Likely one of the most highly-anticipated expansions in 2023 before its recent launch,Horizon Forbidden West’s new Burning Shores DLC was unfortunately met with heavy criticism, to the point that it is now being review-bombed by dozens of gamers. There seem to be a few reasons for this, with some pointing to the fact that the DLC’s story can feel disconnected from the main game, and others highlighting a relevant discourse regarding games and expansions moving more and more to next-gen exclusivity by the day. And yet, the main element that is causing the vast majority of the reviews to be negative is the fact thatHorizon Forbidden West’s Aloy can develop a romantic relationshipwith another woman.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the recurring LGBTQIA+ themes of the series, withHorizon Forbidden West’s Tilda van der Meerproving just as much by telling Aloy of her relationship with Elisabet Sobeck. Yet, Aloy’s sexuality had never been made explicit in any way within the franchise, and many saw her as an asexual heroine - or at least as bisexual or pansexual, given no romance option had ever appeared. Burning Shores' optional lesbian relationship for Aloy is not the first time a PlayStation franchise endures a review bomb for LGBTQIA+ themes, and the most recent example comes from HBO’sThe Last of Usseries.
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Horizon’s Burning Shores DLC Review-Bombing is no Different From HBO The Last of Us'
BothThe Last of Us Part 1and2featured LGBTQIA+ themes thanks to the Left Behind DLC for the former and a varied cast for the latter, which put a spotlight on Ellie and Dina’s sexuality as well as Lev’s gender identity. As such, both games ended up being review-bombed for the same reasons asHorizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC, especially in the case ofTLoU Part 2. In all these cases, it seems the main issue is that the games are pursuing a so-called “woke agenda,” ruining the story for fans.
The same happened more recently, withHBO’sThe Last of Usshow, which featured an entire episode dedicated to Bill and Frank’s story and one to the Left Behind DLC, in which Ellie’s sexuality was made more explicit. In fact, both these two ended up having the lowest scores among the first season’s episodes all around precisely because of review-bombing, showing more of the same pattern that is now haunting the Burning Shores DLC. Again, gamers are complaining that Aloy didn’t have to be gay and that this propaganda is being forced on them.
Still, this is not only entirely optional and forHorizon Forbidden Westto decide, but it comes with a self-contained story that doesn’t share the same high stakes as the main game, meaning that it’s not surprising for Aloy to finally enjoy a moment of respite in the fact of looming danger. The Burning Shores DLC does have a build-up to the relationship thanks to Aloy and a new character, called Seyka, spending a lot of screen time together, and this only expands the already thrivingLGBTQIA+ representation inHorizon.
On top of that, this also creates an even stronger link between Aloy and Elisabet Sobeck thanks to their sexuality, and it could have been hinted at by Tilda van der Meer’s interest in the franchise’s protagonist throughoutForbidden West’s main campaign. This, combined with the fact that in no way this is an obligatory path for Burning Shores players to pursue, proves once more that reducing a video game, a show, or any other piece of media to its LGBTQIA+ representation can make one miss the forest for the trees. In the case ofHorizon’s DLC, this means missing all the new machines, exciting mechanics and skills, and a great cast of characters, much like HBO’sThe Last of Usprovided fans with a touching hour of television with Bill and Frank’s story that was review-bombed for gay representation.
Horizon Forbidden Westis out now for PS4 and PS5.The Burning ShoresDLC is PS5 exclusive.
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