The graphical fidelity of the upcoming LEGO Horizon Adventures is scarcely paralleled by its fellow LEGO titles. However, there's another aspect of its visuals that sees this title do far more heavy lifting than its peers—making LEGO Horizon Adventures something of a gamechanger.
If leaks on the PlayStation store page turn out to be correct, LEGO Horizon Adventures might release November 14. With The LEGO Group having moved away from Traveller's Tales, the studio behind all major LEGO games from 2005 to 2022, for new releases like 2K Drive! And LEGO Fortnite after the end of TT's exclusivity deal, it's no surprise to see Aloy's brick-built adventure follow suit. The upcoming title is being developed by Studio Gobo and Guerrilla Games, the latter of which headed up the previous Horizon games.
LEGO Horizon Adventures' Use of Ranged Weapons Could Make or Break It
Lego Horizon Adventures will undoubtedly be a departure from the usual Horizon games, but it needs to get one element of its gameplay loop right.
LEGO Horizon Adventures Is Straying Further From LEGO's Toys Than Ever Before
It's no secret that LEGO games are a vehicle to sell toys, even if many of those games are classics in their own right. However, unless LEGO has more Horizon sets planned, this title is going off less than any LEGO game has before. Only one set has been released for the series thus far, and that model's already two years old. LEGO Horizon Adventures seems to be an effort to bring the toyline's charm to Horizon, as opposed to a synergistic venture—which could mark a big shift.
LEGO Games Almost Always Center On Current Toys
The most iconic LEGO games are, without a doubt, the licensed games made by Traveller's Tales—games known for filling in some blanks, but never quite to the extent of LEGO Horizon Adventures. The LEGO Batman series is a great example of this, with the first game focusing almost entirely on the characters and vehicles that LEGO had already released, save for exceptions like Man-Bat, Killer Moth, and Clayface.
The second game was released to coincide with the rebooted 2012 DC Superheroes sets, and its main story focused sharply on the characters released in that wave—though characters like the Flash still had to be designed by Traveller's Tales, as did other characters with no minifigure equivalent (including villains like Mr. Freeze and Killer Croc, whose designs were taken from the pre-reboot 2006-2008 line). The third game and DC Supervillains got even more experimental with its original designs, but still did a lot to tie in available sets and figures.
The game that can be called the biggest exception to this trend (though titles like LEGO The Incredibles did push things) is the toys-to-life title LEGO Dimensions. Though this crossover game showed off many licensed and non-licensed IPs natural to LEGO, franchises like E.T., Gremlins, and Goonies never had LEGO sets based on them. On the other hand, the toys-to-life aspect meant that Dimensions was still selling toys, especially in the case of collectors that just wanted minifigures of characters like Gizmo or Beetlejuice.
In the case of LEGO Horizon Adventures, there's only one set for it to use a source. In 2022, LEGO released a Horizon Tallneck model with an Aloy minifigure as part of its Icons theme—a line of display sets designed to appeal to older fans. This set has since been retired, meaning it's unlikely that this game is fueled by toyetic synergy.
LEGO Has Proven Its Standalone Charm
The standalone nature of LEGO Horizon Adventures is something of a testament to the LEGO brand; though previous LEGO games were developed with selling toys in mind, their fun gameplay, comical antics, and decent storylines made them classics for fans everywhere. Injecting LEGO into a game or film now means more than brand synergy, as it's a surefire way to create an offshoot with creativity and a distinctive charm.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 54%
- Released
- November 14, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games, Studio Gobo
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
In a far future, where giant mechanized beasts roam a landscape reclaimed by nature and humans live in primitive tribes, an ancient evil seeks to destroy the world…
Join hunter Aloy as she leads a colourful crew of heroes on a quest to save the meadows, forests, and mountains of Earth from a man called Helis, who leads a gang of sunworshippers that follow an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery.
Dive into a thrilling adventure alone, or with friends with couch co-op or online play, customize your home in true LEGO style, and uncover stunning secrets from Aloy’s mysterious past along the way.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
