I think it's likely that there is more to the Odyssey. I can see the reason the writers added the Odyssey, because it's more believable that there would be multiple attempts to further life. However, why add a part about an "alpha version" of Apollo? It has to be a major plot device for the sequel and it being an alpha version will be some explanation for something.
If Odyssey was launched before Zero Dawn was finished, then they probably put on a version of Apollo that wasn't finished yet.
I would be happy if they retconned it blowing up, since I think the perfect idea for a sequel would be about humans on another planet so they don't have to go back to the Aloy "chosen one" well again. It'd also vastly change the scope of the Horizon "universe". But I suppose having a Horizon set in a different part of America with familiar faces and monsters is a much more realistic endeavor.
So the Nora tribe was created after those kids/teens from the Nursery Bunker were forced to go out into the wilds to survive right? They asked GAIA: "What will we do now?" which she responded: "You will have to be brave.". They all called her "Mother". It all makes sense!
I guess it's impossible to imagine generations of legends being passed down through oral tradition... but it seemed a bit on the nose when I heard that at the time. lol
What do you guys think on lite RP of the game? Should next entry give us more RP option like branching narrative, multiple ending etc?
Personally I like more guided, streamline, linear nature of Horizon, hope the game stay that way.
It broke up what otherwise would have been boring cutscenes, but they just seemed as inconsequential as the few times you'd get a dialog choice in Uncharted 4.
---
I didn't want to post this in the OT because of spoilers, but I just wanted to explain why the game's presentation felt "last gen" to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cac7hW09QMo
You can see the system is built only for two characters to talk to each other, much like BioWare games from 10 years ago starting with KoTOR. But they decided to have Aloy be one character and Rost's grave be another "character". So instead of something emotional like the final scene where Aloy finds Elisabet's corpse, you just get to look at Aloy's head for 3 minutes while she talks to a pile of rocks.
I think they did that because they wanted to be able to chain the "updates" you give Rost. I only went to his grave at the end of the game, so it gave me the option to retell the entire story via "Go on". So they probably couldn't do a cutscene, or alternatively, they needed to either make Rost's grave an end-game only location or create different cutscenes for whenever you decided to go to his grave.
I'm not sure what would have been better here, but even something like a reverse shot of Aloy so that you can see her face when she's talking would have made the scene more interesting. Imagine if you were watching a movie and it's just 3 minutes of the back of a character talking. It'd be ridiculous in that context, and it's pretty silly here.