Lego Horizon Adventures Explained

Lego Horizon Adventures
Developer:Guerrilla Games
Studio Gobo
Publisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director:Stephane Varrault
Floris Kooij
Xu Xiaojun
Composer:Homay Schmitz
Engine:Unreal Engine 5
Released:14 November 2024
Genre:Action-adventure
Modes:Single-player, multiplayer

Lego Horizon Adventures is a 2024 action-adventure game developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo in association with The Lego Group, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. As a spin-off entry in the Horizon series, the game reinterprets the events in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) in a Lego-themed environment.

Lego Horizon Adventures was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows on 14 November 2024. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

Lego Horizon Adventures is an action-adventure game played from a third person perspective.[1] Players control one of four of the game's protagonists: Aloy, Varl, Teersa, and Erend. The game has five different difficulty levels, and the weak point targeting system from previous Horizon games returns. The game's protagonists and the game's hub world can be customized extensively. The game features a two-player cooperative multiplayer mode which becomes available following completion of the game's prologue.

Development

Guerilla named UK-based Studio Gobo as a co-development partner in January 2023 to expand the Horizon universe.[2] It was previously rumored that the studio was working on a remake of Horizon Zero Dawn, which turned out to be false because the 2024 remaster was actually developed by Nixxes Software and Guerilla.[3] [4]

Game design and technology

According to Guerrilla, the studio initially designed the machines from the first game using Lego Duplo, and wanted to make a more light-hearted game after working on two Horizon games. It was The Lego Group that pitched the game to Guerilla as "We were all fans of Horizon" according to Kate Bryant, a project lead on Lego-branded games.[5] [6] The Lego Group felt that Horizon was a good choice for a video game project due to its vibrant visuals. They were also drawn to Aloy as a character as she can "speak to that wide audience because she has that strength of character that can resonate with a younger audience". Lego and Guerrilla previously collaborated for the release of the Lego Tallneck set in 2022.[7]

Lego Horizon Adventures was developed with Unreal Engine 5[8] and uses visual enhancements like ray traced lighting on PlayStation 5 and Windows versions. On PlayStation 5, Lego Horizon Adventures features fidelity and performance graphics modes at 30 and 60 frames per second respectively. The game does not include PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced support.[9] According to narrative director James Windeler, Guerrilla "wanted to create a playable Lego movie in terms of the visual quality".[10] The game uses a fixed camera that was in all Lego games before (2022).[10] Environments in the game are made entirely out of Lego bricks rather than only being limited to Lego pieces that the player interacts with. As a result, the game's environments can be built with real Lego bricks at home.[11]

Narrative

Lego Horizon Adventures retells the story of Horizon Zero Dawn in an upbeat and family-friendly way, with the team significantly downplaying its apocalyptic story while focusing on its environmental messages and Aloy's connections with her family and friends.[12] The Lego Movie inspired the game's visuals and animation, with the characters in the game moving in a way similar to those found in a stop motion animation film. Narrative director James Windeler also added that all of the assets found in the game were "built from an individual [Lego] brick".[13] [14] The goal for the studio was to make the franchise "approachable" to newcomers, offering both slapstick humor typically found in Lego games and self-referential comedy found in the films.[15]

Many actors from the original voice cast of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West reprise their roles in Lego Horizon Adventures, including Ashly Burch as Aloy, JB Blanc as Rost, John Macmillan as Varl, and John Hopkins as Erend. In October 2024, it was confirmed that Sylens had been recast following the death of his actor Lance Reddick in March 2023.[16] Tim Russ was revealed to be taking on the role of Sylens the following month.[17] Russ had previously voiced Jetakka, a member of the Tenakth tribe, in Horizon Forbidden West who Aloy encounters during side quests.[18]

Marketing and release

Lego Horizon Adventures was announced for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows in June 2024 at Summer Game Fest.[19]

On 24 September 2024, Lego Horizon Adventures was announced to be releasing on 14 November 2024.[20] The game's release date had previously been listed by accident on the PlayStation website in August.[21]

The digital deluxe edition of Lego Horizon Adventures includes three additional Aloy outfits, Ratchet and Rivet outfits from (2021), and Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet.[22]

Reception

Lego Horizon Adventures received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 54% of critics recommended the game. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 34 out of 40.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated LEGO Horizon Adventures for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robinson . Andy . 13 June 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures Was One of Summer Game Fest's Most Pleasant Surprises . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710122356/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/lego-horizon-adventures-was-one-of-summer-game-fests-most-pleasant-surprises/ . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . Video Games Chronicle.
  2. Web site: Kerr . Chris . 27 January 2023 . Guerrilla enlists Studio Gobo to help co-develop Horizon franchise . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710123904/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/guerrilla-enlists-studio-gobo-to-help-co-develop-horizon-franchise . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . Game Developer.
  3. Web site: Hakim . Luqman . 3 January 2023 . Horizon Zero Dawn Remake for PS5 to be Developed by Different Studio, Claims Insider . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710122357/https://sea.ign.com/horizon-zero-dawn/193917/news/horizon-zero-dawn-remake-for-ps5-to-be-developed-by-different-studio-claims-insider . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . IGN . en-US.
  4. Web site: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Coming to PlayStation and PC on 31 October . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241111185003/https://www.guerrilla-games.com/read/horizon-zero-dawn-remastered-coming-to-playstation-and-pc-on-31-october . 11 November 2024 . 11 November 2024 . www.guerrilla-games.com . en-US.
  5. News: Park . Gene . 21 October 2024 . 'Lego Horizon Adventures' is the all-ages crossover of Sony's dreams . 30 October 2024 . The Washington Post . en-US.
  6. Web site: Barker . Sammy . 22 October 2024 . LEGO Pitched the Brilliant LEGO Horizon Adventures to Sony . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241115045226/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/10/lego-pitched-the-brilliant-lego-horizon-adventures-to-sony . 15 November 2024 . 30 October 2024 . Push Square . en-GB.
  7. Web site: Dornbush . Jonathan . 24 August 2022 . LEGO's Horizon Tallneck Set Is Impressively Tall and Fun to Build . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240608130633/https://www.ign.com/articles/horizon-lego-tallneck-set-build . 8 June 2024 . 10 July 2024 . IGN . en-US.
  8. Web site: Jovanović . Pripremio Nikola "Nick" . 13 November 2024 . LEGO Horizon Adventures recenzija . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20251116200906/https://adria.ign.com/lego-horizon-adventures/44795/review/lego-horizon-adventures-recenzija . 16 November 2025 . 16 September 2025 . IGN Adria . sr-latn.
  9. Web site: Kennedy . Victoria . 13 November 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures has no PS5 Pro Enhanced features at launch . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113150359/https://www.eurogamer.net/lego-horizon-adventures-has-no-ps5-pro-enhanced-features-at-launch . 13 November 2024 . 13 November 2024 . Eurogamer.
  10. Web site: Delaney . Mark . 12 June 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures Isn't Your Typical Lego Game . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627135433/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lego-horizon-adventures-isnt-your-typical-lego-game/1100-6524180/ . 27 June 2024 . 13 November 2024 . GameSpot . en-US.
  11. Web site: Bonthuys . Darryn . 12 November 2024 . Everything In Lego Horizon Adventures Is Buildable In Real Life, If You Have Enough Bricks . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241112151607/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-in-lego-horizon-adventures-is-buildable-in-real-life-if-you-have-enough-bricks/1100-6527699/ . 12 November 2024 . 13 November 2024 . GameSpot . en-US.
  12. Web site: Delaney . Mark . 12 June 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures Isn't Your Typical Lego Game . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627135433/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lego-horizon-adventures-isnt-your-typical-lego-game/1100-6524180/ . 27 June 2024 . 10 July 2024 . . en-US.
  13. Web site: Valentine . Rebekah . 13 June 2024 . Everything in LEGO Horizon Adventures Could Be Built Out of Physical LEGO Sets . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710122355/https://www.ign.com/articles/everything-in-lego-horizon-adventures-could-be-built-out-of-physical-lego-sets . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . IGN . en-US.
  14. Web site: Jones . Ali . 13 June 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures isn't the crossover I ever expected, but it works incredibly well . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710122355/https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action/lego-horizon-adventures-isnt-the-crossover-i-ever-expected-but-it-works-incredibly-well/ . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . . en-US.
  15. Web site: Tapsell . Chris . 12 June 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures is a perfect match - a breezy, light-hearted approach the series has perhaps always needed . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240622172008/https://www.eurogamer.net/lego-horizon-adventures-is-a-perfect-match-a-breezy-light-hearted-approach-the-series-has-perhaps-always-needed . 22 June 2024 . 22 June 2024 . Eurogamer . en-GB.
  16. Web site: Dinsdale . Ryan . 21 October 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures Recasts Lance Reddick's Character Sylens . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113134138/https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-horizon-adventures-recasts-lance-reddicks-character-sylens . 13 November 2024 . 30 October 2024 . IGN . en-US.
  17. Web site: Middler . Jordan . 13 November 2024 . Lego Horizon Adventures Sylens voice actor revealed following Lance Reddick's passing . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113110736/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/lego-horizon-adventures-sylens-voice-actor-revealed-following-lance-reddicks-passing/ . 13 November 2024 . 13 November 2024 . Video Games Chronicle . en-GB.
  18. Web site: Croft . Liam . 13 November 2024 . Star Trek Actor Voices Sylens in LEGO Horizon Adventures . 13 November 2024 . Push Square . en-GB.
  19. LeBlanc . Wesley . 7 June 2024 . PlayStation Reveals Lego Horizon Adventures, Coming To PS5, Switch, And PC This Holiday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240710122356/https://www.gameinformer.com/sgf-2024/2024/06/07/playstation-reveals-lego-horizon-adventures-coming-to-ps5-switch-and-pc-this . 10 July 2024 . 10 July 2024 . Game Informer . en-US.
  20. Web site: de Vries . Bo . 24 September 2024 . LEGO Horizon Adventures launches November 14, Digital Deluxe Edition detailed . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240925201029/https://blog.playstation.com/2024/09/24/lego-horizon-adventures-launches-november-14-digital-deluxe-edition-detailed/ . 25 September 2024 . 25 September 2024 . PlayStation Blog . en-US.
  21. Web site: Tailby . Stephen . 27 August 2024 . Sony Itself May Have Leaked LEGO Horizon Adventures' Release Date on PS5 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240925175701/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/08/sony-itself-may-have-leaked-lego-horizon-adventures-release-date-on-ps5 . 25 September 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Push Square . en-GB.
  22. Web site: Tailby . Stephen . 24 September 2024 . LEGO Horizon Adventures Builds the Hype for November Release on PS5 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240924235242/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/09/lego-horizon-adventures-builds-the-hype-for-november-release-on-ps5 . 24 September 2024 . 25 September 2024 . Push Square . en-US.
  23. Web site: Welsh . Oli . 10 January 2025 . Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a GOTY front-runner at the DICE Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20250110194602/https://www.polygon.com/awards/506810/dice-awards-nominations-2025 . 10 January 2025 . 11 January 2025 . Polygon.

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