Here's what Horizon Forbidden West's new thalassophobia option looks like
Sea la vie.
Guerrilla has released a new patch for Horizon Forbidden West which adds a range of new accessibility features - including one designed for those who suffer from thalassophobia.
Thalassophobia is classed as the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, including the sea, oceans and even lakes. It is different from aquaphobia, which is a fear of water itself.
According to Guerrilla, this option aims to ease a player's thalassophobia by "improving underwater ambient visibility". Additionally, Aloy will be able to breathe indefinitely when under the water "regardless of story progression".
The difference is subtle, but you can see a pinkish pulse illuminating the sea bed so you can better see Aloy's surroundings in the lower of the two videos below (with thanks to Eurogamer's Marie for recording both).
Known as Patch 1.21, this update is exclusive to PlayStation 5 consoles. It also makes looting a lot easier thanks to the auto-pickup option, and enlarges subtitles.
You can read the full patch notes below:
Horizon Forbidden West – Patch 1.21
by u/WLF359 in horizon
This patch is all preparing players for Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC, which is out today.
Burning Shores will see Forbidden West's protagonist Aloy heading out to the "untamed wilds of Los Angeles" following the events of Forbidden West's main campaign.
However, despite the base game releasing across both PlayStation 5 and PS4 consoles, Burning Shores is a PS5 exclusive. Last month, game director Mathijs de Jonge promised Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC will fully embrace the "power" of the PlayStation 5, in a bid to explain why the add-on is exclusive to Sony's newer console.