Lego Horizon Adventures‘ announcement earlier was a surprising one. Combining the beloved PlayStation franchise with the blocky Lego adventures, it brings Aloy and company to a much more family-friendly environment. It also brings the Horizon franchise to the Nintendo Switch for the first time, opening up a new audience to battles against robot dinosaurs. The first hour of the game seems to deliver on that promise, with some hints at more to come.
The story in the first hour is a very loose adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn‘s narrative. Thankfully, it does change quite a bit while injecting the game with the humor the Lego games are known for, especially with the recent launch of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.
These versions of the characters are fun and bubbly, a far cry away from their more serious counterparts. It still follows the same general direction, with Aloy looking to learn more about her birth, cultists up to no good, and a greater evil lurking underneath. So far, it’s been a fun reimagining of a story already told but done in a way that delivers surprises and humor, especially for younger players.
Gameplay is split between Mother’s Heart, the hub world, and the levels themselves. Mother’s Heart fills in with characters as Aloy saves them in the wilds, along with new buildings that can be constructed as you progress through the story. Gold bricks are needed for new constructions.
You can get them by completing levels, but also using the community board that unlocks in the first few levels. Doing small challenges in Mother’s Heart, like unlocking a feasting table and eating at it, grants a gold brick. These challenges also extend to the levels themselves, with combat challenges like killing enemies in specific ways.
The levels are fun and bring the sense of adventure the series is known for. Aloy is equipped with her trusty bow and Focus. Using the Focus highlights weak points on the robot dinos. Shooting them at specific angles makes quick work of them. It brings the feel of the Horizon games to life here, especially when dealing with multiple robots and humans all attacking at the same time.
Aloy also has access to special weapons that can be found at different levels. So far, that’s included the likes of scatter bows, jumping fire boots, and a hotdog man who tosses explosives. Each one of them is fun to use and adds a chaotic layer to combat encounters that bring the frantic nature of the big-scale fights the series is known for to mini-figure form. These are the best parts of combat so far, as the main use of the bow can be a bit repetitive without them.
The graphics are also gorgeous so far, with every piece of the level made up of different Lego pieces. Even the water looks like a number of small pieces flowing together. It nails the dense, rich environments that is synonymous with Horizon. The early level chasing down a Tallneck is a highlight so far, capturing the majestic giant nature of the peaceful creatures.
That being said, the environmental design across the first handful of levels is very similar. It’s a mix of greenery and broken buildings, making each level blend together with the last one. Hopefully, there’ll be more environmental diversity as the story continues. The gameplay can already be repetitive, making the similarity across level design stand out even more.
Lego Horizon Adventures is shaping up to be exactly what it sounds like: Horizon Zero Dawn mixed with the gameplay and humor the Lego series are known for. It feels aimed at younger players and families with splitscreen co op, but even for solo players, the charm and fun is on constant display. I’m excited to see where it takes me next.
Lego Horizon Adventures is out on November 14th on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
