Back in 2005 – believe it or not, that’s 17 years ago, feeling old yet? – Lego was first graced by Star Wars. It was a very quirky game, easily one of my favorites on PlayStation 2, and since then Lego and a variety of licenses have graced us in videogame form. Whether you like them or not, there’s no denying that licensed Lego products are a gold mine to Warner Bros and longtime series developer Traveller’s Tales, who’s recently come under scrutiny for the less than ideal working conditions within the studio.
Weirdly enough, it’s been a while since the last Lego Star Wars game, but fear not, it’s finally back with one of the most encompassing entries yet. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga left me with quite an impression at E3 2019, when it was first announced, and since then I’ve been keeping an eye out for any news in regards to it. Now, having played the final version, I can safely say the wait has been worth it.
As its name implies, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga covers the entirety of the series that follows Anakin and Luke’s trajectory, that is, all nine major Star Wars films, not including Star Wars: Rogue One or A Star Wars Story: Solo. This is the first time all movies have been included in game form, and is the debut of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker to Lego. It’s a lot of content to be had for sure, with each episode coming in at around an hour and change of story to play through, not to mention all of the extras and open world shenanigans you might engage with.
The way progression works in Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is that each of the three trilogies has its first part unlocked from the moment you start the game up. That way you can begin at whatever point in the timeline that you want and enjoy either the classic, prequel or current sagas. It’s a cool way to get to play these particularly if you’re more of a fan of the older movies, such as myself, who want to see all the gags relating to those films right away.
Regardless of your choice starting out, you’ll find loads to enjoy in this game. The Lego humor has certainly changed over the years in the way that dialog in particular is delivered, and whether you’re like me and enjoyed the pantomiming from the older games over the fully voiced scenes that are now a part of these games, it can’t be overstated just how personable Traveller’s Tales manages to make the tiny Lego brick people. There are jokes all over, and even though nothing really will beat the old version of “I am your father” from Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, the new remade scene still managed to have me chuckle somewhat.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga might look differently from other Lego titles given that it now sports a free control camera and an angle much more in line with the usual third-person adventure, but through and through it’s as simple to pick up and enjoy as Lego’s always been. There is a tiny bit of extra depth to melee now though, thanks to the introduction of a very light combo system, but if anyone playing this is either too young or casual to care, they won’t miss much by not partaking into any of that.
Environments are incredibly detailed and full of stuff to destroy into bricks, which you can collect many varied types of in order to put together new objects to interact with or make use of as currency for bonus material. Unlike any of the previous games, though, this time you can break off from following the story progression points and just explore the shockingly vast locations you’ll be running around in, or as this is Star Wars, also flying in spaaace.
Levels present platforming challenges that yield special Lego studs and easter eggs to reward your curiosity in exploring the wide open maps, but if you’ve got your mind set in getting through the story, you’ll find even beelining through content is quite enjoyable in and of itself. This game, though, like other Lego titles, is even better in co-op multiplayer, as players can pick characters from different classes and help each other out progressing puzzles and complement abilities while fighting.
If I were a kid in 2022, I’d be completely enamored by the sheer amount of stuff to mess with in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. And even as an adult who’s been a Star Wars fan for well over 25 years at this point, the idea of taking it easy and getting to see Star Wars retold in this fashion yet another time is a very welcome proposition. That’s especially true after the weeks and weeks of sheer teeth-gritting punishment playing Elden Ring, let me tell you.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is definitely more of what you’d come to expect from a Lego game if you’ve had any experience playing them over the years. It’s undeniably a blast to be had even more by fans of the source material and younger players or people looking for a game to play that doesn’t demand a whole lot of your attention or particular dexterity in order to enjoy it, but if you’re looking for something brand spanking new, you might have better luck at another space port.
