LEGO Horizon Adventures

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

LEGO video games are good fun. We have all played them. Be it exploring Hogwarts in the Harry Potter LEGO Collection or solving puzzles across a diorama in LEGO Bricktales. The LEGO video games often cater to younger audiences too with their light-hearted script, approachable gameplay and co-op mechanics.

LEGO Horizon Adventures tries to do things a little differently – emphasis on “little” here because essentially, this is still a hand-holding experience where you’ll have to listen to cheesy dialogue over and over again while repeatedly pressing the same two buttons. The “little” here is how well this has been executed in comparison to other LEGO games.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

Hand-crafted levels are intricately designed with stunning attention to detail and the general gameplay is less about smashing things up and collecting bits but rather using weapons and gadgets to fight off the iconic machines we know from the Horizon series. I expected less, to be honest. It is also another Horizon game and I don’t know how much more Horizon the world needs right now.

Going into LEGO Horizon Adventures I thought it was going to be the same cookie-cutter LEGO game. Run here, bash this, build this while bashing this and just smash, smash, smash. Sure, you’ll be able to still smash certain LEGO structures and watch bricks fall apart but the focus on the world is where LEGO Horizon Adventures shines.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

Most levels are played out in a start-and-end fashion. They also span across various themed biomes with each containing a set number of chapters to complete before moving on to the next. I also returned to previous biomes for further unlocked chapters later in the game. The village then acts as the hub that ties these biomes together.

LEGO Horizon Adventures then gives players a watered-down, comical brief of the story we all know from the games. As you progress through the game, more characters are introduced and some of them are even playable. Not as many as other LEGO games but I felt like the handful of characters brought enough to the game to make it enjoyable.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

These characters also help mix up the gameplay a bit because LEGO Horizon Adventures doesn’t really go anywhere apart from jumping back and forth from a different biome. Levels are designed to offer a bit of parkour meaning I could climb up yellow grapple points and slide down ropes. In between that, there’s the odd combat encounter and the usual “smashing things up” LEGO stuff.

But that’s about it. Even the smashing mechanics are restricted to very specific assets. You also can’t freely punch – only use your weapon so to smash these few objects relies on drawing an arrow, throwing a spear or tossing a carrot bomb (yes, this is a thing). Even exploration is incredibly limited. There’s an odd breakable wall with a chest behind it or a ledge to shimmy across to get yet another chest. These chests just contain bits. Nothing revolutionary here.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

The combat is where things get flashy. Between blowing up machines and tossing humans off the nearest cliff edge, it is fun. There’s a decent selection of weapons to find. However, these weapons have limited ammo and are not always in each level for some reason. Aloy can freeze enemies with an ice bow and there’s a cool multi-shot bow that powers out arrows in an instant. Other characters have their own set of main weapon variants.

Gadgets also have the same limited use. These are incredibly fun to use. A Hot Dog stand builds a literal hot dog stand in front of you and the owner tosses out massive hot dog bombs that blow enemies apart. There’s also my favourite, the LEGO Brick Remover. This is a brick remover you have seen in your LEGO sets. It slams down on the ground dealing massive damage to enemies in a radius.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

LEGO Horizon Adventures also includes the same elemental system as the main games. You can freeze enemies, burn them and electrify them. However, there’s no weakness or resistance system to pay attention to while doing so. So you can use whatever element on whatever machine in your way.

I could also target weak spots on certain machines to knock parts off. As a result, machines took a large chunk of damage. Some machines would leave these parts on the ground. I could then shoot them and it would trigger another attack.

This all ties into the game’s upgrade system that enhances elemental damage, gadget damage, XP earned for certain attacks and other perks. These upgrades are unlocked by purchasing them using bits.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

Combine that all together and you have yourself an enjoyable combat system. Sure, it doesn’t have much depth to it but it works given the simplistic approach that LEGO games go for. It is notably more enjoyable with a friend in couch co-op but again, this is as casual as it gets. Even exploring each level becomes a rather tedious exercise.

The levels are spectacular to look at. The LEGO world is magic on its own. I often stopped to admire the beauty across every small object and distant landscape. I even spotted some translucent plastic bits that lit up thanks to the lighting. This is without a doubt the best-looking LEGO game to date.

In the village hub, I could also express some creativity by building structures to help rebuild the location. I could also build these themed around other LEGO series like Ninjago and LEGO City. I stuck to LEGO Horizon Adventures-themed objects though. Having a police precinct or space shuttle launcher in the middle of my wooden village made zero sense.

As the game progressed, more of the village was repairable and more buildings could be customized. These don’t add anything to the game apart from cosmetic changes but it gives you something more to aim towards.

LEGO Horizon Adventures Review

LEGO Horizon Adventures doesn’t feel like every other LEGO game ever made and I think that is what I enjoyed about it. It wasn’t a constant rush to smash stuff and try to fill up the bits bar. Combat also feels refined in comparison to throwing fists around. The world is then a spectacle on its own. Even if you play this for the sheer beauty on offer, that is enough.

I won’t say there’s much happening in this game apart from “basic” everything. After a few hours, levels became the same trek just to get the same cutscene, fight some mobs and get a Golden Brick. But that’s okay to some degree. This isn’t a hardcore game but rather something simpler and more casual. It is definitely made for younger gamers in mind and I can see how kids will have the best time adapting to the accessible gameplay.

This LEGO Horizon Adventures review is based on a code sent to us by SIE. The game is available from 14 November on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. You can pre-order it starting at R1,199 here

LEGO Horizon Adventures

Summary

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a charming yet simple family game. It is without a doubt the best-looking LEGO game ever made and the world alone is worth the trip. It comes with all the silliness you can expect and a surprisingly fun combat system. Sure, it lacks depth across everything it does but casual players and the younger audience will find this accessible and enjoyable.

Overall
8/10
8/10
Marco is the owner and founder of GLITCHED. South Africa’s largest gaming and pop culture website. GLITCHED quickly established itself with tech and gaming enthusiasts with on-point opinions, quick coverage of breaking events and unbiased reviews across its website, social platforms, and YouTube channel.

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