There are certainties in life. Yes, death, we all know about death, and of course, taxes – unless you’re a celebrity with offshore accounts – LEGO should be the third, though. The certainty of stepping on it. The certainty as a parent of finding bits of it in your pockets. And the certainty that no matter your age, you’re likely within a few feet of a piece of it at all times. It’s like rats, but yellow and less bitey.
If that’s an unusual way to start a Lego game review, that’s only because Lego Horizon Adventures is an unusual Lego game.
Previous licensed games tended to be based on huge properties like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, filled out by Lego’s own brands like Ninjago and Lego City. In a climatic shift, Lego Horizon Adventures is instead based on Guerrilla Games’ Horizon video game series, which thus far has been exclusive to Sony’s own consoles, with a dip of its toes in the frosty PC waters. So, Lego Horizon Adventures presents a lot of firsts, both for Lego, and the Horizon series, and while it’s certainly a step forward, in some places it’s a step back.
Lego Horizon Adventures has been developed by Studio Gobo in partnership with Guerrilla Games, Sony preferring to lean on a relatively unknown team – better known for helping to co-develop other big properties than their own titles – than partnering with longtime Lego developer Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. In some ways, that’s a good thing. Traveller’s Tales have produced so many Lego titles, that it feels as though it’s hard to innovate within that space, whether through simply knowing what works, or the weight of expectation. Lego Horizon doesn’t have the same preconceptions, though the average gamer on the street may not see it that way.
Lego Horizon Adventures feels more in line with the Lego movies, and there’s certainly a key intent to mimic the fun and frivolous tone of films like The Lego Movie and Lego Batman. The character animations also align with them, so you find a Lego
Adventure
Citi
Progressive
LEGO
fun
Death
Celebrity
Harry Potter