LEGO Horizon Adventures review — LEGO my Aloy!

By Cassie Peterson

Posted on November 13, 2024

Aloy’s story became an instant classic when Horizon Zero Dawn was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2017. A baby girl outcast at birth due to circumstances well beyond her control fought to find the truth and uncovered the greatest mystery the world had ever known. It should come as no surprise that we at GamingTrend are huge fans of the Horizon games, so of course we jumped at the opportunity to return in a whole new fashion. For fans of LEGO games and Horizon, LEGO Horizon Adventures puts you back in Aloy’s shoes for an imaginative retelling of one of the greatest stories in recent years.

LEGO Horizon Adventures retells the events of Horizon Zero Dawn in a way only LEGO can achieve. Downplaying the heavier, apocalyptic narrative, the focus is now on environmental messages and Aloy’s relationships with her friends. It’s a more lighthearted interpretation that makes the story more inviting to would-be fans of all ages, mixing in the slapstick comedy LEGO is known for as well as the self-referential comedy seen in LEGO movies. The end result is a hilarious romp that is less intense, but still retains the bones of the Horizon story.

To aid in this retelling, we hear a lot of returning voices, including Ashly Burch as Aloy, JB Blanc as Rost, John Macmillan as Varl, and John Hopkins as Erend. Sylens has been recast, however the actor behind the voice has yet to be revealed as of this writing. While we all miss Lance Reddick, who unfortunately passed away in early 2023, it’s great to see his character live on, albeit with a different voice actor.

This is an isometric action-adventure game that also brings back the weak point targeting system, however, it’s been simplified to fit the LEGO vibe. A quick scan with your Focus will highlight the weak points on machines, which can then be shot off by hitting them from different angles. You don’t have to be a sharpshooter, just keep on the move. You’re also able to equip different variations of your primary weapon as well as a secondary gadget, like shields, boost boots, and a… hot dog stand? It literally lobs explosive hot dogs at the enemies. You can only have one of each equipped at a time, but there’ll be plenty of opportunity to experiment with different items and combinations to fit your play style.

While you could still make a game open-world in an isometric styling, LEGO Horizon Adventures sticks to the old formula of level-based exploration. You’ll move from area to area, with a largely brief stay in each one (I don’t think most levels were much longer than 20-30 minutes). There are still plenty of nooks and crannies to find brick-shaped treasure in as you make your way through the wilds, but this is a much less dense version of Horizon’s Earth. I like how streamlined it is, working well in flow and being a simpler game to play for anyone who’d like to join in.

Throughout the game, you can choose to play as Aloy, or you can also swap to any of her companions who you run into along the way. Aloy is equipped with her usual bow and arrows, Varl has his spear, and Erend has a large hammer. This opens up several different play styles in combat, which is appreciated considering Horizon’s abundance of weaponry in the main series. There’s also a fourth mystery companion that we’ll leave for you to discover for yourself. The conversations and banter between the characters bring a lot of refreshing, lighthearted fun to the storytelling. A huge kudos goes to the writers and voice talent for recreating these beloved characters.

There is a little bit of puzzle solving intermixed with your exploration and small combat sequences. Sometimes pathways and hidden chests are behind a wall of vines that need to be burned away, or through a door that needs to be powered on, or even a bridge that needs to be assembled. In either scenario, there are often barrels or fire pits close by that will aid you, but you can also use special fire or electric weapons, as well as your trusty Focus.

When you’re not out adventuring, you can explore Mother’s Heart, which acts as your base camp. At the start, there’s not much to do or see, with some areas being locked off until you progress more through the story, collecting gold LEGO bricks as you go. As you get further and further, those new areas open up and new customizations are unlocked, allowing you to decorate your village with different landscapes, building designs and colors, and things like statues and monuments to the old world. The customization doesn’t stop there, however, as you can also change what Aloy is wearing, with different outfits from the Horizon games, but also from LEGO City, LEGO Ninjago, and more. Some of the buildings that you restore also give you studs between missions that can be spent on upgrades for your adventuring as well as customizations throughout Mother’s Heart.

Like many previous LEGO adventures, co-op is a part of the formula for this Horizon entry. During my playtime with Lead Editor David Burdette, everything ran as smoothly as you could ask for. There wasn’t any lag or stuttering to speak of, meaning the quality of the experience was as good as it gets. The only thing we noticed through one of the levels was the separation mechanic getting in the way. For instance, when your two characters get too far from each other, the game pulls them back. On some puzzles where a second player isn’t required, this can hinder your completion. You’ll have to stay cognizant of your positions as you proceed, as you might suddenly be teleported away during a tough platforming section. On the flip side, our co-op adventures led to some of the funniest moments when we kept falling to our deaths while exploring a cauldron and when we decided to throw all the villagers off cliffs. There’s definitely a lot more fun to be had when playing with friends or family.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is beautifully designed, with visuals and stop-motion animations inspired by the LEGO Movie. The world is very detailed, with LEGO ruins of the old world, some destructible elements in the environment, and attention to detail on all the machines and characters. There’s already a LEGO model of the Tallneck, but we see more machines take on their LEGO forms here, such as the Thunderjaw, Watchers, Sawtooths, and Shellwalkers. While you’re out exploring, you can also restore structures that have been destroyed, granting you additional studs. And, when you need a break, you can take a seat on one of the many benches found throughout each level to take in the scenery.

This is the complete package for fans of LEGO games and the Horizon series. It’s approachable to players of all shapes and sizes with simple combat and movement mechanics and a fun retelling of a great story. We’ve been playing on PlayStation 5, however, the game will also be available on PC and even the Nintendo Switch. It would be cool to see it come to Xbox as well, but we won’t hold our breath for that one.

LEGO Horizon Adventures review — LEGO my Aloy!

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