Horizon: Zero Dawn caused a stir when it was launched in 2017. With a mechanical and tribal aesthetic , fascinating characters and an intriguing and twisted story, this adventure game from Guerrilla Games he presented us with the life of Aloy , a warrior of the nora tribe , on her journey through a world populated by robots and tribes in constant tensions and conflicts.
As we explored the map of Horizon: Zero Dawn and its history, we were understanding that this world it was not an imaginary fantastic land , but a post-apocalyptic America in which our civilization fell . By the time the video game story takes place, of our world only the ruins remain.
The game received a fantastic reception, and special acclaim went to its beautiful settings . What you may not know is that many of those scenarios exist and you can visit them in real life. If you want to create an itinerary like Aloy's through the length and breadth of America's Wildest Area , now you can, because we tell you which locations on the Horizon: Zero Dawn map have their counterparts in real life and where they are.
COLORADO: NORA TERRITORY
The beginning of Aloy's story begins in what is known in the game's post-apocalyptic world as the territory of the Nora tribe . This tribe is isolated and forbids crossing its borders, since it considers that their land is sacred and venerate her with the name of Mother , a figure similar to those of other royal deities such as Gea either Gaia , the figure of Mother Earth.
The truth is that this veneration of the land makes sense when we know that this territory is based on Colorado, specifically on one of the state nature reserves , and that the sanctuary of the Mother, the most sacred place, is based on the Cheyenne Mountain , the three peaks located in the El Paso County.
On the left, the actual Cheyenne Mountain. On the right, her counterpart in 'Horizon: Zero Dawn', the Mother.
The game did not invent the spiritual and naturalistic nature of the place, since the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Native Americans lived on these lands and it is speculated that they may have sought divine inspiration in their beautiful waterfalls . The game makes it abundantly clear that this is the location of the place, since we can even see on the screen the coordinates of Pikes Peak, the main peak of the mountain . In fact, during the Cold War a military base was established on the mountain, the NORAD . Would this be the inspiration for the name of the tribe?
Another place of special relevance within the Nora sacred lands is Mother's Crown , which is based on the Garden of the Gods . these awesome rock outcrops They were a home and a place of passage for a multitude of native american tribes of the area, including the utes , which in fact located in this place the origin of his people in their oral tradition.
Above, the rocky outcrops of the Garden of the Gods. Below, Corona de Madre, exhibiting the same formations.
Beyond the beautiful landscape and of the rich natural life , also has a great archaeological wealth , with petroglyphs and other signs of having been a place of great importance for the inhabitants of ancient times. As for the origin of the name, curiously, it is not attributed to the Ute or any other tribe, but to the 19th century settlers and explorers , which would have been seen attracted by the beauty of the surroundings and would have described it as almost divine.
Outside the limit of the Nora lands, the protagonist's first contact with the outside world took place in the land that the tribe called Devil Thirst . Despite this gloomy name, Devil's Thirst is actually Colorado Springs , the most populous city in the county. Located east of the Rocky Mountains and west of Denver , this city was considered in 2018 as one of the best cities in the United States to live ; As proof of its size, the skeletons of the collapsed and overgrown buildings that are seen in the game.
On the left, the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum. On the right, its ruins in 'Horizon: Zero Dawn'.
In fact, one of the bandit camps that Aloy attacks in her first contact with the outside world takes place in the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum , whose particular clock tower can still be distinguished among the rusty remains. The building acts as archive and museum of artifacts from tribes like the arapaho, cheyenne, and ute , and is registered as a landmark on the US National Register of Historic Places. Nothing to do with the ominous and threatening air that the game gives it.
Another important location with a rather grim name is cementometric , the headquarters of the robotic command of the United States Army, whose ruins Aloy visits throughout his journey. Despite its name, this location is inspired by the mountainous area of Hallett Peak Y Flattop Mountain.
Above, Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain. Below, the Cementétrico, on the same peaks.
Hallett Peak is one of the highest peaks in the southern Rocky Mountains , and the climb to the peak is considered one of the fifty classic itineraries of American mountaineering. For those uninitiated in climbing, we recommend climbing through the adjoining Flattop Mountain, the highest of the so-called Flat Tops , the mountain range within the Rocky Mountains characterized by its highlands Y valleys.
UTAH: CARJA TERRITORY
Above, Eagle Canyon. Below, Meridian, perched on the rock formations.
In exploring him, Aloy continues her journey west towards the Carja territory , a tribe with a tumultuous past within the game. The center of this empire located in Utah is Meridian , the metropolis perched on the canyon highlands in which it is located. This cannon is known as Eagle Canyon , not as famous as other similar geographical features, but highly appreciated by hiking fans for its striking rock outcrops , its opulent natural life and his wild beauty.
Although visitors will obviously not find neither the capital of the Solminium nor the silhouette of the burning needle silhouetted against the sky, the views of the highlands and the rock formations tinted red against the blue sky with the green of the valleys wriggling between the mountains make the visit worthwhile.
On the left, the Delicate Arch. On the right, the same arc in 'Horizon: Zero Dawn'.
Much of the Carja territory, in fact, extends across the width and length of the Parque Nacional de los Arcos: 310 square kilometers of desert in the so-called Colorado Plateau . Its greatest attraction, apart from the challenge for climbers, are the capricious forms that form its rocky outcrops.
The best known is the so-called delicate bow , so appreciated by the inhabitants of Utah that you can see your image in car license plates, stamps … Until the Olympic torch passed by him during his journey to the headquarters of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. If you dare to do the hiking route even the arch, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, tries to calculate the time to arrive at sunset; it is the most impressive sight.
Above, Kings Peak. Below, GAIA Prime, on the same mountain peak.
During her journey through the territory, Aloy heads north to access GAIA Prime , the headquarters of the project that intended to save the world from the apocalypse. The location, of course, is so awesome in real life as it is for the Horizon: Zero Dawn story. King's Peak it is the highest peak in the entire state , and is considered to be a genuine challenge for climbers , only suitable for those who have the best equipment and excellent physical shape. There is a fairly accessible hiking trail that leads to the top, although that does not make it easy, because you have to go a whopping 47 kilometers , albeit on less demanding terrain.
At the far west of the Horizon: Zero Dawn map is Sunset , a city belonging to another faction of the Solminio Carja . Despite being at odds with the rest of the tribe in a civil war and religious conflict, the headquarters of the Shadow Carja has something in common with Meridian: is located in an exceptional location . In this case, it is Bryce Canyon National Park, which despite its name is not a canyon, but a natural amphitheater full of hoodoos , natural columns that are formed by erosion in desert areas.
Above, the Bryce Canyon amphitheater. Below, Dusk, among the same hoodoos.
The amerindian legends They already identified these imposing formations as the remains of ancient creatures that had been punished for their bad deeds; the word hoodoo actually means "bad luck" and is derived from the voodoo culture. Bryce Canyon was a Mormon settlement in the 19th century , and it is from its discoverer, Ebenezer Bryce , from whom it takes its name. Would the creators of the game have this history of ill fortune and religious settlements in mind when they decided to make it the base of the tribe's darkest faction?
WYOMING: BANUK TERRITORY
A few months after the release of the base game, Guerrilla Games expanded the Horizon: Zero Dawn map northward with the expansion Frozen Wilds . was added like this a new territory, a new tribe and a new range of missions, enemies and a small story, related to the main plot but quite independent.
The Banuk territory It is a rich but harsh land, with frigid temperatures and steep slopes , and the town that inhabits it would have been soaked in it, creating a naturalistic society and survival of the fittest, with a spiritual connection with the environment. And it is not surprising, because the territory of the Banuk corresponds to the state of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.
Above, the Great Prismatic Fountain. Below, the post-apocalyptic version, plagued by robots.
North of Block , the narrow gorge leads to the forest and mountain areas where you can find the ruins of places like the Roosevelt's Arch and the famous cabin Old Faithful Inn . Yet Yellowstone's biggest draw, both real and fictional, is arguably the proliferation of colorful hot spring basins , as the Great Prismatic Fountain, the third largest in the world and largest in the United States.
Horizon: Zero Dawn left us speechless with the impressive landscapes it showed us; so much that we did not think that most of these wonders existed and were within our reach . Although we greatly enjoy Aloy's adventures in these lands (and we are looking forward to seeing what the Forbidden West in the next installment of the game, Horizon: Forbidden West ), know what fantasy environments are not reduced to the screen, but we can experience it in the first person gives another flavor to life: a flavor intense, wild and full of adventure.