GAME REVIEW: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Although it’s a series that is often overlooked, the Lego video games have proven to be one of the more consistent franchises in the world of gaming. While the Lego formula itself is a fairly simple one—collect studs and characters by playing through levels and unlock more items in free play—Traveller’s Tales have done a good job of switching up the formula over the years so it doesn’t feel stale. The series has also evolved quite a bit over the years, giving voiceover work to the Lego characters and improving the graphics or the gameplay in various ways to keep the formula fresh. Even when TT revisits old material, as they do for Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, it never feels like a rehash of their previous work. And when they adapt an established franchise, as they do here, TT always gives a fun, faithful experience that feels like it was made by fans of those IPs. Moreover, it’s a game series that works for all ages, offering a kid-friendly experience while making sure the adults are in on the joke.
There have been several Lego Star Wars games before, including versions of the two Lucas-helmed trilogies and The Clone Wars animated series. There was also a previous attempt at a Lego version of the sequel trilogy, which resulted in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, rather than doing separate games for The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Traveller’s Tales decided to include the entire Disney Star Wars saga, including all nine of the main films, in a single game. Moreover, TT decided to be more ambitious about it, with a free play mode that allows players to explore the Star Wars galaxy in an open world. In addition, Deluxe Edition players can explore the Star Wars galaxy with characters from other SW projects, including Solo and the Season 1 cast of The Mandalorian. The individual movie episodes tend to be quick and breezy in terms of length, but they are fun to play and the free play mode will offer many hours of exploration and gameplay options. The game is fully voiced with subtitles, but it is possible to toggle a “Mumble Mode” that feels more like the earlier Lego games if that’s your preferred gameplay style.
The changes to the gameplay are welcome and perhaps the best the series has been implemented to date. Although the original Lego Star Wars games are still excellent by the standards of their time, The Skywalker Saga takes everything a step further. The combat is much more satisfying, whether using lightsabers, Force powers, or blasters. Lightsaber duels are far more epic, giving you a variety of attacks, including Force telekinesis, the ability to throw your lightsaber, and Quicktime-based combat clashes against Force-wielding opponents. Jedi mind control powers now are a genuine gameplay factor, giving the Jedi the ability to mind control enemies. Blaster fights switch to a FPS perspective, giving you better aim and the opportunity to get in more responsive shots. There’s also a level of challenge involved, and it’s satisfying to blast a stormtrooper’s helmet off and then take the trooper out with the next shot. Vehicle combat is quite good and much better than in previous Lego Star Wars titles, giving you access to a wide range of fun and iconic vehicles in free play. (It’s even possible to unlock Din Djarin’s Razor Crest gunship with the right code, and it’s fun to fly around as Mando.)
That said, I do have some issues with certain gameplay and technical elements. Dark Side characters are no longer able to use Force Lightning, which is something I hope they’ll patch in or address in a later Star Wars title. I also had issues with blasters going off without my intending them to, though in fairness, this could be an issue with the new controller I was using during my playthrough. For the most part, the action sequences play extremely well and they are satisfying to play. The user interface also tends to hold your hand often, which will be fine for younger players, but may be a little irritating for older and more experienced players who are familiar with the system. The game was mostly stable throughout my playthrough and I’m not aware of any major bugs, although my game did crash once during a flight transition scene.
Even though most of these films have been adapted by Lego before, the levels should still be new to you. If you’ve played through the previous Star Wars games, this will not feel like a rehash of any of those previous levels even if you know the films inside and out. The escape from the Tantive IV from A New Hope, for instance, plays out very differently than Lego Star Wars II did, despite being based on the same scene. The Death Star sequence plays much better as well, without some of the frustrating puzzles that game offered. Certain elements may seem familiar, but the execution of each level is different enough to make everything seem new again. The pacing may seem a bit too quick at times, though, especially in comparison to the first two Lego Star Wars games. Some classic Star Wars fans may take issue with the inclusion of the controversial sequel trilogy, and while I’m not a fan of those films myself, I find they work much better in Lego Star Wars. Those films lend themselves well to comedy, and there are moments where the writers poke fun at some of the sillier aspects of the sequels. Even moments I found ridiculous about The Last Jedi, such as Leia surviving being blown out into space, work better with Lego characters. At the same time, the game respects the films it’s trying to adapt, with the writers laughing with the material rather than laughing at it. And if you don’t happen to like the sequel trilogy characters, it is entirely possible to go through the Free Play modes and get everything without having to use any of them (the Mando characters from the Deluxe Edition help cover those areas nicely). The game is designed to be a fun, pleasant experience for different kinds of Star Wars fans, and TT deserves credit for finding a solid middle ground that most SW fans should be able to enjoy.
The Lego games are always good for providing a consistent and fun experience for children and adults alike, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is no exception to that. For Star Wars fans, this game stands along with Jedi: Fallen Order as one of the best Star Wars games in many years. For Lego fans, The Skywalker Saga offers something genuinely new to the formula while not straying from what has always worked for those titles. Although not perfect, it’s still an extremely good offering from Traveller’s Tales and it honors its source material while poking good-natured fun at it. I’m looking forward to seeing where TT goes from here, and what property they’ll tackle next, especially if it’s this good.
Score: 4.5/5
Publisher/Developers: WB Interactive Entertainment/Traveller’s Tales
Platform: PC (Steam)
Author Profile
- Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).
