Beebom Score
I’ll be honest, I don’t have any experience with Lego games. However, I do love Aloy’s tale in the Horizon series. Having loved Zero Dawn remastered (review), I was superbly excited when I received a copy of Lego Horizon Adventures in the mail. Faithfully recreating Horizon Zero Dawn’s storyline coupled with its thrilling adventure, Horizon Adventures is a tale full of fun.
However, the path ahead isn’t easy with enemy machines littered across the path to Aloy’s destiny. Having sunk my teeth firmly into the game, I got a chance to play as Lego Aloy and pair up with a myriad of characters. Well, after having found out my destiny, I have some thoughts. With that, here’s my full Lego Horizon Adventures review.
Story: A Faithful and Fun Recreation
While you would think you need to play the previous Horizon games, that’s not the case. The story of Lego Horizon Adventures centers on Aloy, a girl found under mysterious circumstances by a group of villagers. The world these villagers live in is a new one, a habitat where modern humanity perished long ago and one where people have resorted to old technology. Speaking of, we humans are called the “Old Ones” here.
Adopted by Rost, a hunter, Aloy grows up outside the village devoid of social connection. However, having grown up with just him, the girl has always been curious about how she got here and what is ‘Destiny.’ This same curiosity leads Aloy to seek answers from the All-Mother.
However, before she knows it, Aloy gets caught up in a big controversy where a big cult is trying to take over the world and have literal sunshine on it forever. Sadly, that’s not it. A big evil looms over us all and it’s in the form of an orange blob. That’s all I will say to protect you from spoilers. But do know that Horizon Adventures does pack an amazing story.
Quirky and Lighthearted Voice Acting
Thankfully, Ashley Burch, the voice actor behind the original Aloy voices Horizon Adventures too. As such she brings forth her amazing vocal range at portraying all emotions perfectly. From the girl’s battle screams to her witty banter, the voice acting is top-notch. JB Blanc joins her as Rost/Narrator as an excellent companion. However, that isn’t where it ends.
Besides Aloy, Lego Horizon Adventures is littered with a cast that brings the world to life. Whether it is Varl and his ongoing quest to be cool or Elrend and his furious charm, the game’s cast keeps you hooked and smiling.
While I had heard about the classic Lego humor in games like these, I finally got to witness it firsthand which made my experience so much fun. There were times when I found some jokes a bit too basic but even those helped me ease off and enjoy the ride. All in all, this Lego game’s cast is one worth getting lost in. And if you want to know why there are multiple characters, it’s because the game comes with co-op.
A Blocky and Wonderful World
Despite the fact I’ve never really taken a liking to Lego games, I was surprised to find myself completely immersed in the world of Lego Horizon Adventures. And while it was kind of obvious, it was still pleasant to know the game was made entirely out of real Lego bricks. That means you can practically recreate the entire game if you want to.
While I can’t do that, I had an amazing time getting lost in the game’s world as I traversed through various standalone levels. Whether it was the lush blocky trees, the items scattered across, or even the characters themselves everything has been faithfully recreated in the LEGO world.
The robotic machines once feared in the main game are almost cutely menacing in the Lego version. While these abominations still carry the same damage and might, it was fun to see them stroll around the landscape and graze or even just patrol. What’s more, is that some levels also feature powerful bosses. As far as things go, I absolutely loved the beauty presented in Lego Horizon Adventures.
Gameplay: A Jog in the Park
Lego Horizon Adventures gameplay takes place in a third-person perspective where the camera follows you around. As Aloy and even other characters, the movement itself is fairly simple with plenty of walking around, climbing ledges, and ziplining from point A to B.
The game adds a touch of parkour as you make your way through levels and try to reach discreet places for a chance to raid chests. These give you Studs, the in-game currency used for upgrades (more on that later). The exploration itself is fairly simple and fun.
However, it did get a bit repetitive as I found myself performing the same actions to find chests and sometimes even skipped it altogether.
Combat: A Healthy Dose of Action and Thrill
While exploring might get boring after a while, the combat is where the game truly shines. Expecting nails-to-the-wall action in a Lego game is not something I had in mind. And while the earlier levels were a walk in the park, it quickly turned into a brisk.
Lego Horizon Adventures employs a nice combination of direct confrontation with a touch of sneaking. Besides the cute human minions, the game’s highlight is the Machines, an amalgamation of metal and junk out to get you. The game has perfectly recreated all the monsters found in Zero Dawn with over a dozen different enemies.
This included robots of all sizes. So while I had an easy time dispatching grazers, I had a hell of a time with chargers, Sawtooths, and even Broadheads. Thankfully, the game makes it easier with Aloy’s Focus, an ancient piece of tech that when used highlights all the weak spots for you to target. That combined with her bow, helped me eliminate them all quickly enough and preserved my hearts, the game’s HP.
Stealth, Advanced Weapons, and Environment
Remember I mentioned Stealth? That comes in the form of hiding in the game’s foilage, a tool often overlooked by brash gamers like me. Nonetheless, I decided to stick to it as I crawled through the orange bushes waiting for my moment to strike.
Timed right, it made all the difference. However, do be aware the game’s advanced enemies come with better scanning which means you’ll be forced to rotate around to survive.
Besides Aloy’s bow, Lego Horizon Adventures spices things up with Advanced Weapons; a combination of variations for Aloy’s bow and other weapons alike. From flaming arrows, shock arrows, freezing arrows to Hot Dog carts, shock mines, and a literal Lego brick separator, there’s sure a lot in store. Speaking of that, did I tell you a wandering trader is giving away free loot?
As the difficulty amps up and two enemies turn into a horde, you’ll need all the firepower you can get. This is further helped by environmental effects that come in the form of throwable barrels, electrified and frozen water, and even fire that you can shoot your arrows through. Besides the HP loss, these things apply status effects that knock enemies out cold at times.
As someone who thought Lego Horizon adventures combat would be a simple point-and-shoot, I was proven wrong and sure in a good way.
In-Game Leveling and Upgrades
As Aloy slowly progresses through the story, she levels up and gains more hearts. As such, I quickly went from a weakling to a force to be reckoned with. However, that also comes with access to the All-Mother tree, a portal for Aloy and all other playable characters.
The tree houses a variety of upgrade branches that affect characters and gameplay alike. From dealing more damage to your enemies to starting out with more advanced weapons, there’s a lot in store. However, do note you’ll need to spend Studs which like I said, you’ll find by raiding chests and defeating enemies.
Aloy’s levels also come with automatic bow upgrades which gives her more range and power. While I won’t go into further detail to save you from spoilers, I will say the game does have a fairly nice leveling arc.
Find Your Destiny, Build Your Village
When Aloy does chance upon her home village, it has already been ransacked by the cult. As such, you now must slowly build it back up. How do you do that? By simply progressing through the story and meeting NPCs. As new characters join up, they bring their own flavor to the place.
New introductions mean new buildings include a tailor shop, a feasting plaza, and other large buildings. You can then customize these builds including their roof, layout, colors, and much more. While it doesn’t add anything to the canon story, it was nice returning to a place bustling with life.
Graphics and Performance
Safe to say, like all other PS5 titles, Lego Horizon Adventures is sparse when it comes to graphical customization. The only two presets are Fidelity and Performance. For those unaware, the first lets you enjoy higher resolutions at lower FPS while the other does vice versa.
Having tried both modes, I firmly stuck Performance and enjoyed my high FPS without any issues. As such, there were no frame drops or stutters throughout the entire game. While I did have two incidents where the game crashed out of nowhere, I chalk that up to an early copy or mere happenstance. So if you were worried about not having a smooth time with this game, don’t be.
Verdict: A Horizon Worth Peering At
While your mileage varies with anything in life, Lego games are another league. Focused towards a mix of young and old audiences, I can see why a title like this might not be liked by everyone. However, as an ardent Zero Dawn fan, I will confess that Lego Horizon Adventures won my heart.
Whether it was the classic Lego humor I’ve come to hear, the blocky yet beautiful world, the combat that keeps you on your toes, or the overall happy vibes, the game carries its name well. While there are some problems such as repetitive exploration and occasional crashes, they weren’t enough to put a damper on my experience.
So if you’re in the market for a fresh Lego adventure or are a Horizon Zero Dawn fan looking for round two, Lego Horizon Adventures is the one game to get.
