User:ZooBlazer/Horizon machines

A Machine is one of the technologically advanced robotic organisms that have become Earth's dominant species in the world of Horizon, a series created by Guerrilla Games for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Most of the machines are modeled after various fauna from throughout Earth's history, including avians, mammals, and dinosaurs. There are also two known machines resembling flora called Metal Flowers, which first appeared in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and Control Towers which made their only appearance in Zero Dawn DLC, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017). Unlike many of the zoological based machines, the botanical-like ones pose no threat to humans or animals. There are over 50 machines that have appeared between Zero Dawn, its sequel Horizon Forbidden West (2022), and their DLCs, The Frozen Wilds and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (2023) respectively.

Original concept
Early on Guerrilla was unsure about how animal-like they should make the machines, even including one that resembled a scorpion, but came to realize "the legs were so thin you barely had any surface to hit". The realization that the surface area of the machines needed to be bigger, led to the concept of machine parts being able to be shot off. Some machines were intentionally left vague regarding what type of animal it resembled, such as the Watcher. According to Horizon Zero Dawn director, Mathijs de Jonge, "it's animalistic but you can't say exactly what type of animal it is, which was what we were aiming for". He also thought that the machines should resemble a combination of animals as opposed to a singular one. However, the team at one point tried to base a machine on a rabbit, but felt that it looked too weird, so the concept was ditched. In the end, the Thunderjaw was the proof of concept for Zero Dawn and went on to be featured heavily in the marketing leading up to the game's release.

The machines
Zero Dawn introduces 26 machines, while its DLC, The Frozen Wilds introduces 4. Forbidden West introduces 22 machines and its DLC, Burning Shores introduces 3. Altogether there are a combined 55 machines in the series. These totals include the two known machines that more closely resemble flora rather than fauna. These are the Metal Flowers, found in both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, as well as the tree-like Control Towers that have only appeared in The Frozen Wilds.

Overriding machines
Cauldrons, Mounts

Reception
Machines have been well recieved by both critics and fans alike. The variety of machines have been highlighted as a key part of the Horizon franchise, as it keeps the combat interactions interesting. Machines have a variety of strengths and weaknesses.

Merchandise
Since the release of Zero Dawn multiple companies have released products for a variety of machines. A Horizon: Zero Dawn Thunderjaw Collection included a 15 inch tall Thunderjaw statue, while the Collector's and Regalla Editions for Forbidden West each had their own version of a Tremortusk statue. Prime 1 Studio also released a 1:4 scale Stalker statue with swappable heads featuring different colored eyes lit by LED lights. Funko released two Watcher Pops in 2017 and a Thunderjaw in 2020, while Lego released a set to build a Tallneck that also included pieces to build a Watcher.