Elden Ring board game studio announces cooperative tabletop adaptation of Horizon: Forbidden West video game
Seeds of Rebellion’s narrative will take place before Aloy arrives in the titular Forbidden West
Prepare for another tabletop excursion into a post-apocalyptic America because Horizon: Forbidden West, the followup video game to Horizon: Zero Dawn, will be adapted into a cooperative board game focused on cooperative mechanics and a narrative campaign.
Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion was announced on September 19th by the UK-based board game studio Steamforged Games. Best known for adapting plenty of other video games into tabletop boxes, from Monster Hunter and Dark Souls to the upcoming Elden Ring board game, Steamforged Games previously handled Zero Dawn’s adaptation in 2020.
The studio plans to crowdfund the sequel, which will support up to four players, on Kickstarter beginning November 21st. Lead Designer Fraser McFetridge stated in the announcement that the design team “[has] been working closely with Geurilla’s Narrative team to create an official story within Horizon’s canon, taking place before Aloy’s arrival in the Forbidden West.”
Seeds of Rebellion will use the same engine undergirding the Horizon: Zero Dawn board game and several other titles in Steamforged’s portfolio, though the semi-cooperative elements have reportedly expanded to support full teamwork amongst players - Steamforged was, at the moment, light on details regarding what that will look like during sessions but group stealth will be a major component of certain missions.
Players take on the role of Marshals and venture into the territory of the Tenkath and its three dominant tribes, one of which might be fomenting rebellion against the current Chief Hekarro. The players will intervene in this threatened peace, uncovering the truth or catalyzing the rebellion gripping the Clan Lands. Like its predecessor, there will be ample opportunity to explore, fight the massive mechanical beasts that have become iconic parts of Horizon’s brand, and gather equipment as the group completes quests for those that inhabit the Forbidden West.
The previous Horizon board game contained some narrative hooks, but Seeds of Rebellion will provide a thoughtful narrative designed alongside Guerilla design studio that encompasses interactions amongst the clans and “meaningful” exploration and discoveries in the wilderness surrounding the scant human settlements.
Those who own Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game can use the miniatures and corresponding mechanical beasts from that original box with Seeds of Rebellion. There will be a “backwards compatibility pack” as part of the Kickstarter that newcomers or those who skipped the initial game can pick up alongside the upcoming board game.
The Kickstarter campaign for Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion launches on November 21st. While Steamforged has found some major success adapting beloved video game series in the past, their record also includes big whiffs such as the Dark Souls RPG. The team is reportedly investing massive resources and time into adapting the first part of Elden Ring but also announced a major round of layoffs earlier this year.