#HorizonForbiddenWestOC

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Made a neat poster.

Check out Kotakali’s full series here! 

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The official trailer for my upcoming new original character film, Horizon Zero Dawn - Sun and Shadow!

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Here is a second article that I found following GameRant’s spotlight on The Song of Kotakali. This time ScreenRant picked it up, and they even did some digging of their own and gave The Nora Mother - My second series - A spotlight, too! The Nora Mother was still in production at the time but it has since been completed. I will be making blog posts on Sequoia’s journey in that series next!

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter IV - The Blue Light

Perhaps the most important chapter to Kotakali’s story in terms of lore, this chapter begins with an emotionally gut-wrenching scene between Kota and CYAN as she returns after facing Tenaden.

I become very attached to these characters as I write them, and this effect is emboldened even more since I am able to bring their stories to greater life with these video series. Watching Kotakali become upset and emotional and confess her feelings to CYAN, the only “person” in the world she has right now, tends to hit me pretty hard. Even in editing as I see it come together I’ll feel it, let alone the final product.

Of course we return to see how facial animations will work in all conversations and even cutscenes when I’ve swapped Aloy’s model to Kotakali, which makes these conversations possible. A very neat discovery that adds to the experience!

We see the rise of Kotakali’s true nemesis, Girish, a former Banuk who has relinquished his tribe to join the Tenakth, and a rogue Utaru woman known only as “The Druidess”.

Though more importantly, this is where my biggest ideas of original lore come in. The concept of the machine druid, and their abilities of “machine empathy”.

To break it down simply:

Official Lore - GAIA created the machines to look like animals because she laments their demise. So in their honor, the terraforming robots she uses on Earth look like fauna and megafauna.

Official Lore - GAIA is sentient. A true AI, with emotions and moral and logical decision making powers. The same goes for CYAN, who is very much an emotional being as we learn in The Frozen Wilds.

Original Lore - The Machine Druid concept involves tapping into both of these facts. If GAIA is emotional and sentient, and she created the machines to appear as animals out of love, it is possible that a tiny piece of her sentience and her emotions go into each and every single machine that is made. With this knowledge the Machine Druid uses language, emotion, and most of all patience, to learn how to communicate with and eventually domesticate/override the machines!

In fact, this idea gains even more ground with the release of Forbidden West. We see that the Plowhorns sing and communicate with one another verbally. This goes beyond simple transmission communications, as the machines are now actually using audible language to speak to one another. If the machines can speak to each other with sound, then humans could perhaps do the same if they learn the way.

I did not plan for this coincidence, as The Song of Kotakali was completed before Forbidden West released. So this all just happened to work out incredibly well in the story’s favor! I did however plan for the lore to fit as well as possible to be acceptable as canon.

Another semi-original concept I added to this chapter was CYAN calling to Kotakali through her Focus. It was established that this could be done in Zero Dawn already with Aloy and Sylens, and so I simply borrowed this idea and gave it to my characters. In another happy coincidence, we see this being done much more in Forbidden West as Team Aloy is regularly speaking to each other through their Focusses.

So, at long last, Kotakali completes the Song of her late mother. She learns the abilities of the Machine Druid and Machine Empathy, and dubs her new friend and Broadheads steed, Rides Through Snow. She rides off into the snowy forest as tears shed from her eyes with joy, and CYAN recites to her a comforting poem.

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My new cinematic trailer featuring Aloy, Kotakali, and Sequoia! Two of my Horizon original characters based off of real NPCs you can find in the game, whom I dedicated names and full video series to so they may have their own stories that have been meticulously crafted to fit within the lore.

I hope you like it!

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter III - My Song

In this chapter Kotakali returns to The Cut with her first quest completed. She continues to retrace the footsteps of Aloy, going along the Shaman’s Path and beyond. It was very important for me to introduce recurring themes found not only in the main game, but in Kota’s own series as well. Phrases such as “I am Kotakali”, and a returning phrase first seen in the Prologue, “My Song shall be the loudest, the strongest, and the most beautiful.”

The world of Zero Dawn is absolutely gorgeous to behold, and I am able to capture this in unique ways through virtual cinematography. Using the detached Free Cam, I can set up unique angles to view the world or Kotakali, and even control Kotakali when using this Free Cam, for more cinematic shots. I can take it further in post as well to simulate even more camera movements.

In this chapter emotions ramp up significantly as we learn more about Kotakali and the feelings she is burdended with inside. She at last opens her heart to someone, and that someone is CYAN. The benevolent AI’s past experiences with humans and bonding with her colleagues, with Ourea, and then with Aloy, set the perfect stage for Kotakali’s own quest to bring them together and form a new bond of their own.

The ending sequence when Kotakali confronts Tenaden was a huge challenge to create. Setting up so many NPCs in one place caused constant crashes, and I had to redo this scene many times, and sometimes even redo shots and stich them together as best I could at the end.

Nevertheless, Chapter III shows an important climax of Kotakali’s quest, as she comes closer to honoring the Songs of her parents, in an effort to complete her own Song; the mightiest Song the Banuk will have ever heard.

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Kotakali and Her Broadhead Companion, Rides Through Snow

An absolutely stunning piece of artwork by https://www.instagram.com/caaronart/, featuring my original character Kotakali the Banuk huntress and her faithful Broadhead companion named Rides Through Snow!

You can watch Kotakali’s full original character series taking place in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGWy6sMaKRiw_kgmBLlG3Hdzw_jnGr1eG

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This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. A full remaster of the final sequence of Chapter VI in the Song of Kotakali. My favorite sequence in Kota’s entire series, her grand finale when she rides to meet Aloy at Sobeck Ranch was planned from the beginning of her story. I knew that’s how I wanted the series to end the moment I began writing it.

So, to give Kotakali the finale she deserves, I’ve taken the filmmaking techniques I have learned over the course of doing these stories and reshot the entire sequence. I am quite pleased with how it turned out!

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Cinematography shots from my upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn movie, Sun and Shadow! These are actual stills from the film, not from photo mode!

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I made a Horizon Zero Dawn music video featuring Heilung’s new song “Anoana” and I think it turned out pretty neat!

Kotakali’s origin story on screen as she survives the brutal murder of her parents by rival Banuk, and embarks on a spiritual journey to discover the Blue Light.

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In a very cool spotlight on The Song of Kotakali, a journalist from GameRant reached out to me regarding my first series. I had an interview and article published about my work! The whole series doesn’t have that many views, but I honestly don’t care. I am so proud of Kotakali as a character and how her journey turned out that I’m happy with the way it is. But to receive a little extra attention like this is absolutely humbling and exciting!

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter VI - I am Kotakali

The final Chapter of Kotakali’s epic saga, this is where all of her quests and achievements come together.

The episode begins with the Chapter Title, rather than at the end like the rest of the episodes. Due to the importance of the ending, the title placed at the beginning was necessary. Kotakali solidifies her unique achievements not only as a Banuk - In completing the Songs of her parents, and then her own - But as an individual in the universe of Horizon. The discoveries she makes regarding the machines and the way she then uses these discoveries to aid the world are truly monumental.

All of these coalesce to the Battle of Meridian. This is my greatest example of this story’s events taking place in real-time alongside the events of the main game and Aloy’s story. When Kotakali has arrived to Meridian, the battle has already begun. She is even told that Aloy is nearby - But she doesn’t quite get to meet her yet. Instead, Kotakali acts as a heroine of the battle. Aiding the civilians, defeating machines, and clearing away the evil forces of HADES.

At last, her most important battle takes place just beneath The Spire. Aloy is literally just above her fighting the HADES Deathbringer, while Kotakali is on the ground. Acting as Aloy’s fearsome guardian, Kotakali holds back a massive force of Corruptors after successfully taming a powerful new ally with her wisdom of the Machine Druids.

What happens next is a scene to further solidify this event taking place alongside Aloy’s story. As Kotakali finishes her battle, I actually play a portion of the cutscene when Aloy purges HADES. Showing the shut down of the Faro robots across the lands and the tribes being saved.

Kota returns to CYAN to celebrate their victory together, and the completion of her Song.

The final sequence of Kota’s journey begins, and it is the one I had envisioned from the beginning. She finally rides to meet The Fire-Maned Huntress.

I am extremely happy with the way this sequence turned out, especially with the help of the music from the game’s OST. Again, these events take place in real-time. So while Kota returned to The Cut, Aloy had completed the battle of Meridian, and then went to find Sobeck Ranch.

This is when Kotakali catches up to her. Mounted upon Rides Through Snow, Kotakali races across the realms to find Aloy just in time. This would be moments after Aloy finally found Elisabet, and retrieved her charm.

There was little that needed to be said in this moment, as CYAN told Kota that she was sure Aloy had heard about Kotakali by now.

Kotakali calls to Aloy, and Aloy turns around to see who could have possibly found her at Sobeck Ranch. Realizing who it must be, seeing a Banuk warrior riding a Broadhead, Aloy simply asks, “Are you...?”

And in response, Kotakali states, “I am Kotakali.”

Not only is this powerful line the title of this final chapter, but it is how Kotakali has introduced herself throughout her series. Most importantly, “I am Kotakali” is the very first line spoken in the Prologue, the beginning of the series. It is also the very last like spoken in Chapter VI.

I become very emotionally attached to these characters and their journeys. It is one thing to write them, but to actually be able to bring it to life with gameplay, and edit them together with dialogue and a series, is a whole other level. Creating this final sequence was absolutely an exciting and emotional experience for me, and I got choked up many times in Chapter VI, as well as throughout her series. Even upon rewatching Kotakali’s series, I get closer and closer to her.

Kotakali’s series is finally complete! Though in order to properly lead everything into the Forbidden West, even with my theories and stories in place, I still waited until FW released to create one last bonus chapter for her. I’ll post on that next!

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter V - Clash of Fates

Kotakali triumphantly returns to Song’s Edge mounted on her new Broadhead steed, Rides Through Snow. At this point she is the third person alive of the tribes who has acquired a Focus (That we know of in the world of Zero Dawn, it is likely that the Quen have already done this as well), and the first to Override/Domesticate a machine without any technology.

The large battle scenes Kota experiences typically take a long while to finish, as her series is very much action-packed. They are designed to be challenging, and sometimes it even takes me more than one attempt to beat them. Sometimes because I’ll get defeated during them, and other times I reset them because the choreography did not play out the way I intended. I will often wrangle and move the machines during combat so they are in certain areas, or perhaps destroy certain destructible objects just for effect. Kotakali battling The Druidess’ most powerful machines with Girish by her side is a monumentally triumphant accomplishment, and it shows Kotakali’s strength and prowess in battle, especially with her clever use of her Focus during battle, rivals that of even Aloy.

One of my absolute favorite sequences takes place in this chapter as well, when Kotakali rides across the lands in a race against time to join the other Banuk as they have left Song’s Edge to meet the Druidess and Girish in battle. We now see how Kotakali’s timeline begins to collide with that of Aloy’s in the main game. There were actually quite a few deleted scenes for this sequence as I had to trim it down to fit with the music track “Across the Daybrink”, which ended up being a wonderfully exciting soundtrack to show Kotakali’s journey across the realms.

Naltuk mentions how Aratak has left for Meridian to aid Aloy. Since Aratak can actually be found in the Battle of Meridian, these statements alludes to this fact. The Battle of Meridian is about to begin, and Kotakali’s own quest begins to collide with this event.

In the final sequence of the Chapter we see Kotakali reach the battle sight too late - The evil Tenakth forces lead by the Druidess and Girish have already won. Kotakali is alone - Though just before she is ready to fight, CYAN calls to her on the Focus. She informs Kotakali that something is going on, and Aloy needs her help in Meridian. The Battle of Meridian has begun, and Kotakali must decide whether she will stop Girish and the Druidess, or leave them behind, allowing them to flee to the Forbidden West, and join Aloy in Meridian.

This becomes the greatest portrayal of Kotakali’s story taking place in real-time alongside that of Aloy’s, and it all comes together in the next chapter! This is my method of keeping Kotakali’s story not only lore-friendly altogether, but to interact directly with the canon of the game’s quests.

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter II - Lessons

The first major chapter that features Kotakali interacting with major characters and places from the Zero Dawn main quest, we see her return to The Embrace as she quests for a Nora spear.

Prior to this however, she spends some time exploring Devil's Grief. The reading of the ancient tome has her contemplate the similarities the tribes currently have even compared to the Old Ones. The tome is a long lost journal she finds in the ruins of a church, and the writer is describing their final moments before the Faro Plague arrives. The irony of seeking refuge in a church, seeking religion for comfort or salvation, but when they needed it most - There was simply nothing. Kotakali identifies with such feelings as she struggles with her own people whom have harmed her, and the Blue Light which seems to evade her. This is one of my favorite moments in the series.

The crescendo of the chapter takes place in The Embrace no doubt, and we see Kotakali interact with Varl, who has decided to aid Kota in her training. Not only do we see a familiar face, but part of Kota's training involves running the Proving Trail, just as Aloy did.

On top of all of this, I carefully timed the visuals of the chapter with the music track "Years of Training" from the Zero Dawn OST. In this way I tried to create a poetic rhyme between Aloy's training and that of Kotakali's, as they both become stronger and learn new things in The Embrace, learn from the Nora, and run the Proving Trail. There is also a special moment of understanding when Varl and Kotakali offer another the blessings of their own respective beliefs.

The training montage is one of my favorite in the whole series, as well as the landscape montage towards the beginning which features the song "Her Breath, Her Land" from the OST.

The importance of respecting the lore and the way established characters speak becomes even more important with this Chapter, as I had to carefully write what Varl would say, and how he would say it. Nevertheless, all of this blends nicely into the already established events and characters of the main quest!

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Horizon Zero Dawn - The Song of Kotakali - Chapter I - The Spear

The first episode of Kotakali's journey begins here. I knew I wanted her to interact with already-established characters and lore events within the game, and we see those qualities happen right away.

Kotakali's meeting of Tatai and Nukoni's Arrows was actually a happy accident. I was filming combat footage against the machines, and they just happened to show up! I took the opportunity to blend this in with the story as its own event. It not only acted as a great way for Kotakali's series to respect the in-game canon, but it also served as a perfect way to further her own story as she needed to find Song's Edge.

This chapter also features some very neat virtual cinematography shots, most particularly when Kota climbs on top of a HORUS Titan, an area which is usually off limits in the base game. There are massive areas of fully developed wilderness outside the game's regular map, and I use them often when making these episodes.

Another interesting feature that occurs when swapping Aloy's character model to show Kotakali is that their skeletons and facial features underneath are functionally identical. This means that Kotakali will move around in cutscenes, and she can even talk to other characters using the exact facial animations that Aloy would use. This is a feature I use a fair number of times in her story. All I have to do is type in my own captions for the dialogue, and I ensure that the captions themselves respect the personalities of the already-established speaking characters. I try to match their speech patterns and euphemisms to fit the lore as best as possible.

Kotakali's story for her spear was important in many ways. The most important of which is of course because Naltuk instructs her that she must obtain one for her quest, if she is indeed to walk in Aloy's footsteps.

The other two are mechanical - Kotakali needs to fight with a spear, and the Nora spear is the only one I can use in-game. I cannot swap out the spear model, at least at the time these episodes were made.

So it's a win-win. The spear serves her story and it also respects the settings as to why a Banuk huntress would be wielding a Nora spear.

The pace picks up even more in Chapter II, and I'll post on that next!