A new PlayStation blog post has revealed fresh details on the upcoming PS VR2 title, Horizon Call Of The Mountain.
Guerilla Games has revealed new details about Ryas, the protagonist in the upcoming VR title, Horizon Call of the Mountain. The Horizon spin-off is set to be released for PS VR2 on February 22.
In a new PlayStation blog post, Guerilla Games Community Manager Chante Goodman gives players more insight into the background of Ryas, a Carja prisoner. Goodman begins with an explanation of the Carja Sundom’s brutal Red Raids on nearby tribes, involving merciless attacks and ritual sacrifice. With the overthrow of Mad Sun-King Jiran by his son Avad, the deadly raids were finally put to an end.
Due to the change in power, the Carja tribe split into two: those who celebrated Jiran’s defeat stayed in the Sundom, while those loyal to Jiran formed the Shadow Carja. Ryas, a skilled hunter, archer, and climber, fell into the latter group — he became a member of the Shadow Carja and was instrumental in the abduction of Prince Itamen, Jiran’s youngest son. However, Ryas regrets his actions and hopes to regain his honor.
Ryas’ chance for redemption comes when he lets himself be captured by the Carja, which saves him from execution. Sun-King Avad and Blameless Marad give Ryas the opportunity to earn his freedom by looking into a potential threat to the Carja. Studio Narrative Director, Ben McCaw, shares more about Ryas’ motivation. “Ryas ended up on the wrong side for the right reasons,” McCaw said. “His family was torn apart, and ultimately, he was incarcerated. This is the story of how he tries to come back from that.”
On Ryas’ treacherous journey, Goodman notes the importance of his relationships with new characters as well as characters from previous Horizon games. One character that players will meet is Hami, a soldier for the Carja Sundom who is assigned the task of escorting Ryas. Stationed as a Border Guard during the Red Raids, Hami did not take part in the conflict but lost loved ones to the campaign.
It’s no surprise that Hami detests Ryas because of his past as a Shadow Carja. “Having fought for the Shadow Carja, Ryas’ relationship with these characters is at best adversarial,” McCaw said. “He needs to make inroads and amends if he hopes to be accepted.”
In Horizon Call of the Mountain, players will see the world through Ryas’ eyes. To immerse players, the adventure game makes use of the PS VR2 most prominent features, such as eye tracking, haptic feedback, and a 110-degree field of view. “We took the Horizon experience and built it from the ground up for VR. And for this, we felt we needed a new protagonist. As a master climber, hunter, and explorer, Ryas offers the perfect viewpoint of the sweeping vistas and dangerous wilds of Horizon,” McCaw said.
