WhenLego Horizon Adventureswas first announced, I was ecstatic to see the specialties of each franchise collide: the playfulness of Lego games, and the quality storytelling of Horizon. On paper, these two had all the ingredients to make something truly special.
I have played most of theLego games on the market, with my favorite ones being based on major IPs such asStar WarsandMarvel. Each brought me into that specific world while adding the funny and creative nature that Lego games have always been known for.
Since the Horizon games are among my top choices for the action-adventure genre, I was confident that I would enjoy Lego Horizon Adventures. Better yet, the same developer of Horizon, Guerilla Games, was behind the project. All these signs instilled a firm belief in me that I would love this new Lego game.
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Unfortunately, the final product fails to meet these lofty expectations and is nothing short of unsatisfactory. So much so that it’s almost as if the developers forgot what made each of these franchises great. It lacks the charming story of the Horizon franchise while removing the addictive gameplay of past Lego games.
After playing through its short-lived 6-hour story, time I desperately wish I could get back, it’s clear that some crossovers should never happen. Lego Horizon Adventures is a repetitive slog that doesn’t deserve either the Horizon or Lego title.
A Sweet Story Turned Sour
Lego Horizon Adventures is a reimagining of themasterful story from Horizon Zero Dawn. It follows the main protagonist,Aloy, and her companionsas they venture into various locations to save the world from an evil entity that plans to control all machines on the planet.
If you’ve played Zero Dawn, you understand how great the story is in that game. It’s a story of Aloy’s acceptance into the tribe, understanding her past as she searches for her mother, and coming together to overcome a challenge bigger than oneself.
The story was so well told that it created a genuine feeling of being on the journey with Aloy, allowing for a connection between the player and the characters.
What Horizon Zero Dawn excels at in narrative, Lego Horizon Adventures does the opposite and dumbs down the plot to the point that it’s almost offensive. To the extent that it seems it doesn’t have faith in its player base to understand what is going on.
It’s understandable to take a more light-hearted approach to a story, considering it’s a Lego game, but there should still be engaging plot points to keep the user invested.
However, it’s almost as if Lego Horizon Adventures is begging the player to pay attention elsewhere. This is primarily due to pacing issues and how the game decides to tell its story.
Constantly reminding the player that Aloy doesn’t know her mom, repeatedly informing us of the objective at hand, and adding no substance whatsoever except for the obvious fact that “the world is in danger.” It’s almost as if the game’s target market are toddlers, who must be told the same thing repeatedly.
The only good aspect to be found within the story of Lego Horizon Adventures is thatit can be genuinely hilarious sometimes.
I couldn’t help but laugh when Erend, one of the playable characters, kept talking about his love for Donuts. Or when Teersa told Erend that he was more annoying than all of her 26 grandchildren.
Thewitty comedy has always been a staple of Lego games, and I have to hand it to Horizon Adventures for nailing it in that regard.
A Crash Course in Gaming
Games can still be good with a bad story, as we have seen plenty of times in the industry. However, if the gameplay is bad, then you pretty much have shot yourself in the foot.
Lego Horizon Adventures has gameplay problems regarding both combat and level design. For starters, the combat in Horizon Adventures is arguably the most simplistic I have ever seen in a Lego game.
It mainly consists of holding down one button and releasing for an attack, with the occasional press of a different button to execute an ability. That is all there is to it, and because of its basic nature, the repetitiveness becomes apparent almost immediately.
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Abilities aren’t even permanently equipped to your character and instead are found throughout the game’s levels in chests or dropped from enemies.
Since the abilities are in limited supply, usually only containing 10 charges, you can run out of them relatively quickly and be forced to use only the weapon in your hand. When that happens, the combat consists of pressing one singular button over and over again.
You do have the option to pick up barrels and lunge them at your enemy, but there never comes a time when it feels necessary.
In fact, since the game is so easy, there are a handful of mechanics that the player doesn’t have to engage with at all. For example, hiding in bushes to avoid enemies is pointless, considering each one you face is so simple to defeat that there’s no incentive to do so.
It’s boring. There’s no other way to put it. It would have been nice if there was a skill tree to decide on permanent abilities to unlock, just like Horizon Zero Dawn, giving the player some sense of meaningful progression.
Instead, the only unlockables are passive buffs or useless cosmetic items, such as a new hotdog stand for the home base, Mother’s Heart.
The combat in Horizon Adventures is arguably the most simplistic I have ever seen in a Lego game.
While Lego Horizon Adventures lacks in the combat department, it does a good job in the spectacle of the boss fights. Fighting against a massive Thunderjaw brought back memories of my first time playing Zero Dawn, andGuerilla Gamesdid a great job at replicating it here.
The sense of scale of the bosses was the best, if only, memorable part of my experience. Luckily, the game offers side missions that allow you to hunt down these bosses, which is overall, better than the main content.
Nowhere to Go, But Straight
Horizon Zero Dawn isknown for its open-ended exploration, allowing players to explore and discover hidden areas or collectibles. Lego Horizon Adventures, on the other hand, rarely allows the player to go off the beaten path.
The level design is as basic and linear as it gets, similar to walking down a corridor into the next hallway. The only taste of exploration players can find is equivalent to climbing down ledges or walking over a plank to a small cliff with a chest.
These “hidden” areas are anything but secret, as there is always a line of silver studs (the game’s currency) to follow that lead you directly to it. In other words, they are mind-numbingly easy to find.
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These chests are rarely worth it either, since they frequently only contain a handful of Studs. Sometimes, they will contain a powerful skill or weapon to equip, but there’s never a sense of satisfaction in obtaining these since zero exploration is involved in finding them.
The level design is as basic and linear as it gets, similar to walking down a corridor into the next hallway.
The same can be said for the game’s puzzles, where solving them takes a matter of seconds and requires no critical thinking whatsoever.
The most challenging puzzle I encountered involved jumping over a platform, grabbing an energy container, and bringing it back over the platform to throw it at a switch. If a “puzzle” is going to be that effortless, why include it in the game at all?
Lego Horizons Adventures does include occasional missions that let players choose between two routes: go straight to Mother’s Heart or chase after a Longkneck. This is a nice touch in theory, but I can’t help but feel that these rare occurrences were added to the game just to give a sense of exploration and choice.
Simply put, there’s no real benefit to chasing after the Longkneck except for a chance to take in the game’s beautiful landscapes.
This brings me to my next point — Lego Horizons Adventures is the best-looking Lego game on the market. There’s no doubt about that. It brings over the visual appeal from the Horizon games, with quality graphics, and makes each level a sight to behold.
The beautiful graphics especially make it a massive disappointment that the game doesn’t allow you to explore these levels further.
The Children’s Number One Fan
Lego games have always been popular due to their ability to appeal to kids and families, while also remaining mature enough for adults to enjoy. Lego Horizons Adventures turns its back on this principal, and instead opts for an adventure that feels strictly for the kids.
Lego Horizons Adventures is disappointingly childish, with its trivialized mechanics, oversimplified story, and rudimentary level design. The constant reliance on hand-holding through its narrative makes it feel like you’re watching an episode from Nickelodeon.
The combat is so basic that it lacks any real sense of strategy or excitement, providing zero sense of satisfaction. Then there are the puzzles, which are so elementary that it feels as though the game assumes it’s my first time ever playing a video game.
Lego Horizons Adventures is disappointingly childish, with its trivialized mechanics, oversimplified story, and rudimentary level design.
I can’t help but feel let down, as adults could have truly enjoyed Lego Horizon Adventures if it had taken a more mature approach.
The idea of mergingan iconic PlayStation gamewith Lego was a promising one, seemingly a guaranteed hit from the start. However, the final product falls flat, delivering far less than expected — clearly a missed opportunity than the home run it could have been.
Instead of offering depth and complexity, it offers a boring, shallow experience that fails to do justice to Horizon or Lego games.
Closing Thoughts:
Lego Horizons Adventures had so much potential by mixing two iconic franchises: Lego and Horizon. Unfortunately, it misses the mark by a lot. Instead of something memorable, the result is an underwhelming experience with a dull reinterpretation of Zero Dawn’s story, repetitive combat, and almost zero exploration. Even though it’s only 6 hours long, which is a disgrace for the 60-dollar price tag, it’s still not worth your time. Unless you’re a parent looking to keep your kid occupied for the evening, Lego Horizon Adventures is a hard pass.
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