This Lego Star Wars The formula is very old. The first game to bring the plastic LEGO aesthetic to Tatooine and beyond came out in 2005, turning the drama of episodes 1, 2, and 3 into a silly, undemanding pantomime. Fun for everyone; simple enough for kids to mash up without thinking, and referential enough for adults to laugh smugly as they finish the story with a reference – either explicit or indirect – .
But, some 17 years later, something must be done: Not only have four LEGO Star Wars games, but a variety of other licensed games since this stellar debut, beating the same “4-99” drum. DC, Marvel, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and Disney/Pixar properties have adopted this “don’t think too much” LEGO mentality over the years. While the real-world appeal of Lego may never go out of style, doing the same thing over and over in a game certainly will.
So it’s a very good job LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Makes this timeless aesthetic feel so fresh.
First, it’s TT Games’ biggest game to date. There have been some really massive Lego games in the past, but this one takes a modular, build-your-own cake. In a hands-on demo, I got a taste of the introduction to Episode 4 (all 9 mainline Star Wars episodes show up, nods and bytes from spinoffs like Rogue One here and there for fun) . Two levels and a little bit of Tatooine’s central world took me the better part of two hours to get through… In order to focus on the game as much as possible, I rushed through. very large. Lots of. Milky Way.
Each level – and all the collectibles and secrets you’d expect from these games – has three unique level challenges you can complete; LEGO’s first. On top of that, there are three tiers of rewards for collecting everything in a level, and sniffing out the last block and secret will give you Kyber bricks – resources that allow you to unlock more abilities for each class (Heroes, Jedi, Villain, Scavenger, Bounty Hunter, Villais, Dark Side, Astromech and Protocol Droid) in turn allow you to gain access to new levels and secrets. Similar to Super Mario Odyssey and its mighty moons, trying something fun in a cheeky way might unlock more Kyber blocks for you.
This is ‘collect-em-all’ catnip, and to highlight all the sniffing you need to do to find everything worth looking for, TT Games has also incorporated its penchant for puns, alliteration and wordplay. Granted, those of us who remember the days of LEGO games’ “silent comedy” will mourn the goofy (albeit very specific) humor that came with it, but the scripted, impressionistic, and sly digging of the iconic Star Wars moment here is equally laudable to the studio anything that has been done before.
But what’s the point of poking every wall, breaking every item and replaying levels to take advantage of new branching paths, if everything is as dull as dishwasher water? To offset some of the repetition of later LEGO games, TT added new mechanics and instant improvements to LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: Combat has a combo meter that makes it feel more like “my first Arkham” ‘system, requires more thought to break through enemy armor; in gunfights, you can now hide behind cover to take aim; when you play either side, every ability has been rethought, giving you the ability to fight against the Jedi/Dark side fantasy more real. Shaking the gas tanks up as Obi-Wan in Tusken Raiders and hearing them scream as they splinter into pieces – I’m sorry to say – is excellent.
Between the breaths, the puzzles are still as integral as you’d expect in a Lego game – and, yes, these still feel slow. But hey, this is first and foremost children’s play. At least this time there are multiple ways to solve the puzzle – whether it’s hacking, destroying items, or stripping down the platforming section, there are usually multiple paths through (and they’re not too obscure). And, if the nostalgia wears off, and you do start rolling your eyes at the level structure, you’ll be able to move on to open space combat, smuggling runs, dogfights, and more. There’s so much to do in this game, it’s almost overwhelming.
And “more than 300 characters”. So if you’re tired of reading Luke, Obi-Wan, or Rey’s stories, you can switch to the characters screen and choose to play as Jabba, Breadcrumbs the Satyr, or even Bab Frick (if you so desire). Boring levels? Switch to Rancor and scare civilians recklessly in the city – it won’t rampage in GTA, but it’s a nice change of pace, and watching all the NPCs scattered and scrambled is never fun.
At the end of the demo prior to the hands-on demo, TT Games showed me a “galactic carnival” where the developers turned Hoth’s Echo Base into a giant flash ball and played Berlin Techno’s version of the Imperial March – which Make all in-game creatures and characters dance. Obviously, this is just one of many secrets you can unlock. wilderness.
TT Games claims the game represents “a huge achievement for the studio,” and you can see why. From the lush little LEGO dioramas depicting each episode in the menu to the ridiculous scale of the entire game, after I really got to know what TT Games has been brewing since at least 2019, I can see why this game is so popular The desire to appear in front of us all like the ghosts of the Force.
This isn’t just another title made to comply with some licensing agreement and permanently take up space on game store shelves, no – it’s a proper, honest video game put together like all LEGO Star Wars sets you love. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a love letter to Star Wars, LEGO, and family-friendly games. Yes, it’s a shame it’s no longer the silent goofy comedy pantomime of the past, but it’s full of charm, creativity, and playful fun that perfectly captures the LEGO spirit.
Frankly, it’s a dream come true for Star Wars fans and kids (of all ages).
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch, and will launch on April 5.
