Newly Announced Open-World Survival Game Looks Like a Major Horizon Rip-Off

Polaris Quest, a subsidiary of Tencent, announced last week their very own open-world survival craft game and players can’t help but notice its glaring similarities to Guerilla’s hit franchise, Horizon. Light of Motiram is described as taking place in a “world overrun by colossal machines,” not unlike the PlayStation series it seems to have borrowed much inspiration from.

Polaris Quest hasn’t shared a release date, but at the moment players can wishlist Light of Motiram on Steam. Polaris Quest has shared that the game will also be available on iOS, Android, and PS5, along with a reveal trailer and 16 minutes of gameplay that don’t help its case.

Light of Motiram’s Colossal Machines Bear a Striking Resemblance to Those Found in Horizon

The Horizon series is often described as having “mechanical dinosaurs,” when, in actuality, all the machines are modeled after real-life animals — now long extinct in the series’ canon. There’s lore and a reason why the machines look the way they do in Horizon; spoilery lore that players can find out for themselves if they’d so like. But regardless, it’s more than just a design choice; it weaves into the actual plot. Light of Motiram is extremely liberal in its borrowing of these designs, seemingly for no reason.

Those at Eurogamer were the first to notice this bold choice, and neither Tencent nor Polaris Quest have commented. The design of Light of Motiram’s machines is a clear issue, the color palette not even something they bothered to change. Aside from the machines who have very clear counterparts living in the Horizon series, there are also the tribal communities.

There are several tribal factions in Horizon, all of which integrate machine parts into their everyday wear and armor. Light of Motiram’s own tribal groups not only look strikingly similar to those found in Horizon — specifically the Utaru and Banuk — but they even use machine parts to supplement their armor and outfits. The model designs created by Polaris Quest have very clearly taken from Guerilla’s own creations for both the giant machines they boast, as well as the NPCs that occupy the world. Even the post-apocalyptic landscape looks like it’s pulled straight out of the world Guerrilla has crafted for the Horizon series.

While Polaris Quest and Tencent have chosen to ignore those calling foul, it’s doubtful they will be able to get away without commenting on the accusations for long. With more of the community continuing to notice the similarities, and Horizon being one of PlayStation’s biggest flagship titles, Light of Motiram could have a bumpy road ahead.

Source: Eurogamer