Review of LEGO Horizon Adventures

It took me quite a while to dive into Horizon: Zero Dawn, which has now become a cornerstone of Sony’s gaming lineup with its two-game series. I finally gave it a shot during the COVID era when Sony generously offered several games for free, and I got to experience the “Complete” edition of Horizon, which included the major DLC, “The Frozen Wilds.” Once I started playing, I was completely captivated by Aloy and her world filled with robotic creatures and post-apocalyptic landscapes. Given that I approached Horizon after investing over 250 hours in Breath of the Wild, I affectionately dubbed it “Robot Dinosaur Zelda.” The game essentially involves hunting robot dinosaurs with a bow and arrow within a vast open world. The genre-blending sci-fi backdrop and intricate storyline made me a devoted Aloy fan. After playing its follow-up, Forbidden West, on my PS4, I decided to upgrade to a PS5 just to enjoy the exclusive expansion, “The Burning Shores.” Totally worth it.

In short, Horizon has my heart.

So, imagine my surprise when a LEGO adaptation of the first game was announced. What added to the surprise was that Sony was publishing it on the Switch. After playing it, I can affirm that LEGO Horizon Adventures is quite the odd duck. It strays from the “Robot Dinosaur Zelda” essence I adore and is marred by a rather unsatisfying gameplay loop and less engaging combat dynamics compared to the original Sony series. It seems to be a game still in search of its own unique identity.

On a positive note, many of the original voice actors are back, including Ashly Burch as Aloy, JB Blanc as Rost, John Macmillan as Varl, and John Hopkins as Erend. What’s different, though, is that they all voice humorously exaggerated versions of their characters, which I found delightful and quite amusing. I was, however, a bit taken aback by Guerilla’s replacement for the late, unmatched Lance Reddick as Sylens, simply because of the stark contrast in how he sounds. This raises some questions about how they will handle the character in Horizon 3. Nonetheless, LEGO Horizon Adventures offers an extremely loose retelling of Zero Dawn’s narrative, completely bypassing the pivotal “Zero Dawn” storyline, which, admittedly, was my favorite part.

In the game, you guide a LEGO version of Aloy around with her bow from a top-down perspective with a fixed camera angle. This setup works fine for the beautifully crafted platforming sections but presents challenges during combat. Battle scenes typically occur in large arenas filled with enemy machines and sometimes human adversaries like the Shadow Carja. Aloy can stealthily crouch in orange grass (where she amusingly turns camouflaged), but the element of surprise is lost the moment she launches an attack. The inability to swivel, maneuver, or zoom the camera made it hard to get a proper view of the battlefield, which I found quite bothersome.

Pressing the L button triggers Aloy’s Focus ability, highlighting the machines’ weak points. While similar to the main games, aiming in this version feels imprecise, lacking the slow-motion effect when aiming—one of the PlayStation games’ signature features. Plus, knocking parts off machines is rare, and special arrows that could enhance damage or disassemble components are absent. Instead, Aloy can find “special weapons” with limited shots and “gadgets” for combat assistance.

Special weapons are mostly elemental bows, whereas Gadgets include nifty items like flame jet boots, energy shields, a Tripcaster, and a melee tool amusingly dubbed the “Brick Separator.” Though these tools add combat variety, none are particularly satisfying to wield. With LEGO Horizon Adventures, strategic planning is sparse. More often than not, the approach is to dodge and shoot whenever feasible.

Collecting studs along the way from destroying objects, finding chests, and defeating machines lets you purchase things back at the base camp, an intriguingly unique area in this game.

The base camp, “Mother’s Heart,” is where Aloy embarks on her adventures in Horizon: Zero Dawn. In LEGO Horizon, it’s depicted more like a whimsical playground where you can customize buildings, purchase costumes, track quests, upgrade abilities, and assemble creations. New zones in Mother’s Heart open up as you progress through chapters, offering you…more things to build! This wasn’t particularly thrilling for me—I only customized Mother’s Heart if a quest specifically demanded it.

Purchasing buildings grants extra studs upon returning to Mother’s Heart, but it’s a bit of a bother to gather them all. Although the rate at which you unlock new structures, statues, and attire is fair, I was let down by how few are directly inspired by Horizon. The majority of customization options stem from standard LEGO themes like City and Ninjago, and even amusement park rides. Want to add a Ferris Wheel to Mother’s Heart? That’s actually possible. Dress Varl up as a hot dog? Go for it!

As you progress, “Apex Missions” become available, challenging you with tougher versions of standard machines, rewarding you with “Red Bricks.” Combat is generally manageable, though I did die several times during more chaotic skirmishes. Thunderjaws remain the toughest opponents in the game but thankfully, they’re infrequent and contained within their own unique arenas. The most captivating segments were those involving Cauldrons—mysterious underground facilities where machines are manufactured. These areas are highlights in the PlayStation games and maintain their enigmatic air here, though they offer more platforming and less combat focus.

The game supports couch and online co-op play, allowing a second player to choose between Aloy, Varl, Erend, and Teersa (remember her? I needed a nudge!). Each character has a distinct playstyle: Varl wields a spear and is quite similar to Aloy; Teesa brings explosive fun albeit with unpredictability; and Erend is a powerhouse with his heavy hammer. Solo players can switch between characters at Mother’s Heart or at the beginning of most missions. Experimenting with all of them is enjoyable, each bringing their own special weapons, mostly elemental variations. Although I tried to balance all characters, Aloy remained my go-to.

I gave couch co-op a whirl with some friends’ kids, and the game held up well enough. However, combat can become chaotic enough without a second player, adding another layer of confusion. We often lost track of our characters and locations, leading to a fair share of mishaps. If one player gets taken out, their ally can revive them by holding down X, though it takes a bit of time and leaves you vulnerable to the very machines that defeated your partner. Luckily, you’re bound by an invisible tether, which is actually helpful. Moreso, the simplistic nature of combat makes it accessible for younger players (like a 14-year-old), although my main measure of success came from briefly diverting attention away from Fortnite.

Though I did find amusement in playing LEGO Horizon Adventures, calling it a straightforward Horizon game would be misleading. It’s designed for a younger audience, which means it leaves out much of what draws me to the PlayStation series. Still, if you’re searching for a light-hearted, amusing action game or something to enjoy with children, this is a worthy pick. What I’d actually love to see, though, are more LEGO sets based on the Horizon series. My Tallneck is itching for a Thunderjaw or a Slaughterspine companion.

After posting the review, we got an update that Tim Russ, renowned for playing Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, will be taking over as the voice of Sylens. Russ seems like a solid choice. He does lack Reddick’s unique timbre (who doesn’t really?), but he seems poised to handle the role in the main series effortlessly. Sylens exudes a certain Vulcan charm with sharp wit, and in LEGO Horizon Adventures, the character is so abstract (he’s a DJ here, for goodness’ sake) that it’s not exactly a fair comparison.