Upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn “Copycat” Looks Better Than People Are Giving It Credit For -

The Horizon franchise has had its ups and downs, with the likes of LEGO Horizon Adventures and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered struggling to bring in the same numbers its predecessors managed. This doesn’t bode well for it, especially with its upcoming MMO getting a fairly lukewarm reaction from the community. However, to make matters worse, the Horizon franchise now has a direct competitor, one that is not just looking to take its place, but literally copying its entire identity.

Or so the internet would have people believe, but Light of Motiram, the latest open-world survival game from Tencent, looks set to be so much more than that. In a time when the Horizon franchise is expanding into other genres, Light of Motiram looks set to offer players an equally diverse experience, one that, while familiar, should hopefully feel fresh. The outrage is understandable, at least initially, but Light of Motiram has a good chance of having the same fate as one of the biggest games of all time.

Light Of Motiram Is More Than A Horizon Clone

The Similarities Are Mostly Surface Level

It is fair to say that, in many ways, Light of Motiram resembles Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. Most notably, many of the machines in Horizon Forbidden West and its predecessor have been recreated almost verbatim, from the giant robot mammoths to the bull-like robots seen in the screenshots uploaded to the game’s Steam store page. Of course, Guerrilla Games doesn’t own the copyright on robot animals, but the way that these have been designed, from the white, black, and orange color scheme to the way individual parts seem to combine on the body looks straight out of Horizon.

The similarities don’t end there. For example, whenever a robot’s body part is struck, it glows blue, just like in the Horizon games. The character shown in much of the promotional material resembles Aloy to a tee – red hair and all – and many of the weapons look like Horizon Zero Dawn’s best weapons. All of this certainly points to Light of Motiram being a blatant copycat and in that sense, on a purely superficial level, it’s hard to argue against that reasoning.

However, on a much deeper level, Light of Motiram is a fundamentally different game, with vastly different gameplay systems and a much greater focus on multiplayer and survival than narrative. Of course, with Horizon getting its own MMO, it will likely be hard for Light of Motiram to keep its current art style as similar to the Horizon series as it is. Nevertheless, just because they look the same doesn’t mean that Tencent’s latest title should be disregarded right off the bat.

Light Of Motiram Is Combining The Best Elements Of Monster Hunter & Horizon

It’s More Of An Open World Survival Game

Two characters approaching a giant glowing robot in the desert in Light of Motiram.

Light of Motiram isn’t an open-world narrative adventure like Horizon Zero Dawn, but rather a survival game with cooperative elements. Players can build bases, gather resources, create parties with their friends, hunt robots, and tame them, much like Pokémon, to then use in battle against tougher “Mechanimals” as they’re known in Light of Motiram. Of course, all of that will sound familiar to avid MMO fans, especially those who’ve played the recently controversial Palworld.

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn in front of John Marston.

Horizon Zero Dawn Can’t Seem To Break Its Release Schedule Luck

The Red Dead Redemption PC port is overshadowing the Horizon Zero Dawn Remake for many players, but this isn’t a first for the franchise.

Light of Motiram is clearly taking what has worked with other popular games and combining it to create the ultimate experience. The untapped potential of Horizon Zero Dawn’s robot-infested apocalypse is one that has surprisingly not been seen in any other games since. Palworld’s combination of monster-taming and real-time battles also seems to be a heavily underutilized concept. Light of Motiram has come out at an unfortunate time when both of those series are either being talked about or have recently had a game come out.

However, aside from the more blatant infringements, there’s really nothing wrong with Tencent taking a collection of strong ideas and producing what looks to be a more polished and premium experience than Palworld currently offers. It’s also worth noting that a lot of the shared visual elements between Horizon and Light of Motiram seem to be purely marketing, as, for example, the red-haired female protagonist is not the only character model available to the player.

It feels too early to judge
Light of Motiram
, especially when other games have been in its position and turned out to be global phenomenons.

With the Horizon franchise failing at the moment, it makes sense for a competitor to come in and capitalize on its best features. While Light of Motiram has gone a little too far with its visual inspirations, it’s exciting to see another game take a shot at the amazing setting of the Horizon series. It feels too early to judge Light of Motiram, especially when other games have been in its position and turned out to be global phenomenons.

Light Of Motiram Has The Potential To Be The Next Genshin Impact

Early Trailers Can Lead To Misunderstanding

Two characters shooting bows at incoming robots in a settlement in Light of Motiram.

Genshin Impact was similarly derided for taking inspiration from Breath of the Wild when it was first announced. Zelda fans across the world saw it as a shameless rip-off, one that borrowed too many elements from paragliders to the stamina meter. There was even a fan that destroyed their PS4 in protest simply at the fact that Sony was promoting it coming to PlayStation consoles. However, it is clear now that not only were those initial extreme reactions unwarranted, but that Genshin Impact was far from the only game aping the stylings and gameplay mechanics of Breath of the Wild.

Genshin Impact has gone on to have a critically acclaimed run, one that shows no signs of slowing down. It was the first game to copy Breath of the Wild, but it opened the gate for other games to utilize the many innovative ideas established in that game, which has only benefited the industry. Light of Motiram, in many ways, is following this same path by being the first game to outwardly copy the visual and gameplay stylings of the Horizon series. However, that doesn’t mean that when it launches it will play and look exactly like those games.

Aloy and a Nora Hunter from Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

10 Best Improvements In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered improves upon the original game in many meaningful ways, including enhancing textures and completely changing cutscenes.

Of course, there is every possibility that Light of Motiram could be a shameless copycat, or that Sony could shut it down before it has the chance to shine. However, it is always better to give a game the benefit of the doubt, especially when, for all intents and purposes, one game should not have a monopoly over a visual or gameplay style. If that were the case, then Genshin Impact would have died before it launched, and that would be a great shame. Light of Motiram may look like Horizon Zero Dawn, but it should have every chance to prove it is so much more.

Source: Light of Motiram/Steam, Rubhen925/YouTube