In terms of LEGO video games,LEGO Horizon Adventuresis a bit of an outlier in many ways. For one, this LEGO game is the first to adapt a popular property not developed by veteran LEGO game developer TT Games and was instead developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo. Additionally,LEGO Horizon Adventuresis the second LEGO game to be solely based on a preexisting video game series, with the prior game being 2009’sLEGO Rock Band. However, in terms of gameplay and setting, there’s one way thatHorizon Adventuressets itself apart from its direct predecessor,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. The implementation of a hub instead of a completely open world.
The Worlds of LEGO Horizon Adventures and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
LEGO Horizon Adventuresis based onthe setting and events ofHorizon Zero Dawn, retold in LEGO’s iconic comical fashion. UnlikeZero Dawn,Horizon Adventuresis not a wide open-world game where players can seamlessly travel throughout post-apocalyptic Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah from one end of the map to the other. Instead,Horizon Adventureshas players select quests from the central hub of the Nora tribe’s capital, Mother’s Heart. Here, players can customize Aloy, Varl, Teersa, and other characters as well as build multiple structures with fun LEGO-themed decorations ranging fromHorizoncosmetics to those found in theLEGO CityandNinjagotoy lines, along with numerous other activities.
In contrast,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagaadapts nineStar Warsfilmswhich all take place on several alien planets, space stations, and warships. Due to this vast area spanning the entirety of theStar Warsgalaxy, TT Games chose not to utilize a central hub inThe Skywalker Saga,and instead, had players travel to certain locations on each planet to continue the game’s main campaigns. This often required players to fly through hyperspace in various ships and take part in brief battles or simply fast travel from planet to planet. Upgrades and bonus features were no longer purchased at a physical shop and were instead purchased from a simple menu players could access at any time while traveling the galaxy.
LEGO Star Wars’ Old Hubs Explained
PreviousLEGO Star Warsgames did utilize hubs similar to Mother’s Heart, includingDexter’s Diner in 2005’sLEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, the Mos Eisley cantina in 2006’sLEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy, and the warships theResoluteandInvisible Handin 2011’sLEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars. Each of these hubs offered their own unique activities and unlocks, such as building small LEGO sets with mini kits, building customized characters, and taking part in side bounty hunter missions.The Clone Warseven allowed players to fly in brief space battles as they traveled from theResoluteto theInvisible Hand. These locations additionally had unlocked characters walking around the hubs, making the areas feel more lived in.
The Potential Role of Hubs in Future LEGO Games
Hubs such as Mother’s Heart allow players to customize their own village and grow a personal connection with the inhabitants and the location itself. If Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo were to makea LEGO adaption ofHorizon Forbidden West, they could continue having Mother’s Heart be the hub or have The Base be a new hub, since it already served a similar role to a hub inForbidden West. Studio Gobo could even build on Mother’s Heart house building by allowing players to customize interior rooms inside The Base similar to how Zo decorates her room. If Studio Gobo adapts other popular video games in comical LEGO fashion, they could continue using hubs, such as having Firelink Shrine be a hub in a LEGODark Soulsgame.
Future LEGO games could still use aSkywalker Saga-like open-world system to navigate their worlds instead of a centralized hub. For instance, if Halo Studios were ever to makea MEGAHalogamein response toHorizon Adventures, it may be better to use an open-world system rather than a hub givenHalo’s varied galactic settings, such as the many Halo rings, Earth, and High Charity. Similarly, if TT Games or another company were to make another LEGO Marvel or DC Comics game, they might utilizeSkywalker Saga’s open-world system due to the vast number of locations in both the books and films. Either way, the hub found inLEGO Horizon Adventuresand the open world found inSkywalker Sagaboth offer unique advantages and disadvantages for future LEGO games.
LEGO Horizon Adventuresis Studio Gobo’s first LEGO game, while TT Games has developed 29 LEGO games since 2005.
LEGO Horizon Adventures
WHERE TO PLAY
In a far future, where giant mechanized beasts roam a landscape reclaimed by nature and humans live in primitive tribes, an ancient evil seeks to destroy the world…Join hunter Aloy as she leads a colourful crew of heroes on a quest to save the meadows, forests, and mountains of Earth from a man called Helis, who leads a gang of sunworshippers that follow an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery.Dive into a thrilling adventure alone, or with friends with couch co-op or online play, customize your home in true LEGO style, and uncover stunning secrets from Aloy’s mysterious past along the way.
