I had a hard time figuring out Lego Horizon Adventures. It is the action game equivalent of seeing a good book turned into a movie: The main points are covered, personalities and events are slightly altered, and everything is neatly wrapped up in a condensed amount of time. Additionally, it manages the original material well without ever reaching the same heights as so many Hollywood versions. I loved almost everything about the game’s lovely world and extensive customization options after spending 21 hours finishing it to 100%. Still, the level design was predictable and there were not many activities outside of the simple but well-paced campaign, which made it feel like I was assembling a Lego set without consulting the instruction manual.
Within the framework of a standard Lego cooperative action game, Lego Horizon Adventures is a lighthearted adaptation of the 2017 film Horizon Zero Dawn. While it may not dive into the depths of that story when It comes to the world or Aloy’s beginnings, the broad strokes present an entertainingly recognizable picture for established fans that’s nonetheless simple enough for beginners to appreciate as well.
I traveled through familiar areas during the 12-hour campaign, including the Sacred Lands’ verdant woodland, the icy Snowchant Mountains, and the blazing Sunfall Desert. Large areas of machines and cultists to defeat, chests containing Studs (essentially Lego currency) to gather, items to construct or destroy, and lots of endearing character moments to make the trip fun are all part of each mission. Most of those moments are short, but many of them had me laugh all the way through.
A diverse group of playable allies accompany her on Aloy’s Journey, including Erend, a charming beast with a large hammer; Varl, a young Nora hunter trying to establish himself; Teersa, the village elder who never runs out of jokes; and Rost, her tutor and father figure. The fact that Ashly Burch, John Hopkins, John Macmillan, and almost all of the other original voice actors are returning to reprise their parts is fantastic, and the lighthearted tone of this adventure allows them all to play around and have some fun with characters I am already familiar with.
The Lego version of the Horizon universe looks fantastic.
Sylens is a regrettable exception to this rule. He has returned as well, this time with a passion for DJing and helping Aloy and his pals virtually. However, he has a new voice actor following Lance Reddick’s untimely death last year. Although Sylens has always been a reserved character, I wish his witty remarks had been used more frequently in Lego Horizon Adventures. Tim Russ’s recent performances frequently come across as bland or conflict with the other characters’ liveliness and vitality. I would add, though, that the choice to make him a DJ is well-thought-out and a good fit for the wild eccentricities of everyone else, such as Erend’s fixation on doughnuts or Varl’s too protective adoration of his comic books.
Master Builder
The Lego version of the Horizon universe looks fantastic. Every level is charming and cleverly recreates well-known landmarks, such as crumbling buildings to scale or demolished road segments combined with elements like a classic Lego police station. Although these additions may somewhat detract from the Horizon taste, they are not detrimental in and of itself because the environments still have a flawless overall appearance and feel.
This is particularly valid for the soundtrack. The music is amazing; it incorporates some excellent selections from the score of Horizon Zero Dawn and adds some pop and EDM-inspired songs of its own. One that stood out was named Post-Apocalyptic Dance Party, which would fit in perfectly with Lego Movie tunes like “Everything is Awesome.”
Regretfully, the level design usually consists of only a few essential elements: arenas to battle a lot of machines and cultists, linear exploration sections that frequently conceal a few chests full of Studs or the occasional limited-use rare weapon or gadget, and occasionally a platforming area with easy jumps and climbing paths as you chase a Tallneck to the end of the stage. Additionally, there may be a little more difficult platforming in special Cauldron levels, where you must use a weapon or shock item to power moving objects or open doors. Even if every step is unique, it was evident after a few hours that the method is overly standardized.
Other than platforming and fighting, there were no riddles to solve or cunningly concealed ways to get items that many Lego game players had grown accustomed to. Red bricks, for instance, are limited to unlocking a select few costumes and customizing items rather than the standard cheats like the 8-bit soundtrack modifier or stud multiplier. Although they have a different function here, the inevitable comparisons seem inadequate to me given that they are typically utilized for so much more.
Piece of Resistance
One of my favorite features of Lego Horizon Adventures was customization, which makes up for some of the shortcomings. To access items like outfits and town modifications, you must gather more than 100 gold and red bricks. The majority are gained by performing tasks on a community board in the hub region, Mother’s Heart, but a small percentage are obtained by finishing levels. By encouraging you to do things like dress up as different Ninjago characters before using particular elemental techniques to beat adversaries or create specific goods in town that allow you to play fetch with a dog or catch a fish, the community board pushes you to switch up your clothes frequently. Adding hot dog carts, putting dragons on rooftops, or dressing up every townie like an ice cream cone are all ways to drastically alter Mother’s Heart’s appearance.
Breaking off the back of a Shell-Walker is a cool way to at least ensure that you will receive some item drops, but you never know what might be inside or which battles they will occur in. Fortunately, there are a few certain methods to obtain special goods, such as investing in weapon-based skills in the skill tree or seeing a merchant who usually appears in the middle of each stage with three chests full of random items. In addition to one talent that grants you a random rare weapon and gadget at the beginning of each level, these can also help by increasing the frequency with which certain things drop.
Although helpful, these choices are not yet ideal. In general, there is no wrong answer because all of the unusual weapons you can acquire are both effective and enjoyable to use. However, when five or more foes spawn into a combat that is already in progress, it can be quite helpful to thin out the herd with a certain element.
Verdict
With a whimsical Lego twist, Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines Horizon Zero Dawn, streamlining the plot while preserving its most important characters and scenes. For players of all skill levels, combat feels fantastic and provides a wide range of difficulty options. Although the haphazardness of the devices and uncommon weaponry might be annoying, particularly when attempting to do some tasks, it is adorable that Horizon’s use-what-you-can-find philosophy has been accepted. I like trying to personalize Mother’s Heart because there are a lot of personalization choices for both the hub town and your characters.
Couple it with visually attractive levels full of good music but unfortunately predictable level design and a lack of extras and I finally found myself having fun with Lego Horizon Adventures even if I was left wanting more.
