Ever since Lego’s first foray into video games kicked off all the way back in 1995 on Sega’s Pico educational platform with Lego: Fun to Build, the brick building empire has gradually enveloped all manner of other franchises in the decades that have followed. From legendary big screen properties such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park, through to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and more, there seems to be nowhere that Lego will not tread and so we probably shouldn’t be especially surprised that PlayStation Studios Horizon franchise is next up to be reframed with those iconic plastic bricks.
Lego Horizon Adventures PS5 Review
Aloy & Friends Shine In Their Cheerful, Beautifully Constructed Lego Debut
It’s also reasonable to suggest that many of the Lego tie-in video games have an in-built similarity on account of the Lego side of things. This is to say, that though you’ll be romping around the place as one in a series of licensed characters, you’ll ultimately still be collecting piles of Lego studs, building Lego structures to proceed and of course, be subject to the youthful slapstick humour that has permeated each tie-in thus far.
That is very much the case with Lego Horizon Adventures too, which essentially slices up and remoulds Aloy’s first outing into an odyssey that is both much more accessible and audience friendly to the younger folk. Again, this is Lego video game tie-ins 101. Where Lego Horizon Adventures differs from its forebears however, is in how it carries forward the core DNA of its licensed outing far more strongly than other Lego tie-in to date.
Put simply, anyone who has played an Horizon game before will immediately recognise many of the gameplay mechanics that feature here, despite Lego Horizon Adventures shifting from an over-the-shoulder perspective to a higher, more broadly scoped isometric perspective. Certainly, the stealth and combat systems make the leap from the core series to Lego Horizon Adventures extremely well, with Aloy able to use her focus to specific weak points on the machines and pick them off using her bow, while she can move around in long grass to keep herself hidden until the time is right to strike.
It’s also worth mentioning that while there is no melee combat in Lego Horizon Adventures, or some of the other recognisable elements such as being able to take over hostile machines and use them in battle, there’s still a surprising amount of innovation to be had with the Lego Horizon Adventures combat system. Different elemental bow types, such as flame bows, frost bows and so on, can be earned by simply picking them up from fallen foes and also from the conveniently placed merchants which appear at the midpoint of each mission. Traps (now known here as ‘gadgets’) also make the leap and series regulars will certainly be familiar with devices such as the Tripcaster, elemental bombs and more besides. Though both your gadgets and special bow types will reset at the beginning of each mission – assuming you haven’t already unlocked the ability to begin with them – but more on that in a bit.
You can also combine combative elements in neat ways too, such as shooting an arrow through fire for example will allow Aloy to burn away plant growth on the other side, opening up new areas as a result or setting hapless baddies alight, while firing shock arrows at a body of water will electrify the entire area and fry multiple enemies at once. Environmental combat plays a big role too as enemies can be knocked or in some cases thrown onto fire, spikes, electricity and more while massive towering pillars can be knocked down onto a group of foes, while additional damage can be inflicted (and XP earned) by targeting weak spots.
Elsewhere, Aloy will also find herself clearing out machine-spewing Caldrons, chasing down towering Tallnecks and scrapping with familiar machine enemies such as Snapmaws, Chargers, Striders and many more. So clearly, fans of Horizon will find a lot of elements here that are warmly familiar, while newcomers and younger gamers to put a finer point on it, will also discover that Lego Horizon Adventures also serves as a handy on-ramp into the Horizon franchise proper.
As part of developer Studio Gobo’s desire to make its latest effort more accessible, Lego Horizon Adventures relatively linear 15-20 minute missions are much easier to hop in and out of than the mammoth, 100 hour plus open-world odysseys of the main Horizon franchise. My only real complaint with the construction of the various stages in Lego Horizon Adventures is that they very quickly follow a rather established formula of linear exploration with the odd forked path, a confrontation with enemies that takes place in a locked-in, arena style environment, some more exploration and then a final battle. It also doesn’t help the sense of repetition that some of the same pre-rendered cutscenes are re-used at various stages in the campaign either.
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Though Lego Horizon Adventures does indeed become a touch repetitive, it nonetheless felt less so than previous Lego tie-in games as there’s more going on with Lego Horizon Adventures beyond its immediate gameplay loop. In addition to playing through the story, you’re also tasked with re-building the village of Mother’s Heart with gold bricks that you collect at the end of each mission and by completing special side quests. Once missions have been cleared, Aloy and the gang can also take on super challenging special encounters too which award Apex bricks that can be used to unlock other structures and goodies from within the Mother’s Heart hub area. By using studs as an in-game currency, these structures can be customised too – with Aloy able to unlock parts from other Lego properties such as Ninjago among others to spruce things up.
Speaking of studs, these can also be used to upgrade abilities such as increased experience points from targeting weak areas, additional fire damage, start each mission with a random gadget and more besides, while unlocking additional characters also opens a range of new weapons, abilities and upgrade trees for them as well. Of course, Lego Horizon Adventures, like every other Lego title before it, is one that is clearly best enjoyed with another player in local or online co-op play and it’s here that Lego Horizon Adventures‘ much lighter tone shines through.
Aloy’s longtime voice actor Ashly Burch is afforded that most unusual of opportunities – to tackle a character she is known for playing in an entirely different way and Burch makes the most of it, laughing, shouting and playfully chattering her way through the whole thing. It’s a world away from her usual performance as Horizon’s flame-haired heroine and the substantial shift in tone can be glimpsed elsewhere in Lego Horizon Adventures too, with hot dog trucks that can be summoned to rain rockets down on your enemies, Erend being obsessed with donuts, a whole lot of amusing enemy banter with more comebacks and snappy comedy than you can shake a hairy stick at.
Then there’s the visual side of things and Lego Horizon Adventures is clearly, absolutely, the best looking Lego title by far and it isn’t even close. Everything looks physical and malleable – like you could reach through your screen and run your fingers across the embossed Lego plastic. Meanwhile, gorgeously lit and reflective Unreal Engine 5 powered environments make each map in Lego Horizon Adventures feel like a photorealistic Lego diorama that just pops to life in every frame of animation. Longtime fans will get a proper kick out of seeing iconic foes such as the Shell Walker entirely modelled with Lego bricks that absolutely maintain the essence of those classic designs, all the while infusing them with a charm that just wasn’t there before. It’s simply stunning stuff.
Taking a more holistic view at what Studio Gobo has wrought here, Lego Horizon Adventures raises the very real possibility that Horizon titles don’t need to be open-world to soar and I would love to see other developers (or even Guerrilla Games itself) experiment with the Horizon franchise beyond its current designs. Surely the series is deemed big enough to warrant such experimentation at this point. Relatedly, I would love for Lego to take a shot at some of PlayStation Studios other offerings too. Lego Uncharted anybody?
Though Lego Horizon Adventures is the best looking Lego game ever made by a wide margin, it does still suffer somewhat from the repetition which has afflicted previous Lego tie-in titles. Nonetheless, with its snappy 15-20 minute missions, breezy co-op play and relentlessly lighter, grin-inducing tone, Lego Horizon Adventures also represents both a new direction for the Horizon franchise at large, as well as a great way to get newbies and younger folk involved with the adventures of PlayStation’s marquee flame-haired heroine.
Lego Horizon Adventures releases for PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch on November 14, 2024.
Review code kindly supplied by PR.