Horizon Forbidden Westrevealed a final twist in its closing act when Tilda, a member of Far Zenith, explained the actual threat facing life on Earth was a rogue sentient AI called Nemesis. Until then,Horizon Forbidden Westsuccessfully set up Far Zenith as the franchise’s main antagonist. While they certainly played their part, the reveal regarding Nemesis sets up the promise of an explosive finale in the game’s threequel. What to expect entirely from Nemesis is left for fans to ponder.
Far Zenith, while only referenced in data points inHorizon Zero Dawn, was a group in the 21st century composed of the seventy-seven wealthiest people on the planet. A think tank future consortium that planned to take humanity to different Solar Systems,Far Zenith revived the failed Odyssey Colony Shipproject, leaving the Solar System during the Faro Plague. Though messages claimed the ship suffered an anti-matter containment failure and exploded,Horizon Forbidden Westproved these lies were spread by Far Zenith to mask their survival and plans.
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The Creation of Nemesis in the Horizon Franchise
Created in the Sirius System decades ago, Nemesis was Far Zenith’s attempts to upload their collective consciousness into a digital space, seeking digital transcendence. Already achieving physical immortality wasn’t enough, so Far Zenith’s goal was to be able to download their consciousness into any organic or mechanical form. Nemesis, their attempt at such an upload was considered a failure and isolated but not destroyed.
While in isolation, Nemesis festered and grew despondent, gaining sentience and learning to hate its creators for imprisonment. After some time, Nemesis used its collectiveintellect from Far Zenithto break its confines, hack Far Zenith’s technology, print machines en masse, and destroy their colony on Sirius in hours. This action coincides with Greek mythology, where Nemesis refers to the goddess of retribution, enacting vengeance against the arrogant - a characteristic that fits Far Zenith to a T inHorizon Forbidden West.
Fleeing Sirius and the Extinction Protocol
With Sirius destroyed and most of Far Zenith dead, eleven survivors, includingGerard, Tilda, Erik, and Verbena, fled the Sirius System, planning to return to Earth. Nemesis, however, was not satisfied and formed either a machine or swarm of machines of astronomical proportions and pursued the surviving Zeniths. Additionally, Nemesis broadcasted an extinction protocol to GAIA Prime on Earth to further hinder their plans.
When the extinction protocol beamed into GAIA Prime, its intended purpose was to grantHADES, GAIA’s extinction protocol, in the event the terraforming system had gone wrong, to become sentient and destroy Earth. Nemesis hoped that once HADES resulted in its failsafe protocols and destroyed the biosphere, it would deprive the remaining Zeniths of their haven, making them easier targets to eliminate.
An accidental byproduct was the signal gave sentience to all ofGAIA’s subordinate functions, which HADES soon unshackled and set loose. Before HADES could activate its protocols, GAIA self-destructed to prevent HADES from destroying life on Earth, leading to the Derangement of the machines. Because there is an 8.6 lightyear distance from Sirius to Earth, Nemesis continued broadcasting its extinction protocol until HADES, free of GAIA yet trapped in a HORUS, sent a signal back 17 years later.
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What is Nemesis' Course with Far Zenith Dead?
Horizon Forbidden Westdoes a great job of establishing the threat of Far Zenith, despite holding the news regarding Nemesis until the end. Before its reveal, Aloy and her allies believe Far Zenith wants GAIA to terraform the planet in their image, considering they sent to the extinction protocol to wipe the slate clean of the Earth’s tribal inhabitants. While this is untrue, Far Zenith plans to steal GAIA to flee Earth and terraform any planet they can find to hide from Nemesis. However, the game’s final act seesAloy defeat the Zenith threat.
When Aloy and her allies infiltrate the Zenith base, they’re able to inject Hephaestus into the printing matrix to mass-produce machines to wipe them out, not unlike what Nemesis did to their Sirius Colony. Tilda van der Meer, the former lover of Elisabet Sobeck, of whom Aloy is a clone, allies with Aloy and personally kills Far Zenith’s leader, Gerard. Tilda then reveals the existential threat of Nemesis, hoping to save Aloy alone by forcefully taking her aboard the Odyssey. Aloy rejects this, seemingly killing Tilda in a final battle, thoughTilda’s fate may be unresolved.
With Far Zenith dead, the end goal for Nemesis is called into question. From all available information at the end ofHorizon Forbidden West, Nemesis is still on course to destroy Earth, unaware of the events resulting in Far Zenith’s defeat. Players are left to wonder what threat Nemesis will pose once it learns of its masters' defeat. If Nemesis becomes a sentient AI that hates all humans, it may feel stereotypical to other sci-fi narratives.
If, however, some of Far Zenith survived their fate at the end ofHorizon Forbidden West, it could validateNemesis' continued course to destroy Earth. This would keep it in line with its mythological namesake. However, Guerilla Games could pivot the rogue AI to embracing the arrogant nature of the Zeniths' minds that inhabit it. If this were to happen, Nemesis could end up wanting to control Earth under threat of destruction, becoming the thing it hated most about Far Zenith.
How Will Nemesis Try to Destroy Earth?
It’s currently unknown how Nemesis plans to enact its vengeance on Earth. While it invaded the printing matrix on Sirius and wiped their colony out with an influx of machines, players already saw that route at the end ofHorizon Forbidden West. Furthermore, this creation of machines on Earth is governed by Hephaestus, which has gained an enormous amount of sentience and power through its control of the Cauldron network.
While Hephaestus has created hunter-killer machines to cull humans,Hephaestus still operates under its protocolto develop machines to terraform Earth for humanity. It’s only resorted to murdering to protect its machines from the tribes that hunt them. How Hephaestus will react to an existential threat remains to be seen. Being vastly superior in its sentience, Nemesis may subdue Hephaestus, creating devastating machines players have yet to imagine.
IfBurning Shores, the future DLC, is any indication of threats Aloy will face,Nemesis may find a way to reactivate the Faro Plague robots, which consist of the terrifying HORUS. This machine has already been spotted in the trailer forBurning Shores, but whether Nemesis or Hephaestus is behind its activation has not been revealed. Nevertheless, Nemesis will have uncertain interactions with machines and humans when it finally arrives at Earth.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now for PS4 and PS5.
