Once committed to Guerrilla Games' maiden voyage into role-playing territories, the Amsterdam-based company having built its name on the Killzone shooter series, Gonzales set about bringing this then-nameless warrior, this hero in waiting, to life. Initial inspirations included Ellen Ripley (Alien), Sarah Connor (The Terminator) and San from Princess Mononoke, "but as we dug into her story, she transcended any particular starting reference"."Aloy didn't yet have a story, or a defined personality, or psychology," he continues. "And that was one of the big challenges that the writing team had to dig into—finding that personal, emotional story arc for our hero."And, in doing so, he and a team of writers began to realize the wider world of Horizon's futuristic setting, answering "all the big mysteries that the concept art suggested." The result is a landscape of gorgeous views muddled with shattered reminders of humanity's past—a past that happens to be our present."One of the big challenges that the writing team had to dig into was finding that personal, emotional story arc for our hero." — John Gonzales
And the more the player learns, the more apparent it becomes that Aloy is an essential bridge between these worlds, with a foot in both a present-day where mankind struggles to exist in lands roamed by aggressive machines, and in history's own horrific battle with an enemy that never needs to sleep."This definitely isn't a game that says, 'Technology is bad'," says Gonzales. "If you take a look at the world of Horizon, it calls into question a lot of the usual, simple dichotomies, of how we understand, for example, technology versus nature. This is a world in which nature is, to a great degree, technological. So there are images here not just of opposition, but integration. And those may be images that represent a more hopeful vision of our future, in comparison to the bleak, dire visions of our future that's told in the logs, in the archaeological data from the old world.""This definitely isn't a game that says, 'Technology is bad'. If you take a look at its world, it calls into question a lot of the usual, simple dichotomies." — John Gonzales
"We wanted each tribe to be a blend of admirable traits, and also ones that are concerning, or troubling. Because that's how all societies are." — John Gonzales
Everything in the game effectively begins and ends with Aloy, then—in terms of its development, how it all came together around this singular protagonist that the studio just had to press forward with, and the actual story that the player will experience. And Gonzales, who previously worked on Tom Clancy's EndWar, Fallout: New Vegas, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (insert your own joke about what game names should and shouldn't have colons, here), reflects on a job well done with no little pride in his voice."Now we see that people are excited about the game, we do feel there's potential to explore more about Aloy." — John Gonzales