One LEGO Horizon Adventures Change Could Be Huge for the Main Series

One LEGO Horizon Adventures Change Could Be Huge for the Main Series

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that the news of LEGO Horizon Adventures has me both excited and intrigued. The prospect of delving back into the post-apocalyptic world of Aloy, now in a more playful, LEGO format, is tantalizing. However, the recasting of Lance Reddick’s iconic character, Sylens, has me a bit concerned.


In a few short weeks, gamers playing on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC will get their first chance to experience LEGO Horizon Adventures. In this game, both new and returning players can once again take on the role of the red-haired protagonist Aloy, as she strives to protect post-apocalyptic tribes from growing mechanical hazards. Although LEGO Horizon Adventures is anticipated to offer a more family-friendly interpretation of the storyline from Horizon Zero Dawn, with many actors reprising their roles, there’s one aspect of the game that might hint at Horizon 3: the replacement of Lance Reddick as Sylens.

Sylens’ Horizon Story So Far

In the narrative of Horizon, Sylens stands as one of the key characters, trailing only behind the main character Aloy in significance. Originally appearing as a disembodied voice helping Aloy navigate her quest in Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s later unveiled that Sylens is an archaeologist and researcher with an affinity for technology, relentlessly pursuing knowledge about the ancient world. His early life saw him independently fixing a Focus device, leading to his discovery of the rogue AI known as HADES. Working together, they tricked the Shadow Carja into believing that HADES was a god and established the Eclipse cult to serve this AI deception. Following the creation of a Focus network for the Eclipse, however, HADES turned against Sylens, commanding the cult to eliminate him.

In Horizon Zero Dawn, Sylens was a distant ally, helping me (Aloy) bring down HADES and the Eclipse, but it was more for his own gain. At the climax of Zero Dawn, instead of Aloy using the lance he’d given me to defeat HADES, Sylens seized it to hijack the system, intending to extract a rogue AI from HADES. This AI he would then torment for information about GAIA and an enigmatic figure named Nemesis, who corrupted HADES and other AIs. After nearly annihilating HADES, Sylens orchestrated Regalla’s Rebels to strike the Far Zenith, using them as puppets for his hidden purposes this time around.

Sylens in Horizon Forbidden West and Beyond

In the game ‘Horizon Forbidden West’, Sylens took on a more personal part in the storyline’s developments. He worked alongside Aloy to uncover the means of creating a replica of GAIA, collaborated in lowering Far Zenith’s shields by constructing a device, participated in the attack on Far Zenith’s base with Aloy and her allies, and opted to remain with Aloy to help prepare for their upcoming battle against Nemesis. Later in the Burning Shores DLC, Sylens assisted Aloy in defeating Far Zenith Walter Londra and suggested they travel east across the United States’ interior to find 21st-century weapons that could aid them in confronting Nemesis.

The Recasting of Sylens

Approximately a month prior to the release of the Burning Shores DLC in April 2023, Lance Reddick, the voice, motion capture, and face model for Sylens in the Horizon series, tragically passed away due to coronary artery disease and atherosclerotic heart disease at the age of 60. His passing left his family, friends, colleagues, and fans deeply saddened. With Sylens being a key character in the Horizon series, many fans were worried about how Guerrilla Games would handle Reddick’s absence in future titles like Horizon 3. In an interview with IGN, Lucas Bolt, World Art Supervisor at Guerrilla, revealed that a new actor will portray Sylens in the upcoming LEGO Horizon Adventures game.

Liam O’Brien, who voiced Reddick in Horizon Zero Dawn, has not yet been replaced for LEGO Horizon Adventures nor confirmed as the voice of Sylens in Horizon 3. However, since many actors from Horizon Zero Dawn are reprising their roles for LEGO Horizon Adventures and have done so for Forbidden West, it is possible that this new actor may take over the role of Sylens in Horizon 3. If this is the case, recasting could allow Sylens to continue playing a significant role in future Horizon games following Reddick’s passing, or give both characters an appropriate farewell in Horizon 3.

In memory of Lance Reddick, who played the character Sylens, Guerrilla Games honored him by adding a tribute in the Burning Shores DLC for the game Horizon Forbidden West. This memorial can be discovered on an island located to the south of Heaven’s Rest.

Read More

2024-10-24 17:04