I’ve been playingLEGOgames since the originalLEGO Star Warslaunched in 2005. It and the manyLEGOgames that followed have stuck to a tried-and-true formula of taking an existing license, LEGO-fying it, and letting players run rampant with a friend in co-op, smashing everything in sight as they hunt down a dizzying number of collectibles and build a gigantic roster of playable characters.LEGO Horizon Adventures, while similar to otherLEGOgames in many ways, was not made by typicalLEGOgame developer Traveller’s Tales, and does not exactly try to replicate the studio’s formula forLEGOgames. Unfortunately, the end result is thatLEGO Horizon Adventureswon’t appeal to fans ofLEGOgames or fans of PlayStation’sHorizonfranchise.
As much as I have enjoyed the Traveller’s TalesLEGOgames over the years, many of them are glitchy and not exactly known for being well-polished. Take therecently releasedLEGO Harry Potter Collectionremasterfor example, which still suffers from an annoying bug inLEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4a staggering 15 years after it launched. In contrast,LEGO Horizon Adventuresis a highly-polished game, with none of the technical problems I’m used to encountering in otherLEGOgames. It’s undeniably a well-made product from a technical standpoint.
But whileLEGO Horizon Adventuresis more polished than the Traveller’s TalesLEGOgames, it’s also significantly less fun. Whereas Traveller’s Tales fills its levels full of breakable objects,LEGO Horizon Adventureshas a minuscule number by comparison. Yes, there are objects players can break, but not nearly to the scale as similar games. This makes many of the game’s levels dull, as there isn’t much else to do when walking from one combat encounter to the next.
Instead of filling these spaces with exciting platforming or puzzles,LEGO Horizon Adventuresessentially has players walk from point A to point B,collecting LEGO studs. Silver studs lead to “secret” areas off the beaten path that are easily reached and usually have a chest to open or special object to build, but otherwise the levels may as well be hallways. Even when climbing or ziplining are thrown in the mix, they don’t add anything meaningful to the experience. These sections practically play themselves, with Aloy and her friends pulled to ledges and ziplines like they’re magnetized if players walk too close.
LEGO Horizon Adventures Has a Level Design Problem
When players aren’t fighting machines or cultists,LEGO Horizon Adventurescan be agonizingly boring. I don’t know if the aim was a wide appeal, but it goes way too far in that direction to the point where all the fun is sapped out of the experience.LEGO Horizon Adventureslevels have nothing interesting to see and do not challenge the player in any meaningful way. The otherLEGOgames at least sometimes have tricky collectibles to find; there’s nothing like that inLEGO Horizon Adventures.
But whileLEGO Horizon Adventuresis boring between fights, the actual combat can be a lot of fun.LEGO Horizon Adventureshas players fighting the iconic machinesfrom theHorizonseries. Like in theHorizongames, the key to combat is to hit robots' weakpoints to deal critical damage. The game also attempts to adaptHorizon’s stealth mechanics by giving players the option of hiding in tall grass, but this doesn’t serve any purpose, so players are free to openly attack every enemy they come across in the game.
LEGO Horizon Adventureskeeps combat interesting by regularly introducing new gadgets for players to utilize in battle, along with new playable characters that have their own unique weapons. Something I liked aboutLEGO Horizon Adventurescompared to the vast majority of otherLEGOgames is that instead of stuffing itself full of interchangeable unlockable characters that mean nothing,LEGO Horizon Adventureskeeps things focused on four key characters. Besides Aloy, players are also able to play as other recognizable characters from the mainHorizongames like Teersa, Erend, and Varl. Teersa uses bombs, Erend comes equipped with a hammer, and Varl uses a spear. Along withgadgets like the tripcasterand blast boots, there are also variants for everyone’s weapons, letting players hit enemies with fire damage, shock damage, ice damage, and more.
LEGO Horizon Adventures Retells Zero Dawn’s Story
In addition to its combat,LEGO Horizon Adventuresalso does a better job of telling its story, bringing back actors from the main games (thoughSylens has been recastafter Lance Reddick’s tragic passing) and letting them interpret the characters in a brand-new, bubbly way. The characters in the mainHorizongames have to grapple with the grim reality of their post-apocalyptic world and the forces that are threatening it, butLEGO Horizon Adventurestakes a much brighter, more optimistic approach to the whole thing. It almost functions as a parody ofHorizon Zero Dawn’s story. The way it infantilizes the story means certain plot beats don’t hit as hard and are not treated with the same respect, but the voice actors do a great job - there are plenty of amusing sight gags, and the dialogue is funny.
A downside toLEGO Horizon Adventures' handling of theZero Dawnstoryis that it dumbs things down to a point where the plot beats become repetitive. Repetition is a problem in general inLEGO Horizon Adventures, with players often repeating the same tasks and exploring areas that look same-y. The game repeats the special builds that players find in the stages, and the dungeon-like Cauldrons don’t do enough to differentiate themselves from one another.LEGO Horizon Adventurescombat, as much as I like it, would have likely suffered the same fate if it weren’t for the game’s community board.
LEGO Horizon Adventuresuses the Mother’s Heart villageas its hub world. A community board at its center challenges players to shake up the way they approach combat in exchange for gold bricks. Collecting gold bricks unlocks more community board challenges and also gives players the chance to customize the village to their liking. Players are also able to customize Aloy and friends with goofy outfits that can be purchased with studs collected in levels, like a hot dog suit and a chicken costume.
LEGO Horizon Adventures Has Co-Op, But There’s a Catch
Players can play with a friend in co-op as they work towards building everything in Mother’s Heart. Like other LEGO games,LEGO Horizon Adventuresis playable in its entirety with drop-in/drop-out co-op, though some of the bad habits from the otherLEGOtitles have carried over to the new game. Like usual, co-op partners can’t unlock any ofLEGO Horizon Adventures' trophies. The game also has a tendency of ripping agency away from the co-op partner if players get too far apart, teleporting the second player closer to player 1. This is most often a problem duringLEGO Horizon Adventures' larger-scale battles.
WhileLEGO Horizon Adventures' co-op implementationcould be better, fans will still appreciate its inclusion. They’ll also get a kick out of the visuals, which replicate the look and animation fromThe LEGO Movie, with a similar stop-motion style. While I foundLEGO Horizon Adventuresto be lackluster from a gameplay perspective, it is quite impressive from a graphics standpoint, with gorgeous lighting, clever use of LEGO bricks to build the game world, and a surprising amount of detail on the LEGO minifigs themselves.
It took me seven hours to complete LEGO Horizon Adventures' main story missions. I also had 74% total completion at that point, so getting the Platinum doesn’t take long at all.
LEGO Horizon Adventuresdoes some things better than the otherLEGOgames, and it does some things worse. It has better graphics, polish, and combat than any otherLEGOgame I’ve played, but it suffers a lot from uninspired level design and general dullness. It’s so mind-numbingly easy in what I assume is an attempt to appeal to children, but I imagine most kids will be bored by the game long before the credits roll.LEGO Horizon Adventuresis technically a well-made game, but it is not a fun one to play.
WHERE TO PLAY
LEGO Horizon Adventureslaunches November 14 for PC, PS5, and Switch. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
