Announced at the latest Summer Game Fest, the LEGO world expands further with a title that has recently gained quite a following. Following the release of the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn, LEGO Horizon Adventures is set to launch on November 14th. This title recreates the adventures of Aloy, the brave warrior of the Nora tribe, living in a post-apocalyptic world, but this time with characters and settings built from the iconic Danish bricks. Developed by Guerrilla Games in collaboration with Studio Gobo, it marks the first foray of a first-party Sony studio into the LEGO universe, and one of the first games dedicated to the blocks that is entirely inspired by an existing video game. But what did we think of this experience? Let’s find out together in our review, after having tested the game on Sony’s latest console, PlayStation 5!
LEGO Horizon Adventures: Lots of Fun and Irony
LEGO Horizon Adventures retraces the events of Zero Dawn, but with a more ironic and carefree twist, just like in all LEGO titles. This new release is actually a spin-off created by Studio Gobo, a British team based in Brighton that has previously collaborated with Disney, Ubisoft, and Arkane Studios, most recently achieving success with Warner Bros. Games thanks to Hogwarts Legacy. Now, with Guerrilla, they have crafted a colourful and much happier world than the original we saw in Horizon Zero Dawn, while remaining faithful to the source material and drawing from key events of the story. These have been reworked based on the classic humour found in Billung’s brick-based video games, aiming to make the narrative more suitable for a family audience, allowing newcomers to discover the Horizon saga as well.
Everything feels similar yet different compared to the title released seven years ago, starting with the tone of voice of each character, where strengths and weaknesses are highlighted through numerous jokes, quotes, and sharp irony, keeping us entertained and eliciting consistent laughter. Thus, the humorous reinterpretation of Guerrilla Games’ brand becomes the perfect lens for younger audiences to engage with the world of Horizon, providing a more cheerful and carefree way to relive the story of the first episode. There are plenty of fun moments, accompanied by varying gameplay difficulty depending on the chosen option, creating an enjoyable and lighthearted experience. A positive note is that this lightness does not lead the developers to remove darker moments and sensitive themes, such as death, while making these narrative parts accessible to all due to the overall lighthearted tone of the LEGO retelling.
A Gameplay with Good Replayability (and Lots of Fun)…
Now let’s take a closer look at what awaited us during our playtest, with a good longevity and replayability, particularly in terms of approach choices. Single-player or couch co-op? Both enjoyable and fun, right from the start we experienced numerous dialogues (sometimes excessive, but skippable nonetheless) between Aloy and other characters, especially since the cast remained unchanged (both in the original and Italian versions, with a well-executed full Italian dubbing). Over time, this narrative style rarely grew tiresome, thanks to the good writing of the gags crafted by Studio Gobo and Guerrilla, also supported by new gameplay elements and the gradual discovery of various Machine types. The adventure also allows players to control multiple characters from the Horizon universe, all of whom can run, jump, climb, destroy objects to reveal secrets or coins, and explore the environment looking for hidden paths or side routes.
There are some minor shortcomings regarding the actions, as they are not always precise due to the clumsiness of the LEGO characters: the movements can be a bit jerky at times, and when jumping or climbing to grab onto pulleys, the motions can appear somewhat awkward and mechanical. In particular, when we first accessed the obligatory bow, we noticed that aiming accurately is quite challenging, as the sensitivity of the crosshair to slight joystick movements is very high, creating difficulties for those wanting to approach the game on harder modes that involve more intense combat. Also notable is the presence of the famous Focus, which returns to highlight enemy weak points or interesting objects, and the ability to interact with the surrounding environment depending on the situation: players familiar with Horizon know that hiding in tall grass allows for a stealth approach, hitting explosives can trigger a blast to strike enemies, or lighting arrows through flames can both deal increased damage to enemies and the Machines, and “ignite” specific structures for passage.
…but also Repetitiveness, and Many Gadgets
Despite these aspects remaining unchanged from the original, it is impossible not to assess the gameplay in some respects by subtraction, perhaps due to a sometimes excessive simplification of what can be done in the original, with certain conveniences resulting in a noticeable sense of repetition. The strict division into levels that the game worlds adhere to does not help either; while it keeps the narrative aligned with the plot of Zero Dawn from seven years ago, it also leads players down a path with very few deviations in terms of exploration, thus making the experience less stimulating than it could have been, particularly considering the rich original material that could have been drawn from.
However, there were some surprises that made the gameplay experience more enjoyable, especially at intermediate difficulty levels where challenges against enemies are far from trivial. The gadgets will prove particularly useful, items for gaining advantages in combat or exploration. Among these are boots that offer a double jump and can create an explosion to burn enemies and flammable surfaces, thus revealing secret passages or igniting Humans and Machines, and a hot dog stand that can drop bombs at various points on the map, perfect for crowd control when too many enemies appear on screen.
And while the gameplay may not offer as much as it could have drawn from the original, from a technical standpoint, the Sony production is really well-executed, featuring a lifelike rendering of LEGO bricks with beautiful settings and colours. This is a significant shift from current LEGO games, where the bricks are mixed with real elements. It’s optimal for delivering a well-crafted aesthetic and technical result, combined with a game engine response that overall performs quite well.
Moreover, as you complete one level after another, you catch glimpses of LEGO versions of some of the saga’s most famous creatures and reinterpretations of classic Calderoni, dungeons that provide a greater focus on puzzle-solving and battles against a large number of Machines. With challenges, bounties to complete, dozens of skins including those belonging to other LEGO sagas (such as Ninjago or LEGO City), and the inevitable boss fights, LEGO Horizon Adventures offers a sufficiently varied and enjoyable gameplay experience that appeals to both young and older players.
LEGO Horizon Adventures is an adventure that manages to keep the fun throughout its duration, which, as we’ve mentioned, is a good handful of hours, varying based on the selected difficulty (up to five different modes) and the time spent uncovering all the scattered secrets. Playing with another person makes it easy for time to stretch even further, considering that the same gameplay mechanics in co-op make the experience entertaining, lively, and frantic. The latest title from Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo is an interesting game that should be appreciated for what it really is: a potential gateway to new PlayStation titles on other platforms, beyond PC, particularly aimed at very young players eager to engage in a gaming experience without too many pretenses. It openly targets an audience that may be “less daring,” complete with all the strengths and weaknesses that more mature gamers might notice, and notwithstanding this, LEGO Horizon Adventures appears to be a well-crafted experience that can provide hours of carefree fun.