Review bombing has unfortunately become commonplace in the gaming scene these days. A number of popular titles have been review bombed, mostly for technical issues. However, some particular players (you know the ones) of Horizon Forbidden West’s new expansion are upset with the inclusion of a same-sex relationship.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores has been out for a few days. Critics have given the expansion a respectable score of 81. However, the game has been review bombed by fans with the DLC receiving a paltry 4.4/10 audience rating.

The discrepancy in the score is clearly a case of review bombing by gamers. Some fans were disappointed that the expansion is only available on the PS5. Others have pointed out that the length of the expansion is very short compared to a previous expansion for Horizon Zero Dawn.

However, most of the negative reviews have been coming from fans that were upset with the developers introducing Aloy’s love interest in the expansion. The Burning Shores expansion revealed Seyka, a new ally and eventual partner for the protagonist. 

Players have discovered an optional romantic plot within the Burning Shores expansion for Aloy and Seyka. The DLC introduces Seyka early on and her growing friendship with Aloy is featured heavily in the game.

Later on, players can take the optional route to have Aloy develop a romantic relationship with her companion. The relationship between the two serves as the first romantic plot element in the Horizon franchise. Some players have been reacting negatively to this new plot element.

"Disappointment. The whole time I had the feeling that DLC was only to push down my throat love interest for Aloy, and I hate it," one reviewer wrote of the optional sub-plot. "There were some cool moments and findings, and overall gameplay is as good as in the main game, but everything was overshadowed by this unnecessary forced romance."

Prior to the introduction of Seyka and the romantic plot element in Burning Shores, fans have already speculated on Aloy’s sexuality. Some assumed that she was aromantic or asexual, due to a lack of previous exploration. However, somehow some people in this day and age are sill upset by women loving women sometimes.

However, the reviews also mention that the new expansion only has around five missions and very few side quests. One fan said that it only took them ten hours to finish the entire expansion, which is a much more defensible reason to be disappointed - the DLC is being sold at $19.99. 

Burning Shores will be the only expansion for Horizon Forbidden West. The review bombing will hopefully die down in the next weeks but may have a lasting impact on Guerrilla Games. The studio is already teasing Aloy’s next adventure in Horizon 3.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is available exclusively on the PlayStation 5.