I had hoped LEGO Horizon Adventures would be a reimagining of the now-classic Horizon Zero Dawn with universal appeal. Having grown up with Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games, I couldn’t be more excited to relive Aloy’s origin story with the charm and whimsy of a LEGO recreation. While Pixar films or Bluey do a great job of entertaining the kids while conscious of the parent in the room, LEGO Horizon Adventures struggles to find the depth that would keep even the uninitiated interested.
No doubt, much of what would have made LEGO Horizon Adventures special rests on the LEGO brick presentation style. The game looks exceptional. Even playing in Performance Mode, the rebuilt post-apocalyptic environment looks incredible in LEGO form. Environmental artists have had a field day adding extra details that don’t go unappreciated; little LEGO skeletons dotted amongst rusted ruined buildings brought a smile to my face. The lighting is also gorgeous, contributing greatly to an impressive presentation that feels more reminiscent of LEGO Builder’s Journey than LEGO Star Wars.
Poking about the nooks and crannies of each level, however, I was left disappointed by a lack of interactivity. It’s hard not to compare LEGO Horizon Adventures to the other PlayStation-exclusive platforming title released this year, ASTRO BOT, which rewarded you for hitting almost everything. Thinking back to past LEGO-based games, I’m accustomed to whacking and breaking almost every little thing. Bar identifiable barrels, there was little to break to collect those studs, the in-game currency.
With no hidden collectibles or easter eggs to be found, it feels like a missed opportunity. Chests containing studs and powerups are never far from the beaten path. Nor are little LEGO builds, which often feel like the same object repeated, with no indication there’s a certain amount to be discovered in the level. Occasionally, some straightforward environmental puzzle-solving is required, mostly with fire or explosive barrels to break through a wall.
The creative creature design, adapting Horizon Zero Dawn’s many memorable robotic dinosaurs into LEGO form is another strength. They have all been given the same quality, LEGO treatment as the Tallneck set that adorns the shelving in my gaming room. Each new enemy encounter comes with the thrill of seeing how they’ve been recreated in LEGO.
The enemy design also emulates the approach taken by the source material. Like the two Horizon games in the series thus far, combat revolves around hitting weak spots on the machine. Each has its weak spots, with enemies like the Shell-Walker proving more of a challenge with a shield to navigate and two clasps keeping a large weak point at bay.
It’s a combat system that worked well in the original games, darting your way about the level to work an angle on the machine. However, its simplified translation into isometric LEGO form requires the player just point the stick in the general direction with your arrow or spear automatically targeting it.
Playing as Aloy or Varl, you get the option of these two ranged attacks, with the other characters Erend and Teersa having a hammer and bombs respectively. The latter two proved effective if less precise and I gravitated towards Aloy and Erend the most.
Adding more variety are the rare weapons and gadgets you can collect throughout levels. Pickups add elemental damage to your chosen weapon, and in the case of Aloy add scattershot or multiple notched arrows for extra damage. Gadgets get a bit more creative, my favourite being a deployable hotdog truck where the vendor tosses explosives in the general direction of enemies. These pickups have limited uses, but bring some welcome variety to the otherwise monotonous combat.
Sadly, the game’s combat never amounts to much. Granted, LEGO games have never been known for their complex combat mechanics, but still, I was left wanting more. Aloy’s spear never appears for close-quarter combat, whereas past LEGO games have dynamically altered the basic attack based on your proximity to an opponent. That and limiting a dodge/dash mechanic to a consumable pickup seems a misstep, particularly when some of the larger bosses have large area-of-effect attacks that ask more of the player.
Stealth is present somewhat. As you do in the core Horizon games, hiding in long grass makes you invisible to enemies, although there are no stealth takedowns or overrides; an upgrade available later in the game rewards some extra damage from a hiding spot but that’s it.
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To make it more approachable to the youngest gamers, I fear Guerilla Games and Studio Gobo have gone too far and lost much of what makes Horizon’s gameplay enjoyable.
That said, the story is decently executed. Elements of what is admittedly a complicated narrative get glossed over as you would perhaps expect given the target audience, but they have done a commendable job distilling it down to its basics whilst doing the original plot justice. Clearly, emphasis was placed on the character arcs of Aloy — and to a lesser extent the supporting characters — making sure to highlight the key themes most important to young newcomers.
The humour synonymous with the LEGO brand is on full display too, with Rost adopting the role of the narrator with a bunch of self-referential jokes that just about bow out before just becoming overdone. Ashly Burch also pivots to a more family-friendly tone commendably, with fun quips injected throughout.
LEGO’s sense of humour translates into the customisation central to the game. Of course, you can change Aloy’s attire (and that of the other characters too) into any number of daft outfits including spacesuits, chicken costumes and Ninjago gis. Customisation extends to different buildings you add to Mother’s Heart, the Nora Village which serves as the overworld where you upgrade your abilities and start challenges.
Upgrades don’t feel terribly consequential. There are two options: upgrades that increase the powers of all characters, and those tied to each character that can be progressed up to level 20. Each new character level increases their damage or health, whilst the overall upgrades increase the amount of XP earned from various takedowns, the damage done whilst hiding or the duration of elemental effects, for example.
Besides levelling up all the characters, completionists ought to seek out all the Gold and Red bricks they can to unlock all the customisations. Gold Bricks are earned by completing Story Mission and Community Challenges — which range from elemental takedowns to exploring a Cauldron in a spacesuit — and Red Bricks are rewarded for completing the Alpha Machine Hunts.
Story Missions blur together but are divided into different subsections within four chapters, each set in a unique biome. Tallnecks and Claudrons are to be found on alternate paths within these levels, which make for a welcome break in pace. The Story wraps up in several hours, with the Alpha Machine Hunts rounding the game out to what I believe is around a 10-12-hour game.
Alpha Machine Hunts become available after completing a chapter, with more unlocked for that region after progressing the story further. Here the challenge steps up, even on the middle difficulty of the five available. Should you want a serious challenge, there is one should you want to make the grind for all the costumes more arduous. Beyond that, the Platinum seems achievable, but little else would entice me to keep playing.
As expected, playing the game co-operatively online or locally makes it more engaging. The co-op play works well; an online friend can join your story back at Mother’s Heart. Locally, another player can drop in any time you like. Your companion will assume the role of one of the remaining three other characters, at whichever level you have progressed them so far, with all progress tied to your save.
