Summary
I used to thinkLegogames were just about the coolest things on Earth. Three things have changed since then - I’m a little older, Lego games became oversaturated, and the world has moved on. We don’t talk enough about the third one. As news emerges thatthere could be a Lego Horizon game on the way- as in,Horizon Zero Dawn- it’s worth considering whether we’re at the stage of capitalism we might call Post-IP.
I don’t think personally outgrowing Lego games is much of a factor. I still play plenty of kid-friendly games, fromPokemontoPrincess Peach Showtime, as well as fitting in yearly replays ofCrashandSpyro, and have a great time. My nephew is just discovering video games and has taken to Lego Marvel, and I enjoy playing them with him. Growing older might have led to a wider range of options no longer making Lego a go-to, but it hasn’t put me off Lego full stop.
There Is Too Much IP In Gaming Now
Instead, I think that is a symptom of modern gaming. Lego games became increasingly more frequent as they increased in popularity, and started to feel churned out, especially as they moved from Legoised retellings of movies into weird toy boxes with not much happening and nothing going on. It’s beyond Lego though - a decade ago the idea of a leading PlayStation franchise getting a Lego game would have been huge news. Now, it’s met with a shrug. Maybe even an eye roll.
We are thoroughly crossovered out. Two unrelated characters meeting up used to be a major event, an epic tale that would go down in the annals of each series' respective histories. Now, it’s marketing. It’s the brainchild of algorithms and focus groups and profit-generating pie charts that just feels a little hollow.MultiVersusand particularly Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl have their own issues, but a decade earlier that concept would have killed - just look at how fondly remembered PlayStation’s own version is, despite being a below average fighting game.
The problem with these crossovers is that everyone is doing them, so they’re not special. We’ve only just heard aboutFunko’s own game, made by former Lego devsand existing in the same vein as those titles, just with big ugly bobbleheads in place of yellow bricks. We’ve reached a saturation point for crossovers, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and reboots. Everyone is trying to get their hands on our nostalgia but they’ve eaten it all, there’s nothing left but crumbs. Now news that our childhood favourites are coming back is met with trepidation, with hopes that they don’t ruin it all, rather than excitement.
Fortnite’sLego game had an excellent reception despite - ironically for Fortnite - having no IP attachment and just being a classic sandbox game.
Of course, you could argue this doesn’t apply to Lego Horizons. Zero Dawn launched in 2017, so that’s hardly a throwback to childhood nostalgia for most of us, and one individual property being Legoised is not a crossover. But when I saw the leaks, I was struck by how little I cared. I loved the Lego games, and even enjoyed the likes of Disney Infinity once upon a time. And while a little underwhelmed by Forbidden West not seizing its potential, I have a lot of affection for Horizon and count Zero Dawn amongst my favourites on PS4. I should care. I don’t care.
It’s harsh to judge the game before we get an reveal trailer (or even an official confirmation), and it may end up being great. Certainly, I’m still curious enough to try it, even if it can’t motivate any hype. But it feels as if this typifies some of the thinking behind modern mainstream ideas. Someone from Lego met someone from PlayStation and they came up with the best way to make money. That is what business always has been, but everything feels more transparent and cold now - I no longer see the shiny toys I’m supposed to see, but the spreadsheets in boardrooms that caused them to spring forth. Maybe I am just too old.
Horizon Forbidden: West
WHERE TO PLAY
Horizon Forbidden West again follows Aloy as she navigates a post-catastrophic world populated by mechanical fauna. She must travel west into unknown territory in order to find a GAIA backup and save the planet’s biosphere.
