Somewhere over the Horizon…
Co-developed by Guerrilla and Studio Gobo, LEGO® Horizon Adventures™ is a playful and light-hearted story inspired by the events of the critically-acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn. In a distant future, the land is made of LEGO bricks and incredible dinosaur-like machines roam the Earth. Aloy, the game’s leading hero, is found in a cave as a baby and raised by a grizzled huntsman called Rost, who teaches her the way of the wilds. One day, Aloy embarks on a quest to discover her true destiny. Guided by a thousand-year-old hologram of a scientist called Elisabet, Aloy must confront Helis, the leader of a group of sunworshippers who bow to an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery. There’s much more in store for Aloy and her friends, as their adventure sends them across the tallest mountains and deepest cauldrons — all beautifully recreated in LEGO elements.
I recently reviewed Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered but I had almost forgot that a LEGO version was just behind it. LEGO Horizon Adventures is a more light-hearted retelling of the story with it’s typical humour with blocks to build and studs to collect. It’s more of an linear game with its levels than in more recent LEGO titles, but it’s still an enjoyable experience. Combat feels more refined as Aloy can use her Focus to highlight weak points on the robot dinosaur-like enemies, while aiming her bow to shoot them off.
I was surprised to see that Horizon got the LEGO treatment, if I’m being honest. But it’s a good surprise and they’ve done a good job in combining the famous comedy of LEGO games in the world of Horizon. Co-op unlocks after the opening section, so you can play two-player split-screen if you want to. I honestly wasn’t expecting it, but a few story changes make it possible.
I was impressed with the level design and while it it’s not anywhere near as long as The Skywalker Saga, you should get through it in about 15 hours if you want to get 100%. The DualSense is used well and the controls are easy to get to grips with. I didn’t encounter any glitches through my playthrough either, which is always good.
The visuals are typical of the LEGO universe, but they’ve done a good job in creating Horizon with it. The levels are well designed, characters nicely animated, framerate is solid throughout and load times are very short. Voice-acting is impressive and the soundtrack takes its cues from the original game.
The Verdict
LEGO Horizon Adventures rewrites a few story elements to make it more fun and allow co-op, but does a decent job in bringing Horizon and LEGO together to make yet another hit game for both franchises.