How Horizon Forbidden West Fleshes Out Elisabet's Character Even More

gamerant.com:

Throughout Horizon Zero Dawn, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck’s presence was keenly felt as players explored the post-apocalyptic universe for the very first time. The fact that the character had been dead for over a thousand years by that point though, is perhaps a testament to how well Guerrilla Games has planned out its series. Often as a ghostly guide, Elisabet provided a bridge for Aloy to a long forgotten part of human history, as well as a window into her origin. Due to how instrumental she was in saving the present then, it’s unsurprising that she reappears in Horizon Forbidden West as well.

Even though Horizon Forbidden West’s overarching mysteries are a little different from its predecessor’s often personal story beats, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck is still an active force who guides Aloy through some difficult scenarios. For the sequel, Guerrilla has taken the opportunity to flesh out her characterization and backstory a great deal.The end result of this is, for several reasons, the Elisabet that’s seen and referenced in Horizon Forbidden West feels like an actual fully-realized human being.

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During Horizon Zero Dawn, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck posthumously pops up at several points along Aloy’s coming of age journey, providing context for how the world was overrun by murderous robots. Over the course of the game, the protagonist slowly learns that she was instrumental in creating the terraforming AI GAIA, which was used to resurrect the human race after the Faro Plague purged all organic life. Crucially, Aloy also discovers that she was created from the genetic memory of Elisabet to continue her work, which means she is essentially the Doctor’s living clone.

Thanks to how she’s