Restoring Apollo (Horizon: Forbidden West) 

To anyone who is new here. You have just found a good place for HZD and HFW content

Sobek said she designed GAIA with Ted's potential tampering in mind. That she kept him out of several very key loops. I don't think he knew about the synthetic fossils. I think they survived.

I have some experience with computer systems. Regarding current technology, deleting files or data doesn't actually get rid of the information: it just allows those places in memory to be overwritten. This is the very reason why deleted files can generally be recovered. Assuming this principle holds with APOLLO's archives, then unless Ted damaged the archives by tampering with the system, or added enough new information to the archives to override a significant portion (which I find highly unlikely), then as long as the data can be restored, I find it incredibly likely that it can be brought back.

The guy who came into Guerilla and changed the storyline on HZD did such an incredible job, I’d love to see Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson do an adaptation for the big screen, it’s such an epic but relatively unknown story and it deserves to be told.

when ted killed the other alphas i was sad but always thought there was something important behind the act of killing. if he was sure he had wiped out apollo why kill them at all. you sumed it up quite well rsq. great content keep it up!

I felt so devastated for Samina. Finding out, right before she was murdered, that everything she had dedicated the last year of her life to, believing she would preserve human knowledge and culture, was erased. And she was so sweet in her recordings.

Really amazing how you drew the connection between the 3 red objects, and the ancient vessel. Though, if Apollo is actually recovered and the humans regain all that knowledge, I'm curious how it will be incorporated in the game and it's narrative, because the purge of Apollo is the narrative reason we are given for the humanity devolving and falling back to ignorance, and for the game's setting being in the post post apocalyptic yet Tribal era, which we all know and love

I'd like to mention a fourth possibility. What if Apollo was restored by Aloy but with an empty archive? The idea essentially would be that even though the knowledge of the 21st century would be lost forever, Apollo could act as an archive for the history and knowledge of the 31st century, preserving it and ensuring that periods of stagnation like the middle ages wouldn't happen again. It's educational function would also ensure that the future generations of the tribes would be able to learn from an ever increasing and stable baseline. And finally thanks to the focuses that knowledge would easily be accessible to anyone using them. And, if in a different way, it would help the people of the 31st century to sprout a new tree of knowledge, their tree of knowledge. What do you think?

I really hope they do restore Apollo.

You should do a commented gameplay of Horizon Forbidden West when the game is released. I would definitely love to watch you play, especially since I know you value the game's story and wouldn't leave any files behind!

These lore vids always make me pop the game back in

Hi, I just want to say that I absolutely love your channel and that I’ve been devouring plenty of your videos ever since I found it. I finished Horizon Zero Dawn last week and I’m totally hyped for Forbidden West. But before the next game arrives, I would like to see you create a video covering a very recurrent theme in Horizon: Technology being essentially Magic. Any sci-fi fan should be familiar with Clarke’s Third Law, “Any technology, no matter how primitive, is magic to those who don’t understand it.” And the world of Horizon perfectly illustrates that seeing the primitive humans’ beliefs rooted in the technology of the Old Ones. If you look at the trends in shows and movies when it comes to aliens, we usually portray them to be technologically advanced compared to us. The writers of Horizon flipped that notion on its head by making humans, the Old Ones at least, and their technology essentially be “alien” to the present humans. They were able to organically bridge that premise through the means of a post-apocalypse narrative, creating a rich world for players to explore. The reason why 31st Century humans and their tribes have come to view the Old Ones’ technology as magic is mainly because of Apollo’s erasure. Which is precisely the reason why as I played from Aloy’s point of view, I felt an unsettling wonder of how intricately crafted Horizon’s world is. Aloy’s journey of discovery and knowledge despite Apollo’s absence begs the question of how much knowledge of technology can bring a person power. Before she insisted against it, the Nora tribe began to worship her, calling her ”The Anointed” after exiting All-Mother’s Door because of how left in the dark they were. To them, Aloy was essentially a “goddess” (small g intentional) because of her knowledge, capabilities, and her genetic makeup being the key to the Cradle facility’s door, technology that none of her tribespeople could comprehend at all. To them, she was the most powerful person in the world, and as I played through the game, I began to believe so too as I learned how to takedown and tame machines. Maybe it’s the reason why Aloy is often criticised as a Mary Sue, when she really isn’t. She falls under the character trope of “The Chosen One,” which is that of a person who is supposed to fulfill a destiny. When Aloy found out her birth origins and began to have an existential crisis because of it, Sylens with his wit and sarcasm told Aloy “How tragic to learn you’re a person of towering importance!” A Mary Sue would have powers and capabilities that suddenly show up in the heat of the moment with no explanation at all. Aloy had none of that, having her heart broken by Rost’s death, and feeling unsettled as her life would inextricably be made more complex by technology, the same technology which had birthed her. Playing Horizon has given me incredible inspiration for this fictional world I have been brewing in my head for years, and if I ever get the chance to work with Guerilla Games to make my world into a game, I have no doubt that you will see plenty of inspiration coming from Horizon. In the meantime, I believe the topic would make for an excellent meta-analysis/commentary video, one where I’d like to see you savor in-depth the technology in Horizon’s world, and how it is the same technology which makes it magical. From Aloy’s birth to the challenges she has to face. Thank you for continuing to make videos on HZD, and once the next installment arrives, may you continue to be blessed with more lore for your videos’ content! :))

Bummed they had to push HFW back, but still love picking apart the lore. Also I was thinking about a recording of Margo telling Charles that "Ted doesn't understand the systems at all. That was kinda by design." Maybe he only thought he purged Apollo, which would also explain why he killed the Alphas. He didn't want them figuring out that he didn't because he apparently didn't know the minutia of what the Alphas were doing. Seeing as all the Alphas were chosen because of their skills, if he'd left them alive, they probably would have figured out a way to restore Apollo and keep him out potentially. He couldn't risk that so he had to kill them all.

Its said in the game that Apollo is with the Zeniths along with two other sub functions

Completely unrelated but I've always wanted to see different areas of the world in Hzd. Like India, Africa, Japan and China. Those artificial life facilities can't only have been built in America. If there is life outside of the horizon areas we know of. I wanna see it.

Glad to see a new post from you RSQ. I’m really excited to learn how the wider story/lore is woven into HFW and to pick up new parts to it.

I always wonder, what society would be like If Apollo was never purged, great video

I have completed Horizon Zero Dawn (main campaign) over the last weekend and now I am playing through the DLC, Frozen Wilds. I think I will stick around and watch this channel.

truly glad that Iwent into every little detail when I played it, these videos touch on the best story ever told with further explanations, I.JUST.LOVE.IT

Ever since we speculated about there possibly being an archive of Apollo still and being able to restore it, I’ve been so interested in the idea of Guerilla adding that to HFW or the sequel after that if we get one. Just imagine what the characters could become and what they could do if they are able to learn from Apollo. The rest of the world would finally know what happened to the Old Ones and the amazing things they accomplished, but most importantly, they’d learn to not make the same mistakes they did, like the Eclipse were beginning to do.

Wow. You do great work on these videos man. Lots of research. Well done

Man, I appreciate your videos so much. Even after all these years I still play HZD, sometimes, just to be in that world. I hope The Forbidden West won’t be delayed too long.

I love your videos. You find and educate us on lore that builds this amazing world.

You are so knowledgeable about HZD that it’s mindblowing. I can just imagine a HZD dev watching this video and laughing to themselves because you picked up on their Easter eggs. Can’t wait to return to this video next year after HFW gets released!!

In summary, Ted was just a giant egoistical maniac that didn't want the future to know that it was his wrongdoings that ruined the world.

Always great content with masterful delivery thanx brother keep it coming!

yay new random side quest video!!! i’ve been slowly watching all your videos :D

I believe it's highly possible to bring Apollo back online. While Ted did indeed have a tight grip on ZD and Gaia as a project, it's mentioned multiple times that Elizabet knew how to deal with him and what he was like/capable of, so I doubt she left any loose ends when it came to rank clearance for ted. (Basically I doubt he actually got rid of every copy with omega clearance). Even in the audio files we find in the facility, ted sounds manic and not mentally focused. could he ahave really pulled off such a task in his state of mind? Plus, when aloy enters the cradle, the system merely states Apollo as offline, not corrupted or deleted or worse, and HZ as a game/world is quite finicky with its wording. This hints towards a 'dormant' state. And as mentioned, Apollo's symbol during Gaia's dying wish is very much bright and 'alive'. And as many people before have already pointed out, it's odd at how ted kills the alphas. The motive is very shady and almost seems like he knew he didn't actually delete Apollo and it was very much possible for the Alphas to reverse the damage. All in all, it'd be pretty cool to be able to get apollo back and then fully restore gaia (as an end game goal). But we can only wait and see what GG do with HFW and the horizon trilogy

Excellent vid Chilly, I didn't notice that the same 3 red "stars" are also on the mug :) Very interesting.

Alternate Title: Restoring History so Ted’s Nightmare of being remembered for being the greatest dunce ever can happen

Hello sir, I've got a question Remember when we do "A moment's peace" side quest, we have to look for an unknown signal on the mountain and we see a device (similar to a horus face/transmitter) that the oserams are digging out,that device kept the machines friendly towards humans,my speculation is that it is a subfunction code shackle or whatever u may call it, What do you think it may be ? And can you make a video on speculating on which subfunctions have gone rogue and which is still normal? anyways can ya tell me what really that device is that kept the machines friendly in the side quest?.

hey man, i'm a huge fan of this masterpiece, 700 hours in, 12.000+ rare mod accumulated, all the weapons are max out, i read every documents, i listened to every recording, i discovered every inch in the game, the sad part that my friends doesn't play video games so i feel like no one can undrestand my passion for Horizon, until i discovered your channel a few weeks ago, and gotta tell you thank you so much for your content, to think that in this planet there is a guy who shares the same passion with me over this game is just heart warming so again thank you, can't wait for your futur uploads.

For some reason I thought odyssey was that fallen ship in the desert with tallneck around it. It had 2 far zenith audios on it

Great content. I will definitely stick around!

the last part in your video where you show the panting on the wall, where in Devil's grief is that

Nice I liked it a lot, I can’t wait for the game

Best channel hands down for HZD and future HFW lore content!

Something that occurred to me is that even if Apollo is destroyed, with Gaia’s restoration, Aloy and Gaia may be able to tweak some of Gaia’s “high level protocols” and permit her to interact with humanity, to share at least what she knows. Could be an interesting middle choice between complete rebuilding of human knowledge and “here, this is how this works”

oh. like you, i'm more likely to take the lore at face value when it comes to the odyssey and i thought those falling stars were more to do with the blight or even other sub-functions since that's exactly how hades looked when he flew across the sky. but those parallels with the stars in the trailer, the logo, and the mural really gives me something to think about

EVERY TIME YOU POST A VIDEO ITS LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING

Love a sunday for rsq videos

There was a conversation between alpha's recovered that said that Ted did not understand the functions. I wonder if this is an indication that he did not succeed.

Just what I needed while waiting for "Forbidden West"! 😁

Don’t forget Sylus said that HADES taught him bout physics and calculus. The sub functions would have had to share info as well make machines. Maybe not all the knowledge is in HADES but some is

Awesome, thanks homie

SO, happy people are digging into the lore of this game!

I haven't been this hyped for a sequel in a very long time. Horizon is my favorite post-apocalyptic setting. ^_^

Okay, this is the GOAT for HZD and HFW lore...

looking at that mural of the falling stars behind All-Mother Mountain has me thinking that if we are to recover anything from that site, it would be far to the south of the mountain. given that the Nora settlement is at the southern end of the map

5:57 Wait but I think that it was mentioned by the double agent zenith that Apollo was stored on the Odyssey (last I played HFW was half a year ago so yeah)

I'm super Excited for Horizon Forbidden West!

Here is the theory : Odysey was in fact destroyed, but not completely. Part of the ship, containing computer core, auxiliary power and comm systems survived. It entered irregular orbit around the sun, and after 1000 years it came close enough to Earth to send transmission. And containing all the knowledge of humanity, Appolo would also contain knowlege on how to program AI.

SOOOO HYPED!

Just a thought - I find it likely that Ted Faro decided to destroy Apollo's archival data using temperature regulation sabotage - it's straightforward and very effective. I think it is considerably more likely than any other mechanism for data destruction as it requires very little knowledge for it to be both effective and *reliable* . It probably consisted of simply disabling the power supply for the cryocoolers. However! If even just one of these storage facilities was in an Arctic or otherwise very cold location, it may well still be viable, even without active regulation. I'm not sure what information exists regarding the climate conditions of when this sabotage event occurred and the intervening time up to 'present day' within the setting, but I imagine there have to have been at least SOME with the required characteristics for this natural cooling theory to be viable.

this game was one of the best i have ever played, i was happy when it was announced we are getting a sequel

I hope the details of the other sub functions are stored in the Apollo Archive. It could be a huge help to Beta and Sylens in the 3rd installment

I’ve always wondered if the fate of the Odyssey was somehow tied with the signal that woke up Hades…

Btw, Ted recommending Elisabet to create an override both helped and destroyed the world. Funny

DNA is incredibly stable storage media. Though it does degrade overtime. Storing it at -18'C, without any DNase enzymes present, and protected from radiation with both physical and a digital backup. Even if Faro destroyed the samples by tampering with the storage temp, Aloy may be able to piece together the complete DNA sequence to complete Apollo from multiple copies like how we can complete the DNA sequence of ancient species using multiple samples.

I am sure it is climatic (is this a word) for the developers and 20 writers of this masterpiece to see what people speculate about their well written ideass

The game says that the odyssey lost telemetry and there was catastrophic failure. Could it be that the odyssey went thru a wormhole bringing the ship to present day and that could be what woke up hades? Maybe the ship was trying to contact earth but they had no contact. Maybe they found Gaia and thats what set the first game in motion and now there going to land on earth and try to figure out what happened and probably thats how aloy will restore Apollo. Maybe even alot meets a decent from Elizabeth Sobeck family, like a cousin or a siblings. That would be amazing, so she doesn't have to feel lonely or what not. Can't wait for the February to be here, also nice video.

It would be interesting for Apollo to be a wandering unique friendly machine gathering data of the new world.

Aloy finds a working iPad... "Brazzers? What's that?"

This better like heck be the overarching story of all of Horizon Zero Dawn. With something like a very last choice being like... "give humanity all information completely unchanged" or "give humanity a censored version of history that an AI has calculated would less likely lead to war/prejudice, etc." with Alloy choosing (in the "good" ending) to release the information unhindered--but the whole third game making the tempting case to alter the information before it's broadcasted for the sake of peace.

There is also the possibility that with Apollo and other sub functions becoming self aware, Apollo might get discovered by Aloy and it asks her for her help to restore (at least partially) the wiped data. We could assume through degradation much information is unrecoverable.

I also imagine the ways apolonsecretly survived was the fossils in a parts of the world and maybe Apollo archives were transferred to 6 cradles in the world,(maybe the only cradles to get Apollo and one with a sentient Apollo ai and thus the only few advanced cities on earth hidden from the world with the access to the knowledge and only advanced places left like maybe Atlanta, Tokyo, etc and a secret city made by vast silver,etc

CYAN also possesses ancient knowledge and a willingness to communicate

In the HFW datapoint World #2 Eyes to the Heavens, the message reads “-November Special! We’re getting ready for our 2059 Annual viewing of the abandoned Odyssey spacecraft as it follows its orbital path above the Western Grand Array”. How can this be if the Odyssey never in fact blew up? Is this an early version that was scrapped and launched into orbit for some reason?

Wait, this is prophetic

So I love your videos. I’m 1:36 into this one and I just have to say you start by asking the basic question. Real question . . . . What goal does this suit for Farro? Why would he do this? It can’t JUST be in vanity.

I'm pretty sure we'll hear from Homer (aka Apollo 0.6) again, which was stored on the Odyseey (or how I like to call it "Chekhov's Space Ark"). It may have had a real malfunction, and crashed on earth, or went into a orbit which will bring it near enough to earth to access the data onboard. This ties in nicely with Sylens' ruthless quest for knowledge as well and may be what he's after in HFW.

Thanks bro I just got spoiled by scrolling past your vid

Mindblowing!

Why not a combination of all of the above? They all seem just as likely. And Aloy is smart, so I wouldn't be surprised if she comes up with these possibilities based on the datapoints she collects.

Something i haven't seen discussed much is that Gaia was functional but not complete. The alphas had planned on doing more work in the bunker but Ted killed them before it could be completed. So Gaia, while functioning, was not at 100%, that must have consequences, right? I think the damage that Ted did by killing the alphas was therefore more extensive than just purging Apollo. Some things were left incomplete that would let Gaia run smoothly. like a machine that works, but its a bit bumpy or maybe even glitchy at times. i think this is gonna come back at some point

still holding on to the notion that the Odyssey survived and thrived somewhere else (another planet?) for a thousand years so they have advanced technology and are responsible for the signal that unshackled the AI. It would be a huge treasure trove of a 1000 years lore of an advanced space-faring culture. They would probably have to be at least a temporary antagonist, perhaps they are divided themselves and a faction wants to help, and other faction wants to destroy, etc. I don't want Sylens to be the main antagonist. He should be given a redemption arc. I say Hades gets loose again somehow only for Aloy to put him down again, this time permanently, making Sylens realize he keeps fucking up and start to make amends.

Here's my personal theory: I think Faro was a key part of the Far Zenith project and placed a clone of himself on board. I think he destroyed Apollo so no one would know it was him in the future being the man that he was. I think his clone sent the signal for hades to destroy the planet so Gaia would have to start again and before the humans from the cradle facilities would be born and released he could descend and rule the planet with his advanced society from the Odyssey. That being said, we all know the Sobeck was a genius of genius'. I think she accounted for all of this in some and hid some kind of system to counter all of this. Like a fresh copy of Gaia and her sub functions or something similar. I would love at the end of the Horizon journey, if my theory is true, is to have this Faro clone with Aloy watching a pre-recorded message from Sobeck saying that she anticipated Faro's hubris and put this counter plan in place. I would find that very satisfying.

Dude yes you HAVE to do livestreams of gameplay when FW ships

Here is a question: Would the habitants of Aloy's world WANT the knowledge of the Old Ones? After all, it would mean losing their new History and Cultures and most probably make the world they have fought so hard to create disappear in a very short amount of time. We, (us living today), see Apollo's disappearance as a huge loss, and so does Silens, who, in my view, represents our current society with quite a few of its flaws. Aloy does not seem that keen on restoring Apollo, she just wants to save the world she lives in, and, from what I gather, as it is in the 31st century. I think there is an undercuring ideoligical fight in HZD and Forbidden West: Aloy's "humans come first" against Silens's "knowledge comes first", at whatever the cost.

It would be super cool if Apollo could be brought back, it could mean the start of something similar to what the galactic encyclopedia in Terminus (and especially its scientific enclave) started in the Foundation saga of Asimov books. A safe haven for knowledge from which to gradually and slowly light again the spark of technological civilization so that the period of "barbarism" is shortened by a lot. I believe if Aloy restored Apollo, it would still take time (decades and perhaps even a couple of centuries) for the tribal societies of Horizon's world to fully be able to use its knowledge and adapt their cultures enough to even just be able to accept such knowledge, but even a period of adaptation o say 2-3 centuries would still be a LOT shorter than the time these societies would require to reach that level of knowledge by themselves

The Odyssey references in the game and its references to "alfa version of apollo" plus ted wiping out the apollo data, its placed in the history of the game in a way that if it isn't that the way of recovering the data... by finding the remains of odyssey space ship and recovering it's data like a "black box" from a plane, it would not have been introduced in the game history in the first place... the whole "alfa version of apollo" in the data points it's a little bit forced for me if it isn't part of the solution.... "Apollo" = space ship = odyssey = recovering lost arc, i hope it is and loved your video, the mug and trailer really sells it aswell, getting it the strongest theory and the most satisfying, in "game design story thinking"

I'm convinced that apollo crashed back down to Earth on one of those ships or a big escape pod. I bet there's gonna be a crater with a ship in it with a door where only Aloy's DNA could access it

If I had to guess, we'll be picking through the remains of the crashed ship for however much of the archive remains.

My hope is the restoring of Apollo too, tat would be cool, teds actions were always unjust, and all knowledge is secured and to be archived and restored, even books,files,etc

in my opinion, the 3 red streaks are likely connected to what happens to the environment. I doubt that Apollo (and by extension, the Odyssey) are going to be the focus of Forbidden West when we already have such an obvious threat. the blight is clearly some kind of plant and the only thing that should be advanced enough to produce it is Demeter. same about the Storms. I suspect those are caused by Aether. considering that both vegetation/soil and air are acting up, it seems fitting that there is also something wrong with the water even if we haven't seen it yet. since our primary objective is restoring Gaia now, it makes sense that we would find a few of her subordinate functions this time. I believe that's going to be Demeter and Aether and possibly Poseidon, but since we haven't seen anything related to the water yet, it could be that Poseidon isn't actually in the game this time but I wouldn't be surprised if he was in a game expansion later on, like with Hephaestus in the Frozen Wilds. there is probably a bit more going on here too, because these sub-functions shouldn't have any motivation to harm humans. maybe Hades is acting through them somehow.

I'm glad that someone else noticed the connection with the three red streaks and the Odyssey. Honestly I think that the Odyssey never had any issues at all when launching. I think the telemetry regarding an explosion was somehow altered to draw attention away from them. We know from the in game codex that Far Zenith was a pretty shady group. I think that they faked an explosion and then put themselves into some sort of cryogenic stasis. The idea of cryogenic stasis is at least mentioned by Sylens at one point. Also, the alpha that was in charge of the Eleuthia chambers mentioned that Far Zenith's technology, which they were using for the chambers, was far more advanced than he thought it would be. Also, if Far Zenith was made up of the world's richest people, then Faro was probably part of it. They probably wanted Faro to purge Apollo. Then they could return to Earth much later and rule over the primitive human population. And with their own copy of Apollo and all its knowledge, they would seem like gods in comparison. However, I'm curious as to whether or not they were the ones who sent the signal to free Hades. I thought at first that they did, but if Hades kills everything, then there is no one left to worship the Far Zenith people.

New video out today, explaining a new hidden tribe among the new tribes revealed. I wonder if these falling stars are survivors of this event and remain hidden. Waiting or even piecemealing info and tech slowly through the years due to their location.

I think all the information needed is stored in Alloy's genetic code.

One thing I haven't seen you or anyone else address is that Travis SPECIFICALLY says Gaia can fake telemetry data. If that's true, then we have to assume others can fake telemetry data as well. It seems a VERY specific skill for him to mention, esp. given the fact that the only other time telemetry data is really important in the story is in the destruction of Project Odyssey. All we have to go on is the telemetry data, which we are expressly told, in reference to Gaia, can be faked. I'm a professional and published writer. That kind of detail, and the layers they went into about the background on the alpha version of Apollo, aren't usually employed unless you plan for it to pay off somehow. There are a LOT of Chekov's Guns in relation to Apollo, Project Odyssey and Far Zenith for it to just be colorful background.

I wonder about what would happen if Apollo was restored, and the information made available. it would be completely life changing like complete culture shock. i'm willing to bet that the only tribe out of the ones we've seen so far willing to accept Apollo's knowledge would be the Oseram as they are the most open minded in my opinion.

Am I remembering wrong, or wasn't there something in one of the archives mentioning a second seed ship, like an Odyssee II that didn't make it out of the atmosphere and crashed on earth?

I'm guessing Forbidden West will have you go to different storage faculties to try and get pieces of whatever might have survived and gather whats survived in one place to restore Apollo Fully!

You know by the nature that Hades was able to teach things to our favorite guy off screen, like mathematics and other topics to him to further its goals means the synthetic fossils and the drivers to read them are still there. Might be all the support AIs like Hades are able to use them but only in the limited ability they where made for. Hades had to trade knowledge for access the build out of the focus network for its goal of ending all life. I bet the others can also access them. Its just none of them are teachers like Apollo.

You are so close despite The Odyssey having nothing to do with these red stars or asteroids or whatever they're supposed to depict

What about the signal that is heard at every moment in HZD? Maybe it has something to do with it.

if the theory of V.S and Theodore actually doing it at the same time of that purging....

When faro destroyed the Apollo database I don't think the cradles were built or operating yet. And were at best in a deactivated state to hide from the faro swarm.

Horizon Zero Dawn is so underrated it hurts... Can't wait for a faithful film adaptation, like Sonic the Hedgehog.🤘

There maybe something about Apollo in forbidden west, there maybe some way to bring Apollo back so aloy can learn how to reboot gaia Hope it makes sense

Spoilers: . . . . There is a copy of Apollo in the Zenith's ship oddessey the ship is in earth's orbit and we just need to get it from there and merge it with Gaia Ted faro wasn't aware of that particular copy and was unable to delete it because it was off planet