Game review: Lego Horizon Adventures (PS5 Pro)
The first Lego game that was based on a licensed property was Lego Star Wars released back in 2005. The game included the famous prequel trilogy, and Lego itself released lots of toys based on the Star Wars franchise ever since.
While Star Wars has tons of Lego sets, it was strange to me when Sony announced it was releasing Lego Horizon Adventures based on the Horizon video games. This is because Lego has only released one set so far based on the Horizon franchise. Only Aloy and the Tallneck have been immortalised in Lego form officially.
While fans may have to wait longer for more Horizon Lego sets in the future, they can instead play Lego Horizon Adventures, which is out now for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Lego Horizon Adventures is a kid-friendly version of Horizon Zero Dawn featuring smaller levels and noticeably easier gameplay mechanics.
The fact that Lego Horizon Adventures is a smaller retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn essentially means you don't have to have prior knowledge of the franchise to play this game. Kids, both young and old, can play Lego Horizon Adventures without feeling too confused about its interesting story.
Before you get into the meat of the story, all players will have to go through the game's tutorial first. At the start of the game, only Aloy is playable for one player, but as you progress you unlock co-op mode meaning you can play with another person.
One of the things that I admire most about Lego Horizon Adventures is that it is a game that caters to everyone with varying skill levels. Previous Lego games are too easy because there are no difficulty levels and every character has infinite lives and continues.
In this game, however, there are multiple different difficulty settings and you have the option to turn off invincibility too. If you are a skilled gamer, you may want to challenge yourself on the harder settings, while younger kids and parents can choose to play the easier modes.
As for the gameplay, at the start, Aloy is only armed with her trusty bow and arrow and her focus on her ear. The focus is a technological device that allows Aloy to spot the weak spots in the robotic animals that roam around this futuristic Earth.
To fire off arrows, you hold down the Square button to aim and let go in the direction that you want to shoot. To kill the robots, you want to shoot at the body parts that either glow blue or yellow. These are the weak spots, and shooting them allows you to kill them faster.
When you progress further into the game, Aloy will meet more allies who will become playable characters. Each new character is armed with a different type of weapon, so changing characters helps make the gameplay feel fresh and exciting.
For example, Varl is armed with a spear, and Teersa, the old lady, can throw bombs. Although I think most people will like to play as Erend because he's like Thor and is armed with a huge hammer.
Lego Horizon Adventures also makes Aloy's allies more likable and cheerful too. Varl is more comedic here, while Teersa is an energetic old lady. As for Erend, they have made him a Homer Simpson rip-off because he loves pink doughnuts with sprinkles!
The more you play the game; you will also stumble into special items that give you more options to aid you in combat. Aloy, for example, can pick up fire arrows to burn enemies, or she can grab ice arrows that freeze her opponents.
Special items, on the other hand, can be grabbed by any character, and these can only be used for a short time. My favourite item is the Blast Boots because you can do a flip kick and ignite a fire on opponents. Another humorous item is the Hot Dog man who chucks bombs from his stand.
In terms of level design, this isn't an open-world video game because most of the levels are linear. There are only separate paths to take if you want to open secret treasure chests. I do like the levels that take you to different-looking biomes, and the original game's cauldrons are back, too.
Speaking of design, the graphics in this game are amazing both on PS5 and PS5 Pro. The developers really wanted to make the game look as impressive as the Lego movies that were released a couple of years ago. Arguably, this game could be the graphically best-looking Lego game thus far.
While the graphics are good, there isn't much variety when it comes to the main objectives, though. Most of the levels just require you to kill lots of enemies before you are able to continue on. Some levels end with boss battles, and these can be challenging and fun. When it comes to side quests, there are optional hunts you can partake in too.
Doing side quests and opening chests can earn you more studs that are used for currency to customise your character and the game's main hub called, Mother's Heart. If you don't want to look like Aloy, you can choose to play as another Lego character instead. Mother's Heart is also a place where you can change the appearance of many buildings as well.
One minor flaw I found is the fact that you cannot swap to another character at any time you wish. The only time you can choose to be a different character is before you enter each level. Once you make your selection, you are stuck with that character until you finish the entire level. This is far different than previous Lego games where you can swap to any character at any time during gameplay.
Lego Horizon Adventures is also a far shorter experience compared to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. I completed the main Horizon games in around 30 hours, but Lego Horizon Adventures can be completed in around seven hours. You can add more gameplay hours to it if you want to do 100% of everything, though.
While Lego Horizon Adventures might be short with some minor flaws, it's still a fun game for kids and fans of the Horizon series in general. If you are a parent with young kids, it will be a good idea to buy this game along with Astro Bot for this Christmas season.
Verdict: 8.0/10
