The fundamental elements of a Lego game have remained largely unchanged for more than 20 years: smash everything into bricks and studs, collect characters by the dozens, then use those characters to return through levels and solve previously blocked puzzles. Lego Horizon Adventures has some of that DNA, and going back to a fixed camera like the pre-Skywalker Saga games makes it feel like a classic Lego game of yesteryear, but after playing 30 minutes of solo and co-op, I’m fond of it. came away thinking this was the most cinematic Lego game yet. Rather than focusing intensely on breaking and collecting items, it’s about emphasizing the story of Guerrilla and putting that story through a child-friendly filter.
“We were determined to make a Lego game that was different from every other Lego game,” James Windeler, narrative director at Guerrilla, told me after my hands-on session. “From a visual standpoint, we wanted to make a statement in the sense that we wanted to make a playable Lego Movie in terms of visual quality. But one of the things that’s really unique and very different from other games is that everything that you see is made from individual bricks. Each element could, in theory, be made from physical materials, Lego pieces.
He’s right, of course. Traditionally, Lego games involve bricks in the playable area and backgrounds designed to look more like traditional video game environments, and this difference here, coupled with the stunning visuals, really makes Lego Horizon Adventures stand out instantly when you play it. see.
But playing it is also a little different from classic Lego games. Sure, you can destroy some of the environment to collect stallions, but not as much as in other Lego games, and there didn’t seem to be any stallion counter requiring you to unlock a status like “True Adventurer “. That’s because it’s not really a collecting marathon like Lego Batman or Lego Star Wars. It’s, as Winderler says, like playing a Lego movie starring Aloy, Rost and other stars of Horizon Zero Dawn.
And I’m talking specifically about Zero Dawn. Lego Horizon Adventures revamps the 2017 game in key ways to make it more engaging and appropriate for kids, but without totally reinventing its story. “It’s not a faithful retelling, nor is it a parody,” explained Windeler, who said the game will take players around 7 to 8 hours to complete, although elements of replayability will be revealed later. “We wanted to make fun of intellectual property; we wanted to use all the self-referential humor that characterizes Lego properties.
“We also really wanted to make sure that the game would have very broad appeal… We didn’t make the whole open world game and put it here. We told a story that we felt captured some of the atmosphere of the game.” the spirit of the original, certain themes (…) It’s more of an inspiration.”
Given that these themes originally included things like climate change and the corporate habit of commandeering a dilemma to present a solution before making things worse, I wondered how much of the game would be devoted to these beats especially. “We definitely took a backseat to some of the more complex and darker themes. Those ideas are in the game, but they’re very subtle,” he said. “You know, the story takes place more in the present and is very focused on a more emotional story of a girl searching for her mother who finds herself drawn into an adventure with existential stakes.”
Just as it translates the story and world into bricks and minifigs, one of the most interesting parts of my demo was how it transforms the series’ weak point targeting system into a simpler version with which Less experienced players can tackle more easily, especially on the Nintendo Switch’s smaller controllers. “A lot of thought went into it,” Windeler revealed.
“But we also wanted to make sure we maintained the type of tactical thinking and combat that fans of the franchise might also be accustomed to. So while the control schemes are fairly simple, you’ll recognize mechanics, like (focusing ) on the weak point, but also, there is some complexity there is a difficulty slider, and if you slide it up, there is a need to really engage at the tactical level.
In practice, this involves holding the aim button on a machine’s parts as they glow bright yellow, just like in traditional Horizon games, then releasing it to hit the robotic beast at that location. Players can also sneak through tall grass and even start wildfires that spread across the brick-filled landscape, causing chaos and sometimes even solving environmental puzzles.
And of course, in two-player co-op, all of these elements can be doubled, creating a kid-friendly combat system that feels more like an action-adventure game than a traditional, one-button Lego game . pure brawler. In a nutshell, Winderler called Lego Horizon Adventures’ combat systems “frantic.”
As Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines the story, whether for a visual gag or simply to make it a better family play experience, I asked if Guerrilla would ever flinch at the idea of taking a character like Aloy, which the studio has always praised. , and almost transforming her into a caricature of herself. But Windeler sees no conflict there.
“We have single-player games, you know,” he said. “We’re still very protective of the characters in this canon, (but) everyone who was involved in this wanted to have fun with it. There are still some heartbreaking moments in the story. And like, we’re not completely ignoring the emotion of the original story, but it’s definitely meant to bring joy to people.
Lego Horizon Adventures is coming to PS5, PC and, yes, Nintendo Switch this holiday season.