Legos and Tigers and Brands, Oh My!

More often than not, the long-running children’s series of Lego video games has focused on instantly recognizable characters: Batman, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker.

The star of Sony’s science fiction Horizon game franchise does not have such an expansive fan base. Yet the single-minded, redheaded Aloy is a wise choice for one of these lighthearted branded games, which exude so many happy, humorous vibes.

In this Lego world, Aloy’s battle is against formerly peaceful animal-robots like the Sawtooth, a riff on pouncing saber-toothed tigers. They shoot swirling circles of fire. The Buried Shadow, the darkest, scariest creature in the Horizon series, is a cute but devilish balloon blob here, something well-suited for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You can hide from most of the machines in patches of tall grass, which Aloy calls “so itchy.”

Aloy also needs to discover her own origins, often via a holographic character named Elisabet. The eager warrior’s base of operations is called Mother’s Heart, inhabited by nature lovers who are hunter-gatherers. As you progress, the almost-unpopulated town grows as you build customizable structures, totems and environments. Fifteen hours in and you’ll find it teeming with clucking chickens and plastic minifigures who fish, eat, converse, dance and generally enjoy life. Just look at their animated drawn-on faces.

The stripped-down plot eschews the game franchise’s serious, sometimes perplexing epic tale that features Aloy as kind of a religious savior. Here, the objectives are simpler, clearer — and unapologetically goofy.