Lego Horizon Adventures: I Just Spent Hours Making (And Breaking) Stuff

Last updated on November 18th, 2025 at 10:59 am

Listen, I didn’t really know what to expect when I turned on Lego Horizon Adventures last month. I mean, why not just take a deadly serious post-apocalyptic robot-hunting game and make it into big clunky Lego blocks? Seemed weird. But here’s what really happened when I sat down to play.

What You’re Actually Getting

After it was released in mid-November 2024 on PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, I immediately felt a change. One of four characters can be taken into battle. Aloy wielding her bow, Varl with a spear, Erend wielding a hammer and Teersa lobbing explosives. Each has enough of a distinct feel that going between them doesn’t feel pointless.

The combat’s pretty straightforward. Enemies are scanned with Focus, allowing you to locate weakness points on them to target. It’s the exact same targeting system in Horizon games past, just simplified for kids. And honestly? It works.

Here’s What Actually Stuck With Me

It Looks Amazing (No, Really)

I’m not the one to slobber all over graphics, but this game looks really good. And it’s all made out of real Lego bricks. it looks like a giant Lego set despite ranging from jungles to deserts and somehow, that Horizon scale is still present. You get the obvious sensation of running in environments you can practically create yourself.

Building Your Village Is Addictive

This is the stage in which I lost an unexpected amount of time. You also change the colors of buildings, dress up NPCs and add accouterments from other Lego Themes in Mother’s Heart. There are more than 100 items that can be unlocked, and yeah, I may or may not have gotten a little obsessed with having it look just-so. It’s weirdly satisfying.

Co-op That Doesn’t Suck

I played through most of it with the same friend locally, and the game’s drop-in/drop-out system is seamless. You’re actually both up on screen together, combining powers, and it never felt like one person was just riding shotgun. If you have kids or a gaming co-conspirator, this part is solid.

Where It Falls Short

You’ll Finish It Fast

The core story completed at 100% is around five to seven hours, and even if you go for the full hundred percent that might only extend it out to 15 or twenty hours. Most levels are over in 10 to 15 minutes, and there isn’t a lot of excitement about replaying them. I wanted more.

It’s Missing That Lego Magic

Here is my number one complaint: you can’t destroy anything in the environment. And if you’ve ever played other Lego games, you know that breaking things and picking up bricks is half the fun. That’s mostly gone here. The puzzles are also really easy nothing that will force you to contemplate beyond a few seconds.

Who’s This Even For?

The game is too simplistic for Horizon’s adult fans but possibly too complex for younger children. You’re multitasking with mouse aiming, keyboard movement and multiple buttons at the same time. I had a hard time getting my son to participate, even though he was on the younger end of the eight-and-up. It’s trapped in this uncomfortable middle place.

They’re Fixing Things (Slowly)

Devs have been providing patches fairly regularly. Recent updates addressed loading screen issues, character movement bugs and audio sync problems. They’ve also optimized performance for Switch and PC, particularly on Intel graphics cards. It demonstrates they’re listening, that’s neat.

But, of course, there’s a catch: They don’t play against each other in the same world and can’t crossplay on different platforms. If your friend is on Switch and you are on PS5, for example, you can’t play together. That’s a bummer.

Should You Actually Buy It?

Here’s my candid evaluation of playing through everything: Lego Horizon Adventures is fun but fleeting. The graphics are beautiful, the customization option kept me busy, and co-op with a friend was a lot of fun. But the brief campaign, streamlined mechanics and absence of that classic Lego destructibility left me wanting more.

If you’ve got kids aged 9-12 or if you’re looking for a chill co-op game to play with someone who isn’t especially into gaming, you’ll likely have a good time. Just don’t be expecting the depth of a standard Lego game, or the heaviness of a true Horizon title.

I paid full price and I don’t regret it, but otherwise I’d recommend waiting for a sale unless you are a really big fan of Lego or Horizon. It’s a pretty good 7/10. great for what it is, but not quite great.

The base is there for something more. Perhaps, with some DLC or updates, it will blossom into a fleshed out game. So for the time being it’s an interesting experiment that doesn’t entirely stick the landing.

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