While the Summer Game Fest, at least the specific showcase that happened last Friday, wasn’t the biggest or best, there were a few surprises to be had. One of the biggest was that Guerrilla Games was taking their prized franchise into a whole new direction and platform, via Lego Horizon Adventures. Yes, the adventures of Aloy and her allies are going to be put into Lego form! Because, well, why not? The gameplay trailer seemed to capture the essence of what the game was, but many people are surprised that this will be the first entry to arrive on the Nintendo Switch.
During a chat with VGC after the game’s announcement, narrative director James Windeler discussed why the game was coming to the platform despite the other mainline entries not being on the system:
“It was just a really unique opportunity for us. It was a natural fit for the ambitions that we had. I keep mentioning it, but we want this to be for everyone, and the Switch is really a platform that allows us to broaden the audience. That ethos goes all the way through the game, from the control schemes which are quite simple, [for example] it works on a single Joy-Con, and then also the simplification of the story, the lightening of the themes, the humour – it’s all part of the same ambition.”
That’s a really nice way of putting it, and it makes sense to put this particular game on the Switch, as basically every single mainline Lego game of note in the last several years is also on the Switch. So why hold back? Furthermore, this could inspire people who play Lego Horizon Adventures to try out the mainline games because the Lego version was so fun.
To that end, one could argue that this is also part of Sony’s plan to push things further into multiplatform territory. They have noted that sales of their best games aren’t all meeting their expectations due to exclusivity, so why not try and put some on other consoles to help increase sales? That’s what Square Enix is attempting to do with its gaming lineup in the future, and it might just work out for them.
Regardless, this is a huge win for Aloy and her franchise, and if the gameplay and story hold up, it could easily be one of the best Lego titles of the bunch. Currently, there isn’t a release date for the title, but it’ll be bricked together eventually!
