LEGO Horizon Adventures was among the biggest surprises from this year’s Summer Games Fest, revealing itself as a lighthearted, radically distinct rendition of the hyperrealistic, cutting-edge games that it spawns from. Naturally, this is going to mean completely different gameplay from the core Horizon franchise, and while this is something that Studio Gobo and Guerilla Games should lean into, there’s one gameplay pillar that could make all the difference.
One of the greatest strengths of the Horizon franchise is its combat. While open-world games have a tendency toward more straightforward or streamlined combat systems (see: Breath of the Wild and the Assassin’s Creed games), Horizon manages to shine through its enemy encounters. A combination of solid third-person shooting mechanics designed around archery, meaningful short-and long-term rewards for target precision, and a satisfying gear grind make fighting the Machines of Horizon‘s world consistently gratifying. Because this combat sandbox is so strong, its translation to the more quaint and cozy LEGO Horizon Adventures is one of the upcoming game’s biggest question marks.
LEGO Horizon Adventures Needs a Good Combat System
Ranged Combat Is the Bread-and-Butter of the Horizon Franchise
Based on what’s been revealed and what audiences know about LEGO games, some of the likely strengths of LEGO Horizon Adventures seem obvious. For one thing, its more simplified, yet faithful, art style has the charm one would expect from a LEGO game, and Horizon‘s take on the post-apocalypse meshes surprisingly well with such a colorful, top-down perspective. But these are more or less givens, as LEGO games usually succeed when it comes to art and level design.
Something that is a bit less common in LEGO adaptations is strong, complex combat, especially when it comes to ranged options. Something like the LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has third-person shooting that works surprisingly well, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for Horizon Adventures, which employs a much more fixed camera, seemingly not allowing for more granular control of aiming. This doesn’t mean that Horizon Adventures‘ combat is destined to fail, but it does mean that it will need to take a different approach than the games that inspired it, if it wants to do their gameplay systems justice.
How LEGO Horizon Adventures Could Make Its Combat Shine
As with everything in this industry, it’s important to reserve judgment until a game’s release, but it seems safe to say that LEGO Horizon Adventures won’t have the same emphasis on precision and advanced ranged weapons as the mainline Horizon games. In light of this, the game could focus on other aspects of the Horizon combat sandbox, which may translate better to LEGO game conventions.
This could very well be the case, as Horizon Adventures‘ gameplay trailers showcase a number of distinct gadgets that can be used in tandem with classic archery moves for combat dominance. If these gadgets are properly diverse and plentiful, then they might be the best way to deepen combat within this new overarching gameplay formula. Perhaps the game could focus more on movement and clever use of gadgets than traditional third-person-or twin-stick shooter mechanics, as this may better suit the new art style, level design, and overall character of a LEGO adaptation.
It’s probably best that LEGO Horizon Adventures avoid directly emulating the combat of the original Horizon games. Sticking too close to the originals’ gameplay formula would not only make for a potentially awkward implementation in a LEGO game, but it would also keep Horizon Adventures from standing out as its own, unique project. Rather, the game should strive to capture the spirit of Horizon‘s engaging, long-distance combat, while trying to build its own gameplay identity.
