Review: LEGO 77037 Horizon Adventures: Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth
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Horizon is an exceedingly interesting franchise from PlayStation, one that the video game giant seems intent on expanding and solidifying as a cornerstone of its library, but one that’s struggled for a while to produce anything outside of the core games. It feels like anything to come out of Horizon should be an easy win – after all, it’s a game about a post-apocalyptic world full of robot dinosaurs, and I think that the popularity of 2022’s 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck demonstrated that people really robot dinosaurs translated perfectly to LEGO.
So when the LEGO Horizon Adventures game launched for PS5, Switch and PC late last year (you can read my review here), it was an exciting glimpse into what could be if LEGO and PlayStation really zeroed in on the potential of the two properties together. It’s been an awkward few months wait since for the first actual LEGO Horizon Adventures set, but here we are with the excessively-named 77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth.
So is this somewhat conservative debut for the LEGO Horizon Adventures theme a good sign for the future or should this duo of robot dinosaurs have been left in the robot past… uh, future? Let’s dig in and find out.
Special thanks to PlayStation ANZ and LEGO for sending this set over for review. If you’re planning on purchasing or pre-ordering this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. I may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth Set Details
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth
77037
Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth Set Details
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768
US$44.99 / AU$69.99 / £39.99 / €44.99
LEGO Horizon Adventures
March 1 2025
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth Minifigures
As the title might suggest this set comes with two minifigures, Aloy and Varl. While we already had Aloy as the lone minifig in the Tallneck set, this is Varl’s debut in physical LEGO form.
The Aloy minifigure is essentially identical to the previous one, although there are some very minor differences in the clothing detail prints which you’ll be able to spot in the photos below. Aloy’s head print is different, with her eyebrows reversed in the updated version and a completely different facial expression on the reverse side. I much prefer the new, very smiley Aloy which is more in keeping with the LEGO Horizon Adventures take on the character.
The previous Aloy minifigure is on the left in the above photos, pictured in the second image with the weapons she was given in the Tallneck set, and then new new bow mould from this LEGO Horizon Adventures set.
Below, you can see how Aloy compares to the in-game LEGO model. There’s definitely a few minor differences in the prints, no doubt owing to more physical limitations when it comes to printing fine detail. The bow is a little difference given it’s been designed to show the string and arrow, but it’s otherwise pretty good.
Aloy also comes with a different weapon this time around, wielding a bow that’s a brand-new mould, again based on the recent game. It’s got some nice detail, and comes with different-coloured attachments, three of which are coloured mini feather pieces and one of which is a translucent flame piece, so you can decide whether she has fire, chill or shock arrows equipped.
Varl looks equally great, lining up favourably with his in-game LEGO counterpart and sporting some nice printed detail across his face, body, arms and legs. There are a couple more new elements here including his hair mould and uniquely-cut fabric cape, both of which look great. The Horizon games feature some very nice hair, so it’s good to see that represented well in both cases.
Once again, the in-game Varl from LEGO Horizon Adventures does sport a bit more detail on his clothing print and with his spear, the real-life version sadly lacking the custom moulds to completely replicate it. But still, the effort here is about as good as you could hope for in most ways.
Like Aloy’s bow, and just like in the game, Varl’s spear can also be customised to feature different elemental effects:
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth Machines
The starring creations in this set, aside from the neat minifigures, are the two buildable machines – the Shell-Walker and the Sawtooth. These are split across six bags with three for each machine as well as a couple of very small environmental decorations among the first three bags.
The instructions for this set are also split up into two separate books, making this a great opportunity for kids or adults to build them together.
First up is the Shell-Walker, which happens to be one of my favourite machines in the Horizon games. In those, it’s a hermit crab-like contraption that carries a big cargo pod on its back and – while typically a docile and skittish creature – is ready to defend that cargo at any cost with its shield and powerful lightning weapon.
The scaled-down LEGO version of the Shell-Walker quite nicely portrays all of its most prominent features, from the chelipeds (the “arms”) holding its laser shield and spinning rifle to its hexagonal cargo pod secured by grips at the back – both the cargo pod and the shield pieces are easily removable and re-attachable if a particularly imaginative younger fan wants to simulate Aloy taking them apart just like the games. I wondered why two ninja katanas were among the pieces for this build, but quickly realised they’re used to represent the Shell-Walker’s antennae.
For a relatively small model, the Shell-Walker is surprisingly elaborate, with a lot of points of articulation and great use of different colours and textures to make it quite eye-catching – and also quite fun to assemble while still being more than simple enough for younger builders to tackle. I’m fond of the design of the cargo pod and the way the panels come together, as well as the look of the translucent blue panels representing the energy shield the Shell-Walker uses, which I believe are a new colouration in this set (they’re based on LEGO City traffic signs!)
This section of the set build also comes with a couple of very basic environmental segments, one a section of the tall grass that players can hide in to avoid machine detection in LEGO Horizon Adventures and another with a campfire and treasure chest. It’s worth noting the tall grass here is based on the recent game, and is actually different to how it’s represented in the LEGO Tallneck set, which obviously predates LEGO Horizon Adventures.
As for how the Shell-Walker compares to its LEGO Horizon Adventures counterpart, well it’s not exactly a direct match. The scale on these is a fair bit different to the in-game versions, meaning the designs are also a bit simplified in comparison. While it would be cool to have actual, 1:1 models I do think the colours on the physical model are at least a little more vibrant. Here’s a quick look at both (sort of) side-by-side:
The second half of the set is the Sawtooth, another machine featured in the original Horizon games as well as LEGO Horizon Adventures.
This one’s a little bigger than the Shell-Walker, owing to the formidable size of the Sawtooth in the games. Like that model, there’s a fair bit of articulation here to make it nice and poseable and suited for play, and again the build itself is still easy enough that kids 9+ (as is recommended) should have no problems putting it together.
I wouldn’t say there’s a lot to point out on the Sawtooth model, in terms of particularly unique or exciting pieces or techniques, but it goes together quickly and the finished product looks good enough. It also has its own vulnerable component that pops on and off, at the back.
Like the Shell-Walker, the physical LEGO Sawtooth isn’t an exact match for the version seen in the LEGO Horizon Adventures game. In the scale of this set, it’s a little more squat and not quite as menacing as a result. I actually really like the virtual variant and think that the folks at Guerrilla and LEGO collaborated well to bring the Sawtooth to life, so the version we get at home is a bit less exciting. Between the two machines in the set, I do think the Shell-Walker got the better redesign.
Of course, the first thing I did after I’d finished assembling these was was to bring out my LEGO Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck and display them all together. While the scale is obviously off, and already was on the Tallneck given its actual size in-game can be described as “skyscraper-esque,” the three models do accompany each other very nicely. If you were a Horizon fan looking for a unique display piece, or looking to build on your existing Tallneck display, you could definitely do so.
Final Thoughts
Admittedly it is a little disappointing as an adult Horizon fan and collector for these new physical LEGO machine models to not be a match for either the one existing set or the in-game LEGO Horizon Adventures versions, especially after the game so proudly touted that everything in it could feasibly be rebuilt with real LEGO pieces. I would absolutely spend obscene amounts of money on proper, display-ready LEGO Horizon machines.
But at the end of the day, this new set was never meant to be a display piece and instead is really designed with younger fans and simple play in mind, not unlike LEGO Horizon Adventures itself. With that in mind, I think it’s a decent start to what is hopefully an ongoing theme. The build is simple but interesting enough to hold attention, doable with two people even without using the LEGO App’s Build Together feature, the machines are decently poseable and the minifigures look great.
At just over 760 pieces and for US$44.99 / AU$69.99 / £39.99 / €44.99, this set isn’t breaking the bank, either. Here’s hoping for more!
Final Score
Audience rating
Thanks for reading! 77037 Aloy and Varl vs Shell-walker and Sawtooth is available from LEGO.com, Amazon.com, or most toy retailers. If you’re interested in checking out the LEGO Horizon Adventures Game, it’s also currently on sale for both the Nintendo Switch or PS5 version
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