Art direction is an incredibly important aspect of video game development, and it's only grown more important over the last decade or so thanks to the rise of Indie games. In the 2000s, the vast majority of the gaming industry was focused solely on making the most realistic-looking games possible, and while that continued well into the 2010s, Indie games like Limbo and Hotline Miami proved that games with a smaller budget could still stand out from the crowd by embracing a more distinct art style. These Indie games began a shift across the entire industry, eventually resulting in more stylization across all types of games, including games like LEGO Horizon Adventures.
Upon first hearing the rumors of a LEGO and Horizon crossover game, many fans were unsure how a fully-fledged collab could work between the two, with a big point of contention being the two brands' differing aesthetics. But with a few trailers now out, it seems as though LEGO Horizon Adventures has figured it out, with its art style striking a good balance between LEGO's more jovial tone and Horizon's more realistic style. And if LEGO Horizon Adventures' trailers are any indication of the final product, the game could end up setting a new bar for future LEGO titles.
LEGO Horizon Adventures' Art Style Should Set a New Standard for LEGO Games
How LEGO Horizon Adventures' World Evokes That Trademark LEGO Charm
The debut trailer for LEGO Horizon Adventures did a good job of immediately setting the game's lighter tone. Even from just that short two-minute trailer, it was clear that LEGO Horizon Adventures would be delivering LEGO's trademark charm in spades, and two elements of the game's art style are directly responsible for evoking that feeling so early on.
Almost everything in LEGO Horizon Adventures can be made in real life using real-world LEGO bricks. Aside from a few minifigures that haven't been released in real-world sets, every structure, Machine, and environment in LEGO Horizon Adventures could be built by fans using regular LEGO pieces. According to a recent Kotaku interview with Guerrilla Games' Tim Symons, the studio was required by LEGO to be able to make everything in the game using real-world pieces, which is what gives the game its distinct overarching look.
How LEGO Horizon Adventures' Animations Evoke That Trademark LEGO Charm
Kotaku's interview with Tim Symons also confirmed the existence of another element of LEGO Horizon Adventures' art style that's instrumental in giving the game such a distinct feeling from the offset. In the interview, Symons mentions that the game contains some stop-motion animation, as the studio "didn’t want to bend the plastic," to remain "true to the actual product." A clear example of this in LEGO Horizon Adventures' trailers is the characters' movements, which closely resemble those in the LEGO Movie.
In embracing these two core artistic elements, LEGO Horizon Adventures is able to stand out completely from the LEGO games that have come before it. Though TT Games' LEGO titles contain brick-built structures, characters, and vehicles, most of their worlds are CG, as are the characters' animations. LEGO Horizon Adventures' stop-motion animations and entirely brick-built world give the game a sense of immersion and authenticity that past LEGO games just haven't had, and it's something future LEGO games need to adopt.
LEGO Horizon Adventures
- Released
- November 14, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
In a far future, where giant mechanized beasts roam a landscape reclaimed by nature and humans live in primitive tribes, an ancient evil seeks to destroy the world…
Join hunter Aloy as she leads a colourful crew of heroes on a quest to save the meadows, forests, and mountains of Earth from a man called Helis, who leads a gang of sunworshippers that follow an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery.
Dive into a thrilling adventure alone, or with friends with couch co-op or online play, customize your home in true LEGO style, and uncover stunning secrets from Aloy’s mysterious past along the way.
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games, Studio Gobo
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
