numbers its predecessors managed. This doesn’t bode well for it, especially with its upcoming MMO getting a fairly lukewarm reaction from the community. However, to make matters worse, theHorizonfranchise now has a direct competitor, one that is not just looking to take its place, but literally copying its entire identity.
Or so the internet would have people believe, butLight of Motiram, the latest open-world survival game from Tencent, looks set to be so much more than that. In a time when theHorizonfranchise is expandinginto other genres,Light of Motiramlooks set to offer players an equally diverse experience, one that, while familiar, should hopefully feel fresh. The outrage is understandable, at least initially, butLight of Motiramhas a good chance of having the same fate as one of the biggest games of all time.
Light Of Motiram Is More Than A Horizon Clone
The Similarities Are Mostly Surface Level
It is fair to say that, in many ways,Light of MotiramresemblesHorizon Zero DawnandForbidden West. Most notably, many of themachines inHorizon Forbidden Westand its predecessor have been recreated almost verbatim, from the giant robot mammoths to the bull-like robots seen in the screenshots uploaded to the game’sSteam store page. Of course, Guerrilla Games doesn’t own the copyright on robot animals, but the way that these have been designed, from the white, black, and orange color scheme to the way individual parts seem to combine on the body looks straight out ofHorizon.
The similarities don’t end there. For example, whenever a robot’s body part is struck, it glows blue, just like in theHorizongames. The character shown in much of the promotional material resembles Aloy to a tee - red hair and all - and many of the weapons look likeHorizon Zero Dawn’sbest weapons.All of this certainly points toLight of Motirambeing a blatant copycatand in that sense, on a purely superficial level, it’s hard to argue against that reasoning.
However, on a much deeper level,Light of Motiramis a fundamentally different game, with vastly different gameplay systems and a much greater focus on multiplayer and survival than narrative. Of course, withHorizongetting its own MMO, it will likely be hard forLight of Motiramto keep its current art style as similar to theHorizonseries as it is. Nevertheless, just because they look the same doesn’t mean that Tencent’s latest title should be disregarded right off the bat.
Light Of Motiram Is Combining The Best Elements Of Monster Hunter & Horizon
It’s More Of An Open World Survival Game
Light of Motiramisn’t an open-world narrative adventure likeHorizon Zero Dawn, but rather a survival game with cooperative elements. Players can build bases, gather resources, create parties with their friends, hunt robots, and tame them, much likePokémon, to then use in battle against tougher “Mechanimals” as they’re known inLight of Motiram. Of course, all of that will sound familiar to avid MMO fans, especially those who’ve played therecently controversialPalworld.
Horizon Zero Dawn Can’t Seem To Break Its Release Schedule Luck
The Red Dead Redemption PC port is overshadowing the Horizon Zero Dawn Remake for many players, but this isn’t a first for the franchise.
Light of Motiramis clearly taking what has worked with other popular games and combining itto create the ultimate experience. The untapped potential ofHorizon Zero Dawn’srobot-infested apocalypse is one that has surprisingly not been seen in any other games since.Palworld’scombination of monster-taming and real-time battles also seems to be a heavily underutilized concept.Light of Motiramhas come out at an unfortunate time when both of those series are either being talked about or have recently had a game come out.
However, aside from the more blatant infringements,there’s really nothing wrong with Tencent taking a collection of strong ideas and producing what looks to be a more polished and premium experience thanPalworldcurrently offers. It’s also worth noting that a lot of the shared visual elements betweenHorizonandLight of Motiramseem to be purely marketing, as, for example, the red-haired female protagonist is not the only character model available to the player.
It feels too early to judgeLight of Motiram, especially when other games have been in its position and turned out to be global phenomenons.
With theHorizonfranchise failingat the moment, it makes sense for a competitor to come in and capitalize on its best features. WhileLight of Motiramhas gone a little too far with its visual inspirations, it’s exciting to see another game take a shot at the amazing setting of theHorizonseries. It feels too early to judgeLight of Motiram, especially when other games have been in its position and turned out to be global phenomenons.
Light Of Motiram Has The Potential To Be The Next Genshin Impact
Genshin Impactwas similarly derided for taking inspiration fromBreath of the Wildwhen it was first announced.Zeldafans across the world saw it as a shameless rip-off, one that borrowed too many elements from paragliders to the stamina meter. There was even afan that destroyed their PS4in protest simply at the fact that Sony was promoting it coming to PlayStation consoles. However, it is clear now that not only were those initial extreme reactions unwarranted, but thatGenshin Impactwas far from the only game aping the stylings and gameplay mechanics ofBreath of the Wild.
Genshin Impacthas gone on to have acritically acclaimed run, one that shows no signs of slowing down. It was the first game to copyBreath of the Wild, butit opened the gate for other games to utilize the many innovative ideas established in that game, which has only benefited the industry.Light of Motiram, in many ways, is following this same path by being the first game to outwardly copy the visual and gameplay stylings of theHorizonseries. However, that doesn’t mean that when it launches it will play and look exactly like those games.
10 Best Improvements In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered improves upon the original game in many meaningful ways, including enhancing textures and completely changing cutscenes.
Of course, there is every possibility thatLight of Motiramcould be a shameless copycat, or that Sony could shut it down before it has the chance to shine. However, it is always better to give a game the benefit of the doubt, especially when, for all intents and purposes, one game should not have a monopoly over a visual or gameplay style. If that were the case, thenGenshin Impactwould have died before it launched, and that would be a great shame.Light of Motirammay look likeHorizon Zero Dawn, but it should have every chance to prove it is so much more.
