The fall of Anakin Skywalker, the rise of the empire, and the fight against the first order. All these stories and more are here, to bring fans the most robust LEGO outing to date. TT Games delivers an experience that presents the Star Wars galaxy in all its grandeur, with a huge overhaul to gameplay, and multiple layers of content to engage with beyond the usual LEGO expectation. Within it all, there are small issues, but fans of the series, new and old will be very pleased with this love letter to the universe they hold so dear.
The Good
Being someone who played previous LEGO Star Wars games, it was great to see the amount of dedication and passion that was going into this product before launch. The development team looked to have a huge love for the universe and it shows in the finished product. The game allows you to play through all three trilogies, with new layouts, objectives, and boss fights in movies we have already seen get the LEGO treatment. This keeps things fresh, while still giving us the epic moments and characters we love from movies we have played through before. The presentation of the game is brilliant with some amazing character models and lighting in the place spaces. Humor plays a memorable role in LEGO games and in each film, it was genuinely funny sometimes what was on-screen outright and subtly. Similar to other LEGO titles, the simplicity of the game is inviting, while still remaining engaging for older fans of Star Wars, especially this time around with new improvements and innovations made to the LEGO formula.
For example, lightsaber combat has been given improvements from its simple one-button mash we had gotten previously, now letting you string together flashy combos to deal big damage to enemies. Force abilities are also more hands-free by having most objects on the ground being liftable to be utilized for puzzles, or thrown at hostiles. Using Jedi mind tricks is another new mechanic, and makes for comedic moments while varying the gameplay in certain sections. Blaster combat received a change as well with a more traditional shooter perspective of over the shoulder, with a crosshair to aim. It was great to see advancements made to the gameplay that was still able to maintain that, “all ages/family accessibility”.
The other big positives came from the amount of content outside the nine films. On top of the over three-hundred characters to unlock, bonuses, and collectibles to gather, there is a full galaxy to explore. Twenty-four worlds make up the available planets and all have multiple locations/hub spaces to complete side missions and gather items. Space combat is also here and can be found outside planets, with any ship that you have unlocked, from the millennium falcon to a tie fighter, to even capital ships like the star destroyers. Simply pull up the in-game menu, select a planet, and with a click, you are on your way.
Between all these aspects there are overarching skill trees, also new to LEGO games. Hero, Scoundrel, and Protocol Droid are only a few of the many classes available to delve into. Upgrades in these trees bring expanded combat options or add stud bonuses upon using character-specific skills in-game. The big takeaway here is the game offers a lot of replayability and reason to jump back in for completionist junkies.
The Bad
While the game is undoubtedly full of things to do not all of it is perfect. This is seen in the nine playable films. Each film is given five levels to get through the story and while sometimes five levels are a good balance, some had the tendency to lean heavily on boss fights/encounters. In some cases, it’s clear that the developers were trying to give us encounters we hadn’t seen in past games, but when three out of the five levels are boss battles, it didn’t feel like I was playing through a Star Wars movie. I missed the old classic LEGO levels that let us see more of the worlds and spaces. This isn’t to say boss fights aren’t well made, but at times it felt like there were too many of them. A lot of this is made up for by having the open worlds present, but it felt like the movies were lessened by not having full levels to advance through.
Wrap Up
One subtle thing that was the cherry on top of this game was the level of detail. Beyond the beautiful open worlds, ships, and character models, there is love between the lines. Characters will pick up snow in their little LEGO crevices and dirt depending on where you are in the galaxy and characters have an idle animation that fits their personality. There are so many minute things that add life and depth to this package and it was a great thing to see the effort put in by the team.
The Skywalker Saga brings together everything fans love about LEGO games and the Star Wars films. With a slue of planets to explore and characters to unlock, alongside the nine numbered feature films to play through, it is the ultimate mash-up for fans of this universe. Funny moments, epic showdowns, and great attention to detail enhance an already brilliant product that is for anyone who wants to experience the Star Wars universe in its largest scope yet.
Score: 9.5/10
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