You remember how Horizon Zero Dawn was a good game overshadowed by the release of Breath of the Wild? Or How Forbidden West was a good game put out to pasture when Elden Ring came along? Even the Burning Shores expansion DLC was a solid addition, yet once again found itself in an overstuffed triple-A sandwich as one of its weakest ingredients.
Well, you’ll be happy to learn that Lego Horizon Adventures has plenty of room to breathe all by itself! But you may be less happy to know that it just ends up overshadowed by its own potential anyway. Like the others that came before it, it’s a good game, but… meh?
Could This Be A New Start For Lego Games?
First off, let me make this clear: Lego Horizon Adventures is an enjoyable time. I love the Horizon series, so I’m not going into this spin-off adventure with a negative preface that leans me toward disappointment. Quite the opposite, actually; I love Horizon, I love Lego, and I have the Lego Tallneck right by me while I work. This game should have been perfect for me. But it’s not, and probably not just for me.
I do want to make sure I mention the good things though. First off, the graphics are incredible. Yes, it’s Lego, but it really looks like Lego, right down to the scratches and smudges on the plastic, the rough surface of certain blocks, and the shine of the lighting across the environments.
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The animation is also excellent, more akin to The Lego Movie’s stop-motion-esque movement as opposed to classic Lego games where the plastic bends because it’s just easier that way. Even after the 15-20 hours or so needed to beat the game, I can’t help but admire the levels as I bash my way through them, or notice the details on close-up shots of character models during dialogue.
It’s also just a great game to play when you really don’t want to think about anything except objectives to grab, enemies to fight, or things to collect. Most of the time while playing, I just put on Spotify in the background of the PS5 and ran through level after level. It was a fun time – though likely more enjoyable if you were to play in co-op, which you can do in split-screen or online. However, as fun as it can be, the simplicity is both a strength for the game, but also a weakness.
Or Are The Bricks Making Up The Foundation Too Weak?
Despite being a slightly different style of Lego game, with an isometric view and fully Legoised environments, Lego Horizon Adventures is missing a lot of what you might expect. Firstly, collectibles; there’s nothing extra to grab here. You’ll find not-so-hidden chests and structures to build around the levels, but these are nothing more than a way to give you a few extra studs to spend once you get back to the hub town.
The Gold Bricks are the core progression, so these aren’t hidden or extra either – you’ll get them at the end of a level, or for completing an optional objective on the mission board in town, which is usually elemental kills or use of gadgets and the like. There are Red Bricks to unlock later on, but these are just from returning to older areas to do tougher machine hunts, which are just more boss fights.
The hub town, Mother’s Heart, is where you’ll be in between each linear level, and will grow as you collect Gold Bricks and spend otherwise pointless studs to unlock minor perks or customise things in the town, like having hot dog statues, rocket ships, and a big donut bridge. You can also buy outfits from the tailors, which includes an extensive selection from Zero Dawn, Lego City, Lego Ninjago, and some other fun picks, with hopefully more in the future, such as the ones shown in the initial trailer.
Note: The PlayStation-centric outfits of Ratchet, Rivet, and Sackboy are part of the Deluxe Edition which will be available at launch.
Is Lego Horizon Adventures Worth It For Horizon Fans?
So that’s the Lego game stuff, but what about the Horizon stuff? Well, it doesn’t really add anything for fans of the series. If anything, it can detract. It mixes up the opening of Zero Dawn and sets up an alternate and simplistic story, using familiar characters, villains, and settings. It’s nothing canon, and I didn’t expect it to be, and it leans into the silliness of Lego that so often prides itself on not taking itself seriously.
However, it’s a shame to see the often over-expansive exploration of the series cut down to zero exploration, and the roster of characters we know and love boiled down to comedy stereotypes, when – let’s be honest – they weren’t that deep in the first place. Aloy the dreamer, Varl the coward, Teersa the violent old woman, and Erend the oaf who loves donuts. Great.
These are your four playable characters that you unlock throughout the game, with their own playstyles, weaponry, and gadgets available to them, and you can switch between them at the start of a level or in Mother’s Heart, but not mid-level. Aloy is equipped with her iconic bow, focusing on combat at range.
Note: Ashly Burch returns once again as Aloy, but with a much chirpier and enthusiastic take on the character considering she is now made of Lego bricks.
It’s therefore disappointing that Varl and Teersa are also ranged-focused characters, using throwing spears and random item explosives respectively. It was only later on when I unlocked Erend with his hammer did melee become an option, and I then just stuck out the rest of the game as him.
I know this is a game angled towards a younger audience, and I have no doubt it fits that purpose. However, I’m also the demographic for both Horizon and Lego, so there’ll be plenty of adults like myself wondering if £60 on this game is going to be worthwhile, especially with basic expectations from the universal appeal of TT Games’ Lego legacy. And the answer is: probably not.
Lego Horizon Adventures is a good game, but it’s about as shallow as a video game can be, and sometimes even less. It’s a shame for both fans of Lego and Horizon, as this is one I thought could be a big step for new Lego games based on more iconic IPs. It would feel much more worthwhile at a lower price tag, and though there are still plenty of reasons to enjoy the experience, it could have been so much more. As is the case with Horizon’s history, Lego Horizon Adventures is just… whelming, at best.
Reviewed On PlayStation 5
- Beautiful graphics
- Well-polished with no experienced bugs
- Shallow game with little-to-no extras
- Boiled down what makes Horizon great
- Price tag feels way too high for the depth offered