WithHorizon Forbidden West, Aloy has new challenges to face, so she heads to the Forbidden West to investigate a strange, red blight that threatens to destroy nature and usher in starvation. Throughout her journey, she makes many new friends, including Zo the Utaru gravesinger,Kotallo the former Sky Tenakth, and Beta, a quiet girl from the far corners of the cosmos. On the surface, Aloy and Beta should get along swimmingly because they have similar origins and have even had comparable early life experiences. However, as players learn, encounters between Aloy and Beta often result in misunderstandings and squabbling, and it sometimes seems as though Aloy is a tad insensitive towards Beta.
Beta and Aloy’s relationship is an interesting one, as the women represent two sides to the great scientist Dr. Elisabet Sobeck. Furthermore, they illustrate that sometimes, although people may share similar goals, their differing temperaments can cause friction. Fortunately, regardless of how discordant things get between Aloy and Beta inHorizon Forbidden West, the two can put their differences aside when it matters most.
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Aloy and Beta Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Aloy is not an ordinary warrior. She is the clone of Elisabet, and she was brought to life by GAIA, an artificial intelligence program that Elisabet creates to save life on Earth from the terribleFaro Plaguedisaster. GAIA expects that Aloy will be raised by the Nora tribe when they discover her, but out of fear they instead shun Aloy, leaving her to be raised by an outcast named Rost. Though Rost is a loving father to Aloy, she still has to deal with the pain of being an outcast and harsh treatment from the Nora. Despite her rough childhood, Aloy has an unbreakable faith in herself, and she never hesitates to do the right thing.
InHorizon Zero Dawn, Aloy learns the truth about her origins, and while she has conflicted feelings about it at first, she eventually realizes that being the clone of Elisabet comes with many responsibilities, and that, in a very big way, the fate of life on Earth may depend on her. Fortunately, she makes friends who help along the way, including Erend, who is a drunkard but has a heart of gold, and Talanah, who defies norms and becomes the first female to be part of the Carja Hunter’s Lodge.Horizon Forbidden Westhas Aloy continuing her journey, but she meets a curious character named Beta.
Like Aloy, Beta is a clone of Elisabet, though she is created by the Far Zeniths instead of GAIA. The Far Zeniths are a group of humans that left Earth during the Faro Plague disaster, and they form a colony on Sirius. However, after their colony collapses, they head back to Earth in an attempt to retrieve GAIA and use her to repopulate their colony. To access GAIA’s Zero Dawn terraforming system, they need Elisabet’s genetic code, thus Beta was created. The Far Zeniths neglect Beta, seeing her as nothing more than a tool, althoughTilda van der Meerdoes talk to her occasionally.
Aloy and Betaare similar in several ways, and the most obvious way is their identical genetics. They also both suffer through unpleasant early life experiences and lack a sense of belonging. Their reaction to adversity is quite different, though. Aloy sees difficulty as a challenge, and it motivates her to push herself, whereas Beta is beaten down by hardship, developing extreme anxiety and a defeatist attitude.
Small Differences Have a Big Effect
Aloy and Beta’s paths cross when theFar Zenithsland on Earth. After witnessing the Far Zeniths' cruel treatment of humans, she looks for a way to escape, and Aloy provides that to her. The two agree to help each other stop the Far Zeniths, and Beta shares everything she knows with Aloy. With both of them being clones of Elisabeth, they should be a dream team, but this is not the case. Oftentimes, Aloy and Beta do not see eye to eye, and Aloy is constantly annoyed with Beta’s pessimism. Conversely, Beta is gripped with anxiety, and she panics when she realizes that Aloy and her friends have not made as much progress as she would want them to.
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The central point of their conflict lies in their reaction to adversity, and it has them veering in different directions regardless of whether they share a common goal. Aloy is eternally optimistic, and the challenges that come her way are opportunities for her to push herself further. This should not be unexpected, because Elisabet was the same way. However, Beta feels overwhelmed by challenges, and fear cripples her, leading her to panic and become pessimistic. In many ways, she capturesElisabet’s more emotional side, and the part of her that knew that GAIA would have to be self-aware if she was to be effective. The arguments that arise between them come from the fact that they fail to see things from the other person’s point of view, and while Beta cannot see why Aloy is not panicking, Aloy is annoyed that Beta throws in the towel so easily.
Differences Can Be Bridged
Beta and Aloy get into some heated arguments, and at times it seems like a relationship between them is impossible. Fortunately, they get past their differences, illustrating that despite it all, they do care for each other. Aloy and her friends make progress with their plan, but the Far Zenithscapture GAIAand Beta. This is an awful moment because getting recaptured by the Far Zeniths is Beta’s greatest fear. Aloy risks life and limb to save her, eventually taking down the Far Zeniths. Beta is incredibly grateful for this, and they share a heartfelt hug.
Gamers have not seen the last of Aloy and Beta, and new dangers are ahead as Nemesis heads for Earth. However, things look good for the clones and their ability to work together. To see how their relationship will continue to develop, gamers will have to wait for thenextHorizongame.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.
