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Lego Horizon Adventures

Lego Horizon Adventures
Developer(s)Guerrilla Games
Studio Gobo
Publisher(s)Sony Interactive Entertainment
Writer(s)James Windeler
Series
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
ReleaseNovember 14, 2024
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)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 November 14, 2024. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

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Lego Horizon Adventures is an action-adventure game played from an isometric perspective.[1] The game has five different difficulty levels, and the weak point targeting system from previous Horizon games returns. Aloy, the game's protagonist, 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.[2]

Development

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Guerilla named UK-based Studio Gobo as a co-development partner in January 2023 to expand the Horizon universe.[3] 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.[4][5]

Game design and technology

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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.[6][7] The Lego Group felt that Horizon was a good choice for a video game project due to its vibrant visuals.[8] 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".[6] Lego and Guerrilla previously collaborated for the release of the Lego Tallneck set in 2022.[9]

Lego Horizon Adventures was developed with Unreal Engine 5 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.[10] According to narrative director James Windeler, Guerrilla wanted "wanted to create a playable Lego movie in terms of the visual quality".[11] The game uses a fixed camera that was in all Lego games before Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022).[11] 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.[12]

Narrative

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Ashly Burch returns to voice Aloy.

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.[2] 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".[8][13] 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.[14]

Most of the original voice cast from Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West return for Lego Horizon Adventures. The cast includes 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 voice actor Lance Reddick in March 2023.[15] Tim Russ was revealed to be taking on the role of Sylens the following month.[16] Russ had previously voiced Jetakka, a member of the Tenakth tribe, in Horizon Forbidden West who Aloy encounters during side quests.[17]

Marketing and release

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Lego Horizon Adventures was announced for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows in June 2024 at Summer Game Fest.[18]

On September 24, 2024, Lego Horizon Adventures was announced to be releasing on November 14, 2024.[19] The game's release date had previously been listed by accident on the PlayStation website in August.[20] The game will be the first game featuring a Sony PlayStation IP to come to a Nintendo console since Return to PopoloCrois in 2015.[21] Sony released the game on Switch to target a "family-friendly audience and a younger audience".[22]

The digital deluxe edition of Lego Horizon Adventures includes three additional Aloy outfits, Ratchet and Rivet outfits from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021), and Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet.[23]

Reception

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Lego Horizon Adventures received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[24] OpenCritic determined that 51% of critics recommended the game.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Robinson, Andy (June 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Was One of Summer Game Fest's Most Pleasant Surprises". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Delaney, Mark (June 12, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Isn't Your Typical Lego Game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  3. ^ Kerr, Chris (January 27, 2023). "Guerrilla enlists Studio Gobo to help co-develop Horizon franchise". Game Developer. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  4. ^ Hakim, Luqman (January 3, 2023). "Horizon Zero Dawn Remake for PS5 to be Developed by Different Studio, Claims Insider". IGN. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Coming to PlayStation and PC on 31 October". www.guerrilla-games.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Park, Gene (October 21, 2024). "'Lego Horizon Adventures' is the all-ages crossover of Sony's dreams". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Barker, Sammy (October 22, 2024). "LEGO Pitched the Brilliant LEGO Horizon Adventures to Sony". Push Square. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Valentine, Rebekah (June 13, 2024). "Everything in LEGO Horizon Adventures Could Be Built Out of Physical LEGO Sets". IGN. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Dornbush, Jonathan (August 24, 2022). "LEGO's Horizon Tallneck Set Is Impressively Tall and Fun to Build". IGN. Archived from the original on June 8, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures has no PS5 Pro Enhanced features at launch". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Delaney, Mark (June 12, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Isn't Your Typical Lego Game". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (November 12, 2024). "Everything In Lego Horizon Adventures Is Buildable In Real Life, If You Have Enough Bricks". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Jones, Ali (June 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures isn't the crossover I ever expected, but it works incredibly well". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  14. ^ Tapsell, Chris (June 12, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures is a perfect match - a breezy, light-hearted approach the series has perhaps always needed". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (October 21, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Recasts Lance Reddick's Character Sylens". IGN. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Middler, Jordan (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Sylens voice actor revealed following Lance Reddick's passing". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Croft, Liam (November 13, 2024). "Star Trek Actor Voices Sylens in LEGO Horizon Adventures". Push Square. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  18. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (June 7, 2024). "PlayStation Reveals Lego Horizon Adventures, Coming To PS5, Switch, And PC This Holiday". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ^ de Vries, Bo (September 24, 2024). "LEGO Horizon Adventures launches November 14, Digital Deluxe Edition detailed". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Tailby, Stephen (August 27, 2024). "Sony Itself May Have Leaked LEGO Horizon Adventures' Release Date on PS5". Push Square. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Sleeper, Morgan (February 19, 2016). "Interview: PopoloCrois Creator Yohsuke Tamori on Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  22. ^ Tolbert, Samuel (July 4, 2024). "PlayStation responds on why it's bringing Lego Horizon Adventures to Nintendo Switch but not Xbox". Windows Central. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Tailby, Stephen (September 24, 2024). "LEGO Horizon Adventures Builds the Hype for November Release on PS5". Push Square. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "LEGO Horizon Adventures (PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews)". Metacritic. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Lego Horizon Adventures Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  26. ^ Mills, Steven (November 13, 2024). "Review: Lego Horizon Adventures". Destructoid. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  27. ^ Colantonio, Giovanni (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures review: Sony's mash-up is an odd but charming fit". Digital Trends. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Castle, Katharine (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures review — a hyperactive minifig tour of Zero Dawn that completely misses the point". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Delaney, Mark (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Review — For Buildin' Jest". GameSpot. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  30. ^ Towell, Justin (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures review: "Brilliantly rebuilds this PlayStation icon"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  31. ^ Dunsmore, Kevin (November 13, 2024). "Review: LEGO Horizon Adventures". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  32. ^ Griffin, Jada (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Review". IGN. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  33. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (November 13, 2024). "LEGO Horizon Adventures Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  34. ^ Beaumont, Mark (November 13, 2024). "'Lego Horizon Adventures' review: the crossover no one asked for". NME. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  35. ^ Parker, Lewis (November 13, 2024). "LEGO Horizon Adventures Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  36. ^ Minor, Jordan; Cuevas, Zackery (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Review". PCMag. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  37. ^ Tailby, Stephen (November 13, 2024). "LEGO Horizon Adventures Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  38. ^ Thwaites, Sarah (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures review: A gorgeous, family-friendly adventure that lacks depth". TechRadar. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  39. ^ Middler, Jordan (November 13, 2024). "Lego Horizon Adventures Review: A charming, if simple, family adventure". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
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