Fans ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehave spent the last couple of years constantly debating what characters will get added to the game via DLC. The list of contenders remains lengthy no matter who gets confirmed, and one character who’s been on the list for some time isAloy fromHorizon Zero Dawn.Now that there’s only one DLC slot, the odds don’t seem good that Aloy is coming toSmash.Instead, her next appearance will probably be inHorizon Forbidden West,theZero Dawnsequel potentially releasing by the end of the year. However, that doesn’t mean Aloy will never appear in a fighting game.
Nintendo isn’t the only studio to make a fighting game starring characters under its helm. In 2012, Sony releasedPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,a fighting game showcasing the PlayStation’s many exclusive characters in the same way thatSmashcelebrates Nintendo characters.PlayStation All-Starsgot mixed reviews at the time, but it deserves a second chance. Sony has changed a lot since 2012, partially due to having new potential mascots.Horizon Forbidden West’s Aloy seems like a fantastic inclusion in a theoreticalPlayStation All-Stars 2.Sony ought to take another look at its fighting game and give Aloy another game to star in.
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PlayStation All-Stars Return Would Be Timely
One big reason thatPlayStation All-Starsought to come back is that fighting games are doing well for themselves lately.Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis the most obvious example.Smashhas always been celebrated as a collection of characters from across the game industry, especially in recent years, butSmash Ultimatetruly has everyone. Its DLC characters include everyone from Sephiroth toMinecraft’s Steve to Kazuya Mishima. Aloy might not have gotten an invitation toSmash Ultimate,but that only makes her a bigger selling point inPlayStation All-Stars2.
There are also other fighting games doing well for themselves lately. Although it’s not out yet,Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlgenerated a ton of hypefrom the moment it got announced. It’s easy to see why: Nickelodeon’s fighting game stars characters from classic early Nickelodeon shows as well as brand-new shows currently running on the channel. Just likeSmashand its broad range of video game characters, it appeals to Nickelodeon fans of all ages.Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlproves that there’s a market for fighting games starring collections of known characters.Smashdoesn’t have the market cornered—on the contrary, there’s room for more games of the same type.
It’s not just other fighting games that makePlayStation All-Starsseem like a good investment. Sony also has the PS5 at the helm. The next-gen console can never have enough exclusive titles available to entice fans, so why not make a PS5 exclusivePlayStation All-Starsgame that celebrates the games that got Sony to this point?Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westin particular deserve to be celebrated in a Sony-centric fighting game. Guerrilla Games has created a very valuable mascot for Sony in the form ofAloy, and Sony ought to capitalize on that.
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Making the Most of Aloy’s Star Power
There’s no doubt about how influential Aloy is at this point. She’s making cameos all over the game industry. For instance, an Aloy skin inFortniterecently put her in a very public sphere, giving theHorizonpublicity franchise in one of the most famous battle royales on the market. Similarly,Aloy is coming toGenshin Impactas a playable character soon. These not only show that Guerrilla Games and Sony think of her as a good mascot, but that other parts of the industry know how muchHorizonfans value Aloy’s presence.
That’s why she ought to be front and center in a newPlayStation All-Starsgame. An announcement trailer starting her would easily get the attention of fans, and she’d be the perfect face to stand at the center of the game’s box art. Sony is already using Aloy as a representative in plenty of advertising, so it only makes sense that she’d be a top candidate forPlayStation All-Stars 2’s main ambassador. Even if she wasn’t the face of the game, Aloy’s presence inPlayStation All-Stars 2would be guaranteed.Horizon Zero Dawnis an acclaimed IP, but it wasn’t created until well after the firstAll-Starsgame’s release.
Redeeming PlayStation All-Stars
Aloy being ina theoreticalPlayStation All-Stars 2to any extent would be important no matter what.PlayStation All-Starswasn’t perfectly received, in large part due to its combat system, which many players felt leaned too heavily on super moves. Players could only win by charging up their super move, which meant the gameplay boiled down to a race to charge the move, leaving little room for comebacks and restricted player strategies. Aloy could be the key to drawing players into the sequel since the original game saw a complicated reception.
On top of that,Horizon Zero Dawn’s success could be a good excuse tofixPlayStation All-Stars' flaws. At face value, a sequel to the original game would be a simple follow-up intended to bring in new characters from PlayStation games that have gotten big since the original 2012 title. In the meantime, though, Sony could also rework the combat system, building on the original game by adding some nuance toPlayStation All-Stars' combat, introducing alternate win conditions and other new mechanics. If changes to the gameplay aren’t enough, then Aloy’s presence will be a huge selling point that could entice some players to givePlayStation All-Starsa second chance.
As of now, there’s no sign that Sony is planningPlayStation All-Stars 2,but anything’s possible now that the PS5 is on the market. The console presents another good opportunity to take another stab at the game. No matter what Sony decides to do with its fighting game IP, though,Horizonlooks like it’ll remain a heavy hitter. Ideally,Horizon Forbidden Westwill still release late this year, helping Sony end 2021 with a bang.Horizon Zero Dawnfans are eager to know what kind of adventure awaits Aloy in the mysterious Forbidden West, especially thanks to the recentHorizon Forbidden Westgameplay reveal. Even ifPlayStation All-Starsdoesn’t make a comeback, there’s plenty of opportunities ahead of Aloy.
Horizon Forbidden Westis set to release in late 2021 for PS4 and PS5.
MORE:The Case for Horizon Forbidden West to Release on PC at Launch
