Lego Horizon Adventures' post-apocalyptic robo-whacking is a better fit for blockification than you’d think!
Preview by Oscar Taylor-Kent
Video by Hal Dimond
Preview by Oscar Taylor-Kent
Video by Hal Dimond
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GamingTranscript
00:00LEGO Horizon Adventures manages to be exactly what you think it is when you hear those three
00:05words in combination, but still bucks an amount of that expectation. After playing through the
00:09game's opening levels, I'm surprised at how well Studio Gobo and Guerrilla Games have been able to
00:14make the story and tone feel distinct by deftly altering its source material's more mature tone
00:19to be more family-friendly, and also how the studio has been able to carve out its own game
00:24feel that isn't overshadowed by Traveller's Tale's monolithic LEGO game portfolio. Even the idea
00:30of doing a LEGO game adaptation of another game series is surprisingly fresh. It's usually a format
00:36used to gamify different media altogether. In LEGO Horizon Adventures, though, you can immediately
00:41feel that closeness. One game feeding into another. It helps that it's co-developed by Horizon creator
00:47Guerrilla Games, and retains talent from those originals. Ashley Birch returns as Aloy, the star
00:53of both mainline Horizon games, but is also able to deliver an immediately more peppy and upbeat
00:58take that manages to feel like she's playing the lead in an animated children's movie while
01:02maintaining Aloy's personality. There are times where this tonal shift can feel a bit odd. An early
01:08character deft that's a big serious moment is now mixed with some slapstick acrobatics, but those
01:13familiar with the usual tone of humour that's become associated with LEGO as a brand won't find it too
01:18out of place. There's a winking tone throughout that's frequently very meta. Early missions focus
01:23on Aloy trying to rescue Nora tribe members who have been kidnapped by Shadow Kaja. One rescued
01:29victim claims he allowed himself to be taken in order to spy on enemy chatter, including finding the
01:34info that their leader, Helis, is so good at handling the sun that he has a tanning bed record. Another
01:40cage has some random LEGO minifigure characters milling around in the back, as if they'd just been abducted from
01:45a bank scene. At a glance, the combination of LEGO and Horizon might seem a little random. Is it only
01:53because the series has a few popular real-life LEGO sets? It might help, but there's more to it. In
01:59play, you quickly realise that Horizon fits the LEGO world much better than expected, finding some
02:04design through lines that make more sense than the, still tremendously charming, astrobotification of
02:10Uncharted and God of War Ragnarok. That's because the core combat loop that defines Horizon,
02:14using your bow and other weapons to strip robots of their armour and components,
02:19naturally works well with removing LEGO pieces off of a model. Here, hitting those pieces with your
02:24bow deals critical damage to the fairly snappy to deplete health bars, and tapping the shoulder
02:29button uses your techwear focus to highlight those weak points. A friendly amount of auto-way magnetism
02:35means that as long as you're attacking near the correct area, you'll get your crits in. Beyond picking
02:39apart foes, Horizon's broader world benefits from the LEGO touch. After all, what better way to convey
02:45a post-post-apocalypse, a new world growing over the ruins of the old, than by actually layering bricks
02:51over the top? As the old ruins of the modern world we know have been left to crumble, having them actually
02:56feel like half-destroyed LEGO kits is a tremendously nice touch. Though blocky LEGO pieces are lo-fi,
03:03they're rendered in glorious detail on PS5, where we were playing. Figures reflecting light and having
03:08tiny scuff details to make them really seem like the real world bricks we know and love.
03:14LEGO Horizon Adventures isn't open world like its source material, though LEGO games have dabbled in
03:19the genre in the past. Linear levels are themselves a way of differentiating this experience from the
03:24original. Starting out in the Nora village, it acts as a customisable hub from which you embark on new
03:29levels. Fairly straightforward, you mostly run and jump around until you get into a combat encounter,
03:34occasionally finding hidden chests or sites to build models along the way. Horizon's stealthier
03:40elements receive a nod as well, Aloy and friends literally turning into grass LEGO pieces when among
03:44the weeds, able to skitter about unseen. In our time playing, it's more of a brief entry into combat,
03:50which embraces chaotic scuffles. With a fairly high up camera, it suits the long-range first design,
03:56holding then releasing the aim button to ping arrows from your bow into enemies without having
04:01to worry about running out and having to craft more. Humans can also be picked up and thrown,
04:06wiggling in your hands before you release them. Power-ups add to the toy box-like appeal of LEGO
04:10Horizon Adventures, from triple shots to double jump blaze boots and even a deployable hot dog cart. Yes,
04:17place that cart down and the hot dog vendor will go hog wild hurling exploding food around the nearby area.
04:23It's a silly approach that may go some way to addressing those that find Horizon's self-serious
04:28nature harder to get into. Elemental effects also come into play, though here they're environmental
04:34based rather than tied to ammo. Release an arrow through a campfire, for instance, and it'll deal
04:39fire damage when it makes contact with enemy plastic on the other side. Light environmental puzzles make
04:44use of this, for instance by having you burn through a wall of thorns. With its simple play, LEGO Horizon
04:49Adventures likely won't end up as compelling and immersive as Aloy's quest proper, but it's not
04:54intended to be. Playing co-op with a PR rep, I'll admit I zoned out for a level or two as we just
05:00caught up on life events. That's what can make a single screen co-op game great, though it supports
05:04online play too. Soaking in fun, clicky, responsive action and doing it alongside a pal. Releasing day one
05:11across not just PS5 and PC, but Nintendo Switch as well, LEGO Horizon Adventures is shaping up to fit that bill
05:18well and provide some chuckles besides. So, will you be playing LEGO Horizon Adventures? What other
05:23games deserve the LEGO treatment? Let us know in the comments and as always stick with Games Radar
05:27for the latest previews, reviews and more.