LEGO Horizon Adventures Review — Outta The Box

Given that the Horizon games have already made a name for themselves as an open-world epic action-adventure series – a LEGO game definitely spun a few heads when it was announced back in June 2024. LEGO Horizon Adventures sees Aloy’s journey rebuilt in plastic, mixing that childlike wonder with a fresh take on the story. Put simply, this is not a 1:1 retelling but a lighthearted, lively patchwork of the original game with that LEGO aesthetic. 

While we’ve come to expect LEGO games to have that silly blend of whack builds and humour, LEGO Horizon Adventures opts to rejig the formula. Instead of being a retelling of the original game’s story, this is more of a loose adaptation on the broad strokes of Aloy’s debut adventure. At first, this is quite a shock, given how LEGO games typically roll, yet there’s no hesitation here. This is unapologetically its own beast, building on what each series does with a new take.

LEGO Horizon Adventures dives into the story of Aloy returning to Mother’s Heart after being raised by Rost, who gives her the focus. The pair discover the village has been attacked, and many of the villagers have been taken prisoner by cultists led by Helis. The pair rescues Teb and Varl, and before they have a run-in with Helis, Rost is killed, though he continues as the game narrator. Much of Aloy’s progress in the game links back to the restoration of Mother’s Heart. As players progress into the game, accessing new areas and collecting gold bricks leads to new plots around the village being available to decorate. It’s a far cry from the original game, but even with that LEGO twist – this is a much shorter take.

Each of the areas in the game sees players venturing into the various biomes seen in the game. In these locations, players collect gold bricks by completing various level objectives, such as defeating some of the Horizon game’s fiercest mechanical beasts as well as venturing into cauldrons, capturing tallnecks, and even battling a few cultists along the way. The level areas function largely on their own, with players needing to only visit them to pursue the next objective. After the initial levels, players unlock Apex Machine Hunts, which are basically more levels in this area that give red bricks instead. For those familiar with LEGO games, this is a lot different to the usual run of levels in those games. Here, story beats are as vague as possible. This isn’t like the LEGO Star Wars games that do their best to reenact the story in that very LEGO way. I’ll say, even after the promotion for the game, I was expecting more of that original story to peer through the plastic veil, but this is certainly not a bad thing. If anything, this allows the gameplay and feel of the game to take hold.

Rightly so, this is a LEGO game in every sense of the concept, yet it’s unlike any of its predecessors. The gameplay in LEGO Horizon Adventures opts for a more top-down approach as players venture around as either Aloy, Varl, Erend or Teera. This isn’t a game with a bursting cast of characters to collect and become as you unlock secrets around the world. Here, the experience is driven by levelling up your base group of characters. The game does allow players to earn and use outfits as well as other customisations for Mother’s Heart yet it’s hard not to miss what could’ve been here. 

It is undeniable that the game does look superb, though. Everything has the feel of being achievable for builders at home. I don’t doubt that if someone had all the right bricks, they could build a full scene from the game with ease, but they’d need a lot of bricks. It also isn’t without a pang of sadness to see just how good this world is because one has to wonder what we could’ve gotten from an entire LEGO game based on the source material, but clearly, the trade-off here is the detail for a full-scale adaption. While the game makes up for it, content-wise, you could be forgiven for waiting till this one is on sale, so you really are getting that value.

There isn’t a high amount of replayability here, either. With levels functioning as zones that conform to the next play objective, it meant returning to do some extra grinding or hunt down collectibles wasn’t an option or necessary even. Really, it does lead me to feel like this game misses much of what makes LEGO games such a favourite aside from actually being made out of LEGO.

Ashly Burch does do a superb job returning as Aloy, though the character has more of an animated tone to suit the game. Blaire Chandler, however, is a scene stealer as Teersa. Her cliche grandma vibes hit, though I did feel like this was a far cry from Teersa in the original game. With this being less of an adaptation, much of the character’s chatter through the game feels a lot more fun at the sacrifice of any real development. 

Each character also features a different combat style to a varying extent, with combat abilities available in levels that change up their fighting styles. Aloy, of course, has her bow, Erend has his hammer, Varl has his spear, and Teersa throws exploding projectiles. I didn’t particularly gravitate to any, finding that each’s riff on the combat felt equally fun against cultists and machines. It’s quite a satisfying feeling, especially when the special abilities are mixed. Elements of this feel incredibly similar to the Minecraft Dungeons style of ability-based combat of the top-down stylings.

Multiplayer co-op is a hit and will likely be this game’s saving grace. For those seeking a game to play with younger folks or those new to games, this is a great visual feast that will undoubtedly inspire younger builders. Seeing this entire game built out of LEGO with familiar elements from LEGO City, Ninjago, and even some PlayStation staples if you snag the DLC pack, though, that’s a costly endeavour given the game’s big AAA price tag. Challenge-wise, the game does feature variable difficult settings, allowing for play on a story difficulty all the way to hero – there are five difficulties in total, so you’re sure to find a sweet spot.

All in all, it’s a fun remix of what we’ve come to expect, though it likely isn’t going to satisfy players looking for a hefty LEGO game to grind collectables out of. LEGO Horizon Adventures is a detour from expectations, though with its fun visuals and Horizon’s story at its heart, it still lacks the scope and replayability that really could’ve held this fun new take on LEGO games. Co-op does shine, and I do see this game as having so much potential for players newer to games who just want to have fun in the world of LEGO. The take on Horizon’s narrative is palatable for all, even if it lacks much of what Horizon has to offer. While the game’s streamlined design and lighthearted tone may leave seasoned players wanting more depth, it still delivers a charming, accessible take on the Horizon universe I could see coming into its own with more of the original LEGO formula.