LEGO Horizon Adventures review

A crossover between LEGO and Sony’s popular Horizon series isn’t something I’d anticipated to release in 2024 but, being a fan of both, I’m quite happy about it. View LEGO Horizon Adventures as a spin-off, designed to widen the appeal of the Horizon IP and draw younger players in, and you’ll likely have a ball with it. Though it has to be said that it could perhaps have been given a little more gameplay depth.

LEGO Horizon Adventure loosely retells the story of the original Horizon Zero Dawn, and with plenty of humour thrown in for good measure, you’ll likely enjoy the events that unfold whether you’re familiar with them or not. In any case, the main draw here is facing off against what are essentially robotic dinosaurs, and along the way there’s also plenty of adventuring to be done.

Where LEGO Horizon Adventures mainly deviates from the mainline games is that it’s level-based rather than being open-world. And so, with the settlement of Mother’s Cradle serving as a hub, you’ll venture to nearby lands to engage in many bite-sized missions in order to progress the story. Complete all the missions in one location and you’ll move onto the next, unlocking yet more areas of Mother’s Cradle until all areas are accessible and the story is done.

The missions themselves are largely linear affairs, with you taking control of Aloy or eventually one of her three friends – Varl, Teersa and Eren – and navigating numerous environments all wonderfully built using LEGO bricks. There’s nothing all that complex here gameplay-wise; often you’re just engaging in some simple platforming, with exploring all nooks and crannies rewarding you with a chest to open containing some studs (which serve as a currency) or perhaps a helpful weapon or gadget. But things get a lot more engaging when you encounter an adversary of some kind.

Unlike other LEGO games, there’s a bit more depth to the combat of LEGO Horizon Adventures. Each of the characters you can take control of has their own unique method of attack: Aloy, for example, uses her bow and arrows, while Eren charges at enemies with his giant warhammer. But by defeating enemies and opening chests, special weapons can be acquired with limited ammo. These might freeze enemies when hit, or set them on fire, giving you a distinct advantage. You can choose when to employ them, too, with a button handily switching between your standard weapon and one special weapon kept in reserve.

Gadgets also prove to be extremely useful. Some of these will be familiar to those who have previously played a Horizon game, such as the Tripcaster that allows you to set electrifying traps, but others, such as the Brick Separator, are more outlandish, allowing you to give your enemies and almighty whack at close range. Like special weapons, however, these gadgets have limited uses, so you will need to judge when’s the best time to use them.

Throw in other things to consider during battle, such as making use of tall grass to remain undetected, picking up and throwing a variety of bombs, and shooting through things such as bodies of fire to imbue your basic attacks, and you have a combat system that’s very enjoyable indeed. And of course, it’s also very important to target weak points on your robotic foes, which sometimes requires you to attack them from the sides or behind.

It won’t take you long to complete the story of LEGO Horizon Adventures — you’ll probably be done in around 8 hours or so — but there are reasons to return to the game. You unlock Apex Predator hunts as you progress, for example, tempting you to return to locations in order to face off against powerful beasts and continue levelling up your characters while collecting valuable resources. As already alluded to, studs can be used to purchase a wide range of upgrades while you’re in Mother’s Cradle, and they can also be used to unlocked new outfits for Aloy and co. along with decorating your settlement as you see fit. There’s not much point to the latter, but there are at least some fun interactions to be had with some of the structures you can build.

It’s just a shame that, as enjoyable as LEGO Horizons Adventures is, there’s not a little more depth to the exploration elements. Sometimes you might be required to shoot through a fire to burn a wall of vines preventing you from accessing a chest, but that’s about it. It could have been as simple as allowing you to switch characters on the fly, with each of them having some kind of unique ability that you might sometimes need to employ to progress. But still, with its sublime visuals, lashings of humour, fun bouts of combat, and couch co-op, LEGO Horizon Adventures proves to be great fun for all the family.