Sony's new family-friendly PlayStation game LEGO Horizon Adventures was revealed at Summer Game Fest, bringing the world of Horizon to a new generation and the Nintendo Switch through a playful action-adventure game involving building, co-op play, and recounting the games' story using digital bricks. It is a Lego-ified version of Horizon's post-apocalyptic future. The game is set to release during the 2024 holiday season on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Recent announcements from Sony suggest a shift towards more all-ages content, with LEGO Horizon Adventures and Astro Bot indicating a focus on family-friendly gaming experiences. Both games prioritize interactive, immersive worlds accessible to all skill levels, and aim to revitalize the all-ages gaming space with high production values and engaging gameplay, potentially receiving award nominations. The company aims to grow the Horizon franchise into one of its tentpoles, with a sequel on the PS5 and an adaptation into a Netflix show.
LEGO video games have a relaxed feel and wider age appeal. The entire LEGO Horizon Adventures game is made of LEGO bricks and can be built in real life. Physical LEGO sets based on the Horizon series have been released, and LEGO Horizon Adventures could introduce new players to the franchise.
Developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, the game blends LEGO creativity with the immersive world of the Horizon series. The game promises a playful, light-hearted story set in the post-apocalyptic 31st century, allowing players to bound through a dinosaur-infested world, with co-op gameplay featuring iconic creatures like the Sawtooth, Thunderjaw, and Tallneck.
It features 2-player co-op, both locally and online, with the possibility of random or limited online partners. The narrative follows Aloy on an adventure to find her mother, with a more light-hearted and broad appeal compared to the main Horizon games.
Players can unlock items, rare bricks, side quests with additional rewards, weapon upgrades, global enhancements, customizable costumes, and village visuals, as well as the ability to set up a hot dog stand for combat. It features co-op mode, adding a new dimension to the gameplay, colorful character skins, and customizable elements reminiscent of a child's playset.
While some fans and reviewers have criticized the game's significantly shorter playtime of 7-8 hours compared to the original Horizon games' 40-60 hours, feeling let down by the lack of depth and content, others have praised its high replayability. Some have also questioned PlayStation's decision to develop a LEGO game based on Horizon specifically.
The visuals aim to replicate a real LEGO set, with attention to detail and authenticity in design.
Sources: Forbes, The Verge, Engadget, PCMag, VentureBeat, CNET, TechRadar, Gameswelt, Infobae, Begeek, Branchez-vous, Gearrice, Wccftech, VideoGamesChronicle, Rolling Stone, Indy100, Igromania, ComicBook, MobileSyrup, Games.Tiscali, FandomWire, Kanobu, and IXBT.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
