Tencent subsidiary Polaris Quest and developer Aurora Game Studio have unveiled Light of Mortiram. This open-world survival crafting game is set in a post-apocalyptic land dominated by animal-shaped machines. Sounds familiar? Unsurprisingly, despite not having a release date yet, Light of Mortiram has already ignited heated discussions online. Many are accusing Tencent of heavily ‘borrowing’ ideas and even visuals from Sony’s Horizon franchise.
Light of Mortiram is a free-roaming game where players journey through a harsh wilderness ruled by colossal mechanized beasts. These ‘Mechanimals’ come in over 100 variants and are ready to be tamed to help you out during your adventure. Described as ‘Horizon x Palworld‘ by Tencent, it combines precise combat with cooperative multiplayer for up to 10 players and a realistic physics-based building system. By collecting various materials you can make a safe haven and upgrade your trusted Mechanimals.
Tencent is planning to launch Light of Mortiram on PlayStation 5, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, iOS, and Android.
However, as mentioned above, Tencent’s game’s resemblance to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West hasn’t gone unnoticed. Critics have labeled it ‘Horizon: Zero Originality’ and ‘Vertical: Allowed East.’
“I saw the trailer with no context a few minutes ago,” Reddit user wutchamafuckit commented, “Legitimately thought it was an official Horizon spinoff.” Chumbuckeneer added, “There is no way they dont get sued over this.” X user @MrJmoneyDeus quipped, “Lmmffaaoo they made Horizon online before Guerrilla did.”
To make things worse, the dodge and i-frame heavy combat have also been compared with FromSoftware’s game. On a 16-minute gameplay video on YouTube, a fan pointed out that a Mechanimal gorilla boss has movesets similar to Elden Ring‘s Godrick. Another said that the mount summoning animation also resembles the dark fantasy game.
Light of Mortiram is announced amidst rumors about an official Horizon multiplayer spin-off. According to the word on the street, sources close to Guerrilla Games said the studio is committed to adapting the series for online play. Jason Schreier also mentioned that Sony is spending a lot of manpower to release Horizon Online.
Horizon fans and haters alike are now watching closely to see if Tencent’s Light of Mortiram will be a worthy contender or a boneless imitation. After all, there could be a chance that the game offers a deeper multiplayer experience than the official Horizon Online.
