LEGO Horizon Adventures review: A short, but sweet adventure
Aloy is back in LEGO Horizon Adventures, in an abridged version of her initial story. With all the fun and silliness that the LEGO franchise brings with it, this game creates a really interesting blend of serious storytelling and whimsical fun. While a little on the short side, there’s plenty of customization to do, and the gameplay is incredibly satisfying — just what you’d expect of any good LEGO game.
No matter what platform you choose to play on, LEGO Horizon Adventures brings brick-smashing, stud-farming joy to single-player fans and co-op duos alike. There’s a lot to love about it, even though it does have a few frustrating moments to be aware of.
LEGO Horizon Adventures is fun for newcomers and veterans alike
LEGO Horizon Adventures puts players in the shoes of Aloy and a few of her friends, as she tries to save the region from corruption and devastation at the hands of the machines. Set in a far-distant future, the most important story beats of the original game appear to be intact. Though I didn’t play the initial Horizon Zero Dawn, I quickly became a fan of this world.
All the powerful machines and important characters are back, though you can only control four characters in total. While that might be a downside for some, you also have a mountain of characters, from Horizon Zero Dawn and beyond to swap to on a cosmetic level. Whether you want to look like you’re out of Ninjago or LEGO City, there are lots of cool options.
The gameplay loop is simple and easy to understand — it is a LEGO game, after all. LEGO Horizon Adventures is divided into several regions, each with its own stages, secrets, and enemies to fight.
It’s a tried-and-tested formula, and while the stages are primarily a bit on the short side, there are often secrets — whether areas, treasure chests, or Tallnecks to chase down, the goal is simple: Save the world and collect Gold Bricks.
Combat in LEGO Horizon Adventures is fun but can have moments of frustration
Primarily, you play as Aloy in LEGO Horizon Adventures, but there are other characters that unlock as the story goes on — three more, to be exact. However, combat’s pretty easy to understand, since it is a LEGO game. Aloy has her bow and can do regular shots, but you’re better off doing charged shots for more damage, and more distance.
Machines still have weak points you can scan for to deal big damage, and there are elemental damage types you can inflict, in a variety of ways. As you go through the game, you’ll also pick up special weapons, and gadgets — these all have limited uses, but are incredibly powerful in the right situation.
They can either bombard your enemies with multiple attacks, do a spread shot, become a boomerang, and so much more. I won’t spoil these, but they will no doubt be exciting to use.
Since this is a LEGO game, you can also pick up enemies and throw them at each other — this is even more fun when the enemy has an explosive barrel on their back. The real secret to combat in LEGO Horizon Adventures is knowing when to use these elements around you for maximum impact. However, there was one thing that really got on my nerves.
Once you lock in, charging an attack, you cannot move around. This is because your left stick also aims, so you’re no longer able to move until you let go. Lots of enemies have ranged attacks, so unless you learn to charge and also jump some of this stuff, you’re going to take unnecessary damage.
It’s not a game-breaker, but it is something to be aware of. There were a few things concerning the game that did wind up being game-breaking, of sorts.
A few bugs and glitches slowed down an otherwise enjoyable experience
One thing I learned very quickly in LEGO Horizon Adventures, is that you can rebuild structures in each stage of the game. However, in my experience, if you get too close while building them, you can softlock. I had a few experiences where I rebuilt these structures, and I suddenly couldn’t move I had to reset and completely redo those stages.
The only real crash I experienced was at perhaps the most inopportune moment, so it’s worth mentioning. Right as I defeated the final boss, and went to claim the last Gold Brick of the main story, the game completely crashed. I have a feeling it will be fixed, but it only happened one time, thankfully.
Customization: Mix and Match at Mother’s Heart
While combat is certainly fun, and tackling the bosses is a blast, one of the best parts of any LEGO game is customization, and LEGO Horizon Adventures has that in spades. You’ll unlock the Tailor early, which allows you to swap to a wide assortment of character models, provided you have the Studs to buy them.
You also have an absolute mountain of stuff you can customize in the town itself in LEGO Horizon Adventures. You can set up a ton of different items in the town, whether they be statues, traffic lights, or Ninjago training stations. As you accrue more Gold Bricks from doing optional objectives and completing stages, you can also restore buildings.
You can make these whatever you want, as long as you have the Studs. You can customize the roof, the actual building itself, and the ground beneath it, and choose from several color options. That’s what I love about this — you can make it as chaotic or as orderly as you’d like. Mine is a monument to pure chaos, but I wanted to put as many different things out as possible.
LEGO Horizon Adventures is a beautiful game with an amazing voice cast
Let’s be honest — LEGO games are always super cute, and this one’s no exception. The character models are great, and the machines themselves still manage to look quite sinister and intimidating — even in a LEGO setting. The graphics look incredible, and it really is nice to see how far the LEGO games have come.
Then you have the amazing voice cast. The quality of the voice work and the way the characters interact with each other is just heartwarming. It’s often very funny, in a way that only LEGO games can be. From the narrator to Aloy, to Helis, it’s all just charming and hilarious.
In conclusion
I loved playing LEGO Horizon Adventures, even if it’s very much on the short side. Even for a LEGO game, it still felt kind of short, coming in at around eight hours for the main story. Of course, there are secrets I didn’t unlock and extra challenges I didn’t do, so there is more to the game than that.
If you’re a completionist, there’s still plenty to do outside of that. Length of the game aside, it’s very fun — the combat feels amazing, and the writing is remarkably fun. If you want a charming LEGO game for the holiday season, this is the one to get. I just wish there was a bit more content for the price tag it boasts.
LEGO Horizon Adventures
Platforms: Play Station 5, Windows, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5 (Code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Developers: Guerilla Games, Studio Gobo
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Studios
Release Date: November 13, 2024