Tencent’s Light of Motiram Is a ‘Made in China’ Version of Horizon

Along with God of War, The Last of Us, Ratchet & Clank, and Jak and Daxter, Horizon is one of Sony’s most popular franchises. Aloy’s saga has captivated gamers with two powerful installments and its open-world RPG approach. However, Horizon now faces a rival that originates from China, is free to play, can be accessed on any device, and looks like a rip-off.

Light of Motiram. The new title was developed by Polaris Quest and Aurora Studio, both subsidiaries of Tencent. The synopsis describes it as “a world overrun by colossal machines,” where gamers can “explore the vast open world, build your base of operations, advance technology, train mechanimals, and take on formidable bosses.” It adds, “Starting from the primitive age, forge a new path of development. Defy the machination, survive with mechanimals.” Does it sound familiar?

The aesthetic looks familiar. The graphics in Light of Motiram are heavily inspired by the Horizon series, to the extent that its promotional images could easily be mistaken for those of the Sony game. The main protagonist resembles Aloy, the showcased areas evoke the Horizon world, and the robotic creatures are almost clones. In other words, the similarities–what one might call “inspiration”–are quite evident.

Differences. However, what’s been shown in official images and videos and what the game truly offers are two different things. While the game features battles against machines in a wild environment, Light of Motiram sets itself apart by incorporating housing mechanics with realistic physics simulation. It also boasts crafting that appears to be more complex than that of Horizon, cooperative gameplay with up to 10 players, and the ability to tame robotic beasts to assist in combat.

In the 16-minute gameplay video above, Light of Motiram seems like a blend of ARK and Horizon, featuring a more tactical approach to combat.

Available everywhere. Chinese developers, particularly Tencent, seem to strongly believe that mobile gaming is the future. Tencent has recently launched several titles, all targeting smartphones. Tarisland, a free alternative to World of Warcraft, and Delta Force, Level Infinite’s own version of Battlefield, can be played across virtually all platforms with cross-play functionality. Not everyone has access to a console or PC, but nearly everyone has a mobile device. Plus, the mobile gaming market is incredibly lucrative.

An industry trend. Light of Motiram is just another addition to the trend of launching titles “inspired” by popular franchises that only differ in that they’re free to play and compatible with any device with a screen.

In addition, these games offer regular content updates, various micropayments, and battle passes. Generally, they provide a superior experience to other free games, particularly in graphics and performance. For example, both Delta Force and Throne and Liberty run exceptionally well, even on less powerful machines.

Image | Tencent Games

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