Horizon Forbidden Westis filled with activities, games, and world events to keep players occupied between quests and give them a glimpse of certain lore. Machine Strike is a board game that can be played in most of the major settlements inHorizon Forbidden West. The first settlement where Machine Strike can be played is Chainscrape, which is on the way to the quest, “The Embassy.”
Machine Strike is played on an eight-by-eight board with various machine pieces that have different types and skills. It can be played in16 different locations across the open world, with each location offering challenges with varying difficulty. Players take turns moving pieces across the board with the objective of defeating all the opposition pieces or scoring seven Victory Points. These points are awarded when they successfully attack and destroy an opposition piece. The points acquired vary from piece to piece and can be found in the “Notes” along with all the other stats, skills, and effects of the piece.
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Game Setup
Machine Strike heavily relies on strategy,similar to fighting machines in the wilds, as the mechanics of the game have a major impact on every attack. Terrain, machine types, range, movement, and skills, dictate how players will use certain pieces and will influence where players choose to position them in the game.
Before the start of the game, the player will select a limited number of pieces from their collection. Players are given 10 Setup Points to spend on pieces, each piece has a cost equivalent to their allotted Victory Points. Players will only be able to usefour of a single type of machine, this means that players will not be able to use more than four Burrowers, for instance.
As per the rules, the owner of the board, who is always the opponent inHorizon Forbidden West, will decide who goes first. This final step ends the setup phase of the game and from here players will strategically move their pieces to attack the opponent.
Pieces
Machine Strike pieces can be found scattered around the wilds ofHorizon Forbidden West, can be bought from traders at one of the Hunting Grounds, and after completing Machine Strike challenges. As mentioned above,each piece will have different skillsand types so finding a piece that will fit the player’s strategy is essential.
There are a total of 40 different pieces that a player can find, buy, or win inHorizon Forbidden West. Finding a set that is versatile with complementary pieces that can quickly dispatch opponent pieces is important. So, finding as many pieces as possible is ideal, especially sincedifferent opponents use different strategiesin Machine Strike.
Player Turns
Each player is allowed to move two pieces before ending their turn. Pieces can move a set number of spaces shown under their movement stat; but also have the option to add an extra move by sacrificing some Health Points. There are two moves that allow this HP sacrifice, the Sprint, and the Overcharge. Sprint lets a piece move an extra step in any direction, while Overcharge lets a piece attack after moving two spaces.
Another important aspect to keep in mind is armor and weak spots on pieces. Each piece will have a region painted blue which denotes its armored side. Attacking these areas will reduce the amount of damage done to a piece’s HP. On the other hand, weak spots are painted red and are usually behind the piece. When a piece is attacked on its weak spot, it will take additional damage.Just like movement in the open world, strategizing position, and direction is an important tactic to succeed in Machine Strike.
After two pieces have moved the maximum number of times, the player will end their turn and the opponent will be able to move their pieces. If a player gains seven Victory Points, which in some cases can happen during the opponent’s turn, the game will automatically end.
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Terrain And Machine Type
The two most prevalent features that will affect the game are terrain and machine types. The various tiles on the board denote the different terrain types, each of which is at a different elevation. When a piece is on a higher tile attacking another piece below it, the damage dealt increases.
Machine types determine the skills and range of each piece. The different types can be identified by the shape of theplatform below the machine figure. Certain machine types give the piece skills that will improve the movement or combat capabilities of a piece, for example, the Charger piece’s skill improves its damage by one point on Grassland tiles. Effectively using terrain advantages and the different piece skills, is an important part of the strategy that goes behind the game.
Machine Strike offers players a chance to rewind without having to worry about dangerous monsters and enemies in themassive world ofHorizon Forbidden West. The game is challenging and requires players with the ability to understand different pieces, their strengths, and their weaknesses while considering their opponent’s strategy. Machine Strike offers a much-deserved break from the dangers that Aloy faces inHorizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.
