Not quite the Robot Dinosaur Zelda experience you might have expected.
Finding my way to Horizon: Zero Dawn didn’t happen right away for me, despite it being a cornerstone franchise for Sony. It was during those unforgettable COVID times when Sony generously offered several games for free, including Horizon’s “Complete” version with the expansive “The Frozen Wilds” DLC. Taking a chance on it, I found myself completely captivated by Aloy and her post-apocalyptic, robot-laden universe. My journey into Horizon came after I had invested over 250 hours into Breath of the Wild, leading me to aptly nickname it “Robot Dinosaur Zelda.” The parallels were clear: an open world filled with robot dinosaurs, a trusty bow and arrow, all steeped in a rich sci-fi narrative. Aloy quickly became a favorite character of mine, and after immersing myself in the sequel, Forbidden West, on my PS4, I went so far as to get a PS5 just to experience the PS5-exclusive expansion, “The Burning Shores” (and let me tell you, it was worth every penny).
To put it simply, I’m a huge fan of Horizon.
So, it caught me off-guard when a LEGO iteration of the first game was announced, even more so because it’s a Sony game available on the Switch. Having played LEGO Horizon Adventures now, it still strikes me as odd. It strays far from what I usually seek in my Robot Dinosaur Zelda games, with its somewhat unfulfilling gameplay loop and a noticeable lack of the combat precision that draws me to the Sony duo. It comes across as a game struggling to find its own identity.
On the bright side, most of the key voice cast is back, including Ashly Burch (Aloy), JB Blanc (Rost), John Macmillan (Varl), and John Hopkins (Erend). This time, though, they’re voicing caricatured, humorous versions of their characters, which I found charming and often entertaining. I was slightly let down by the substitution for the late, irreplaceable Lance Reddick (Sylens), mainly because the new voice felt off, making me apprehensive about how the character will be handled in Horizon 3. LEGO Horizon Adventures loosely adapts Zero Dawn’s story, but sidesteps the “Zero Dawn” aspect, which was personally my favorite.
In this adventure, little LEGO Aloy navigates the world from a top-down perspective with a fixed camera. It works fine for the detailed platforming sections but becomes problematic in combat. These battles typically occur in large arenas where Aloy faces several enemy machines—and occasionally, humans like the Shadow Carja. You can hide in orange grass, camouflaging into it creatively, but your cover is blown the moment you attack. The inability to rotate or adjust the camera means you lack a comprehensive view of the action, which can be frustrating.
Aloy’s Focus, activated by holding the L button, highlights weak points on machines, akin to the main games. However, aiming here is less precise, lacking the time-slowing feature, and rarely results in dislodging parts from machines. There aren’t any specialized arrows either; instead, Aloy can discover “special weapons” and “gadgets” with limited uses to assist in combat.
The arsenal includes mostly elemental bows as special weapons and items like flame jet boots, energy shields, a Tripcaster, and a melee “Brick Separator” as gadgets. While these diversify the combat a bit, they don’t deliver much satisfaction. Planning and strategy seem minimal; it usually boils down to avoiding enemies and taking shots when possible.
As you journey through, you’ll gather studs from breaking objects, opening chests, and defeating foes. These are spent at your base camp village, the most peculiar part of the game.
This base is called “Mother’s Heart,” the starting point of Aloy’s adventure in Horizon: Zero Dawn. Here, it functions as a playground where you can tweak buildings, purchase outfits, check quests, upgrade abilities, and construct items. New sections of Mother’s Heart unlock as you progress, offering more building opportunities. However, I wasn’t particularly interested in customizing Mother’s Heart unless driven by a quest.
While buying buildings grants bonus studs on returning to Mother’s Heart, collecting them all can be tedious. Though you unlock new buildings, statues, and outfits fairly regularly, I was let down by how few relate to Horizon. Most customization choices (including costumes) are from familiar LEGO themes—City, Ninjago, and even theme park rides. Placing a Ferris Wheel in Mother’s Heart isn’t something I ever envisaged, but it’s possible! Dressing up Varl as a hot dog? Why not!
Eventually, “Apex Missions” become available, challenging you to defeat tougher versions of standard machines for “Red Bricks.” Although combat is manageable, I did die several times during intensely chaotic encounters. Thunderjaws pose the greatest threat, as expected, but thankfully they’re rare and have unique, confined arenas. My favorite moments were the ones involving Cauldrons—automated, underground facilities for machine production. These sections, a highlight in the PlayStation games, retain their alien feel here, featuring more platforming and less isolated combat.
LEGO Horizon Adventures offers both couch and online co-op, allowing a second player to choose from Aloy, Varl, Erend, and Teersa (remember her? I barely did!). Each character offers a distinct play style: Varl wields a spear but otherwise resembles Aloy; Teersa’s explosives are fun but lack precision; and Erend is a melee powerhouse. Solo players can switch between them at Mother’s Heart or at the start of most missions. Testing out the various characters was enjoyable, with each sporting their own special weapons (mainly elemental variants), though I often defaulted to Aloy.
When I tried couch co-op with some friends’ kids, it worked well, though the combat can be chaotic, especially with a second player. At times, we lost track of who we were or where we were, leading to multiple deaths. If one player falls, the other can revive them by holding down X, but you’ll likely face the same machines that just knocked you out. Additionally, players are bound by an invisible tether, which proves to be more helpful than hindering. Fortunately, combat is simple enough for younger gamers (like my fourteen-year-old friend) to pick up easily. Distracting him from Fortnite even briefly felt like a win.
I found enjoyment in LEGO Horizon Adventures, but calling it a traditional Horizon game wouldn’t be accurate. It’s clearly aimed at a younger audience, which means it misses some of the elements that make the PlayStation series so enjoyable for me. However, if you’re after a relaxed, amusing action game to enjoy with kids, it’s a solid pick. That said, I’m hoping to see more LEGO sets inspired by Horizon. My Tallneck feels lonely—it could use a Thunderjaw or a Slaughterspine as companions.
*Just as we published this review, news hit that Tim Russ, famous for his role as Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, will be the new voice of Sylens. Russ is an excellent choice, even though he doesn’t share Reddick’s unique tone (who could?). I believe he’ll fit seamlessly into the role within the main series. Sylens’ portrayal here is quite abstract (he’s a DJ, for instance), so it’s not a fair comparison.
