Tencent Games is being accused of blatantly ripping off Horizon Zero Dawn in its recently announced game, Light of Motiram. The game is being developed by Polaris Quest, a subsidiary of Tencent Games. Gamers around the world have taken notice of the astounding similarities the upcoming title has. Even just looking at the cover art helps their claim have power. However, the copycat evidence gets even stronger when you watch the trailer and read the description of the game. The similarities are truly shocking.
The Similarities So Far
What exactly does Light of Motiram rip from Horizon Zero Dawn? Well, the answer, unfortunately, is astoundingly a lot. With only a trailer, a few screenshots, a description on Steam, and a bit of gameplay, the true length of this copycat game is yet to be seen. However, from what we know so far, the similarities can be broken down into two categories: setting and style. With these similarities seen almost instantly by people who have not played Horizon Zero Dawn, they can easily be called purposeful. It even appears to copy other games, but for now, we’ll focus on one.
Setting
The first sentence of the official description on Steam may sound familiar. It reads, “Earth and human civilization as we once knew it are gone. Across untamed wilderness, giant mechanical beasts roam freely, while humanity struggles to rebuild from the dawn of a new primitive era.” This setting is the same as the one found in Horizon Zero Dawn. It seems Tencent didn’t even try to make it original. Yes, it’s not unheard of for games to have similar settings. Survival games with zombies come to mind there. However, with how unique the Horizon games are, it wouldn’t have been difficult to have a world with mechanical animals and still set Light of Motiram apart from its copied predecessor.
The only true way that the setting of Tencent’s upcoming game may be different is if it doesn’t take place in the United States. It could easily take place on another planet or a different continent. Still, this difference wouldn’t change the fact that the game is a blatant rip-off. The fact that the game can be played with friends doesn’t change much either. Sadly, this isn’t where the clear “inspiration” ends.
Style
Just looking at the screenshots and the trailer for Light of Motiram for a few seconds is enough to see that it’s meant to look like the Horizon games. This can be seen in the mechanic creatures, environments, and clothes that the player character wears. Speaking of how characters look, the one on the cover art for the game is designed in a way that tries to copy Aloy, the main character of the Horizon games. Tencent could have given the character’s hair any color but red to avoid this accusation.
The similarities don’t end at in-game and cover art graphics, though. The very font used for Light of Motiram tries to copy Horizon‘s font as well. Even though it isn’t an exact copy, the similarities are there. The same can be said about the music that played during the trailer. Inspiration from Horizon Zero Dawn‘s OST is audible even if you’ve only been exposed to it through a trailer and not the actual game.
The Reaction
The reaction stemming from fans of the Horizon games and everyone who sees a rip-off when they see one has been nothing short of amusing. I’ve seen comments under the reveal trailer call the game insulting names like “Horizon Zero Shame: Forbidden East” and “Horizon: Ark Hunter’s Destiny.” Their insults continue under the 16 minutes of gameplay that have been revealed.
Speaking of that gameplay, it shows that the game may be ripping off more games than what the trailer showed off. They accuse the game of copying things from Ark: Survival Evolved, Palworld, and Monster Hunter. Some are even accusing the mount summoning in the game of copying Elden Ring. After watching the gameplay footage multiple times, I wholeheartedly agree with their accusations. While trying to take the setting and style from Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s actually a collection of copied content from several beloved games. The true length of that sentiment might just remain a mystery until the game’s full release.
