You were the chosen one!
For years it felt we were getting several LEGO games annually and then nothing. Like the franchise just died. We knew the team at TT Games was working on a brand new entry, the ultimate LEGO Star Wars game of all-time, but then the pandemic hit and development seemed to cease. Finally, the game is out and has lived up to everything I expected from years of development. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is by far the most complete and impressive entry in the series to date. Spanning all nine movies and completely reworking the game play to create the ultimate package and not only the best LEGO game ever created, but also an early contender for best game of the year. This is by far the best the series has ever been.
For starters this game spans all nine movies. Each trilogy is broken up into three episodes that have to be completed sequentially. Players can opt to start at the beginning of each one and they all feel like full experiences. Each episode takes about an hour to blast through skipping all the side missions, which I did on my first playthrough just to unlock all of them. The nice thing this time around though is if players prefer to explore and do side missions that is entirely possible with the simple character switch. I could load four characters at a time, and swap between them at will. There are multiple types that can do things within the environment, but unlike past games things are not locked behind unlocking types. Everything is available at the start.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
The structure feels similar with breaking blocks and collecting studs, but there are new things sprinkled in to spice up the game play. There is now a set of upgrade trees. There is one for each character type, as well as one overall tree that works across them all. These upgrades require studs as well as blocks called Kyber bricks. These are collected by doing side missions, which can range from simply talking to someone, to more involved puzzles. The amount of content in the game is simply staggering at times. I could easily spend dozens of hours unlocking everything. This version also streamlines this by letting me tag side missions and track them.
As I progressed through each episode it would unlock new areas on the galaxy map. Anytime during the game I could fast travel to unlocked areas to complete side missions or just explore and collect things. The world is simply massive. Being able to zoom around the galaxy and tackle any mission I wanted at any time really helps with the monotonous game play at times. It also helps that mission types can range from straightforward action levels, to massive vehicle levels, to more open-world exploration. This game is truly packed with nearly everything you could even hope for from the franchise.
Probably the biggest change has to be the play style. Opting for a more behind-the-back camera this time with more third-person style controls. This makes for a much more enjoyable experience. Such a simple change makes a massive difference to the game. Everything just feels more refined and not a simple copy/paste that previous games suffered from. Controls for everything just feel more streamlined. I mean there is an entire level dedicated to the entire podrace, now that is dedication.
I loved going through the movies in a more lighthearted feel. These games have always aired more on the comical side with the storytelling. Silly interactions make series like The Last Jedi feel more enjoyable with a solid sense of humor. It is worth noting that all the movies are voice, but the option for the mumble mode is fully intact for those that prefer that. The writing and direction is simply sublime. I really enjoyed the jokes and was amazed they managed to not repeat a whole lot from previous LEGO Star Wars games.
This is also not a sloppy port to the new consoles. Playing on Series X the performance mode runs at an almost locked 60fps at nearly 4K constantly. The design and textures are gorgeous. Seriously I did not expect to stop and take in the gorgeous vistas in a LEGO game, but there are truly some amazing looking areas. The sound is equally impressive. The music we all know and love is here, but the voice actors are surprisingly accurate. I had to check some of them to make sure they weren’t the original voices. They are that good.
If there is a blemish on this package though it comes in the form of glitches and lack of online. I could do local drop-in/drop-out play, but there was no option to join friends online. This also had some weird issues when working on co-op. The glitches were sadly not just limited to this mode though. I had a few issues where markers would disappear or missions would not track correctly. Still even with these issues the game was still playable from beginning to end.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is simply incredible. If you are like me and have grown tired of the series, it is time to jump back in. This is such a fresh take on the series that it feels like an entirely new game. The level of polish visually and care put into this version feels like they truly went back to the drawing board and created the ultimate LEGO game. I hope this is not their last attempt at the series. I would love a full-on DC or Marvel game in this style. Still this is a must for LEGO fans, a must for Star Wars fans, and truly a must for anyone who enjoys great video games.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
