Exploring the Bricks of Adventure: Nintendo and LEGO Horizon Adventures Join Forces

The games industry is growing closer to a thrilling new crossover between the high-octane worlds of engaging game narratives and the playful possibilities of LEGO® when Guerrilla Games introduces players to LEGO Horizon Adventures. As one of the first announced titles, this experience invites all ages to play through this new hybrid of action and creativity. With Nintendo being among the first platforms for this crossover, we’ll explore what this means for gamers the world over.

The Dawn of LEGO Horizon Adventures

The first gem of this year’s Summer Game Fest to gleam was a surprisingly appropriate one: LEGO Horizon Adventures. A genre-bending crossover between the post-apocalyptic, robot-dinosaur-filled world of the Horizon game series and LEGO’s boundless, almost-would-be-limitless universe of building toys, this head-spinning blend is still a ways off: scheduled for release toward the end of 2024, LEGO Horizon Adventures is poised to redefine what it means to play cooperatively, slated for release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam.

A Journey Reimagined with LEGO

In the centre of the narrative in LEGO Horizon Adventures sits Aloy as a LEGO minifig, going on quests that draw from the key story arcs in the Horizon series. In the trailer, familiar scenes and elements were revealed, and at the same time, original elements were introduced. Not only was the Tallneck that you ‘ride’ to spot enemies around you, and the Thunderjaw, a giant mechanical creature of which firing at it is a key part of the game in Horizon Zero Dawn, present again, but they were also in the form of the iconic LEGO brick constructs that can be broken apart and rebuilt at a whim. In this game, we’re fighting against Helis as the antagonist, and while it is still recognisable as Horizon Zero Dawn, it also retains the kind of LEGO fun that can never be overestimated.

Building Blocks of Cooperation

It’s this emphasis on cooperative gameplay that is the most distinctive thing about ‘LEGO Horizon Adventures’. It supports online and couch co-op multiplayer modes, which encourage players to come together and play — inviting friends and families to help forage for resources and overcome the game’s other challenges. Nintendo has long supported gaming as a social activity, and this game is just one recent example of this company’s efforts to promote relational play.

Reconstructing Mother’s Heart: A LEGO Task

Another peculiar element of the game is the chance to modify Mother’s Heart – one of the main areas of the Horizon world – so all the player can do is remake it, using ‘anachronistic decorations’ to add their own touches, with seamless and ‘galloping upperclass absurdity’ to make it their own. The creators of LEGO toyBUILDERS keep this agenda front and centre: ‘Build and play with LEGO bricks and let your imagination soar… LEGO sets allow kids to imagine all different types of situations and take on different roles, empowering them to play out whatever they want.’ In this way, roleplay in the Horizon world immerses itself in the creation sands that make up a LEGO sandbox.

Bridging Worlds: LEGO and Horizon

In fact, this isn’t even the first time that LEGO and the Horizon series have teamed up. In 2022, fans rejoiced when the company launched a LEGO set inspired by the game – the LEGO Tallneck set featuring minifigs of Aloy and a Watcher. That physical realisation of the Horizon universe paved the path for a deeper partnership, resulting in ‘LEGO Horizon Adventures’. By threading together the expansive Horizon lore and gameplay with the creative, kid-oriented world of LEGO, Guerrilla Games and Nintendo are creating experiences with crossover appeal, breaking the walls of gaming norms in terms of who can play and what gaming culture aligns with.

Nintendo: A Platform for Innovation

Coming back to the Nintendo alliance for LEGO Horizon Adventures, Guerrilla Games was drawing on a long history of gameplay creativity and community-building between players. Nintendo had always been the masters of breaking through with the oddball game, mashing up genres and creating worlds of wonder – and the latest alliance reflects Nintendo’s continuing desire to bring creativity and joy to gamers around the world.

With LEGO Horizon Adventures, today is the dawn of a new era – an era of games where digital play and tactile creation merge into one. When the holiday season of 2024 comes around, there’s one thing we can be sure of: the Nintendo/LEGO collaborative partnership based on Horizon is going to ship users off on the adventure of a lifetime, where bricks will play, and play will be built.

About Nintendo

Nintendo is a gaming giant known for its innovative home consoles, such as the Nintendo Switch, as well as its long-running gaming franchises, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon. Established in 1889, Nintendo started out as a playing card company, but has since become synonymous with video gaming, and continues to innovate.