Horizon Forbidden West’s Aloy Turned Into Wayang Kulit-Style Shadow Puppet

Horizon Forbidden West has undoubtedly been a great follow-up to Horizon Zero Dawn, with this sequel seeing main protagonist Aloy exploring the titular Forbidden West, a majestic but dangerous frontier that hides mysterious new threats.

This PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 experience had players exploring distant lands of the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon. Along the way, Aloy will reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past.

The game’s blend of mechanical wonder and stone-age aesthetics has allowed for a truly unique aesthetic, one that can transcend the video game medium and be translated into different forms.

Such is the case with PlayStation Studios Malaysia’s collaboration with the Malaysian shadow puppetry troupe, Fusion Wayang Kulit, which aims to create a one-of-a-kind shadow puppet of Aloy, brought to life through traditional means.

Fusion Wayang Kulit is known for retrofitting famous pop culture figures such as Batman and the cast of Star Wars into this ancient medium, with their special retellings proving that good stories can transcend their original medium.

It is our great privilege to work on this wonderful project with @mistahasnul of @PlayStation Studio #Malaysia to create this #shadowpuppet / #wayangkulit version of Aloy of #HorizonForbiddenWest

Check out the video: https://t.co/icv3HdFwqu — fusionwayangkulit (@fusionwk) September 29, 2022

This isn’t the first time PlayStation Studios has collaborated with prominent Asia-based creators. In conjunction with Horizon Forbidden West’s release, the studio teamed up with a number of regional illustrators for a special series of illustrations.

Lee InHyuk of South Korea, VOFAN of Taiwan, Little Thunder from Hong Kong, Ann Maulina from Indonesia and Ravee of Titans from Thailand, have each created digital wallpapers that display Aloy in each illustrator’s unique style.

Tangentially related to shadow puppetry, those who want to have their own create their own papercraft models of Horizon Forbidden West’s Clawstrider and Sunwing can create their own by printing the paper design and following guides on the official website.

Attendees of the upcoming Level Up KL 2022 will see the shadow puppet version of Aloy in all its glory at the event. Hopefully, we’ll see more of PlayStation’s heroes be recreated in this style soon.