LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review: Mesa Thinks Yoosa Needs To Play This

It’s incredible to think that it’s almost three years since the last licensed LEGO video game was released. I say incredible, as, from the original LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game released back in 2005, there have been over thirty games released encompassing various popular licenses. So prolific was the release schedule, that there were only two years between 2007 and 2018 where we weren’t presented with at least two licensed products.

In a way, then, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga simultaneously feels like TT Games going back to its roots, whilst also trying to buck tradition and old habits. Yes, the old ground is being revisited in going back to the Star Wars license, but it’s also clear from the extended development cycle afforded to The Skywalker Saga that TT Games is no longer a studio resting on its laurels. The end product of TT Games’ renewed enthusiasm is a LEGO game that isn’t just a dramatic improvement on the tried and tested formula, but a product that may just be TT Games’ finest work to date.

A Dream Come True For Star Wars Fans

One thing becomes immediately clear when booting up The Skywalker Saga; that additional development time went a long way towards ensuring that this is the most content-rich LEGO game to date. Taking the previous LEGO Star Wars games as a reference point, prior entries focused on either individual movies or a specific trilogy, whereas, The Skywalker Saga almost feels like nine individual games loaded into one package. Each film across each trilogy has its own space on the main menu screen, with five huge levels and numerous open-world spaces dedicated to each big-screen entry in the storied franchise.

In a smart move, TT Games has left it up to the fans as to which trilogy they start with, a design choice that is sure to prove hugely popular for anyone who wants to dive straight into their favorite era, whilst avoiding their least favorite should they so wish. However, it’s worth pointing out that you don’t have complete freedom, as only the first Episode of each trilogy is initially available, with subsequent Episodes opening up as you clear the previous one.

In another clever piece of design, you are also free to jump between the trilogies as you please. I chose to start with Episode IV, but by the end of Episode V, I had an urge to jump in and explore a bit of the sequel trilogy and was able to do so with absolutely zero friction or arbitrary hoop to jump through. It’s incredibly liberating and helps contribute to that sense that LEGO games are interactive toys as much as they are video games, given the level of freedom you have in how you approach this interactive sandbox.

Presentation That’s Out Of This World

As soon as I had booted up Episode IV and was placed in Princess Leia’s shoes during the opening moments of A New Hope, as the Tantive IV comes under siege from the Empire, it became hugely apparent that the extra time in the oven afforded to the Skywalker Saga was used to do a whole lot more than ensure it was packed with content.

By some margin, this is easily the best-looking LEGO game to date. The level of detail crammed into each environment is incredible and brings the Star Wars universe to life in a way that I feel comfortable in saying no other Star Wars game, LEGO, or otherwise, has achieved before. I can’t overstate just how immersive the worlds TT Games have built this time around are. Whether you are dashing through the halls of the Death Star, soaking up the vistas at Lake Paonga, or skulking through the cramped and crowded streets of Mos Eisley, The Skywalker Saga presents a galaxy that feels truly alive.

The sound is impeccable as well. General sound effects are nigh on faultless, and will no doubt induce countless nostalgia trips as you hear the whir of a Tie Fighter whizz past you during the trench run during Episode IV’s climactic moments, or the faithful chirps and bleeps of R2-D2 as he darts alongside you. And, most importantly of all, of course, Lightsabre’s sound just like their big-screen counterparts, which does a lot of heavy lifting in letting you live out your childhood Jedi power fantasy.

A Huge Step Forwards For Gameplay

As much as I have enjoyed TT Games’ work across the many licenses they’ve covered, there is no denying whatsoever that for quite some time, gameplay innovations have been thin on the ground. Thankfully, this is no longer the case, as The Skywalker Saga brings with it plenty of smart additions that add some much-needed depth to the moment-to-moment gameplay.

Combat has perhaps received the biggest overhaul. Previous LEGO titles had combat that largely amounted to little more than button mashing. Accessible, yes, but not terribly interesting, combat was always the weakest part of any LEGO game. The Skywalker Saga brings with it changes to both melee and ranged combat. The former now relies heavily on a combo system that sees you using a variety of face buttons to tie strings of up to 5 attacks together, which opens the door to flashy combos that can even see you juggle enemies in the air should you use the correct inputs. We aren’t talking Platinum Games levels of complexity here, but it’s a system that definitely adds depth whilst also keeping intact that accessibility that means players of all ages can still have fun.

Ranged combat has been touched up as well, to the point where The Skywalker Saga can almost be played as a straight-up third-person shooter should you so choose. Benefiting from the brand new over-the-shoulder camera perspective, aiming down sights and firing is handled via the left and right triggers. Cover is now also a thing, and in a delightful touch that really leans into the LEGO side of things, if your cover gets destroyed mid-firefight, it’s often possible to rebuild it on the fly. It all feels wonderfully responsive as well, to the extent that unless the story level I was playing through didn’t provide access to a ranged character, I always opted to use characters like Han Solo or the Mandalorian, so satisfying is the ability to finally line-up headshots.

Outside of combat, changes aren’t so dramatic, but there is still plenty of subtle tweaks to the formula that help freshen things up further. The new camera perspective I mentioned is a game-changer, bringing you much closer to the action than ever before and enabling the player to soak in every little detail. It also makes platforming, previously an unwieldy mess, much more tolerable as you now have much better visibility along with an improved sense of positioning and direction.

Levels themselves are also much more interesting due to the alternate paths that become available at certain points. These will frequently result in different set pieces or enable you to take a stealthy approach through a level rather than going in blasters blazing. Given that you’ll be replaying levels a lot as part of The Skywalker Saga, as you attempt to hoover up collectibles, giving multiple routes through a level helps keep those repeat visits fresh.

Enough Collectibles To Span An Entire Galaxy

I mention collectibles as they are just as important as they always were, if not more so, given some of the changes TT Games have made.

As always, once you have finished a story level, you’re free to go back and approach it in free play, and this is where the real fun starts. There are over 300 characters to chase down, north of 700 puzzles to solve across the nine Episodes, and well over 100 side missions to complete. Sometimes, these might just result in you unlocking a new character or a ship for the space traversal sections. More often than not, though, you will be rewarded with a new type of collectible, the Kyber Brick.

Kyber Bricks are central to the new progression and class system at the heart of The Skywalker Saga, with each character now belonging to a specific class, such as Jedi, Villain, Droid, or Dark Side. Each class, of which there are many, can be upgraded in specific ways. Jedi’s, for example, can have their Force throw damage increased, whereas the Rogue class can be upgraded to give their blasters a charge shot ability. Of course, I’m just scraping the tip of the iceberg here, as each class has four different abilities available to them, with there being a solid mixture of passive and active skills.

If you’re recoiling in horror at the thoughts of the simple LEGO formula being bogged down by a class system, then don’t worry, as you can largely ignore it if you so choose and just focus on the character and ship collections grind. However, what it does provide is a more meaningful grind for those that want it. Previous games have been collectathons for the sake of being collectathons, whereas now, chasing down every secret and scouring levels for bricks has actual gameplay benefits.

Chasing down the vast number of collectables has also never been easier, thanks to the new Galaxy Free Play mode. Free Play itself isn’t a new feature, but the scale of Galaxy Free Play is something to behold. It’s best to think of it as one combined sandbox featuring every area from across all nine Episodes, and it’s truly a Star Wars fan’s dream come true.

As you complete story sections via the individual episodes, each planet and area traversed, in turn, gets added to the Galaxy Free Play map. It’s here that the scale of what TT Games has created truly becomes apparent, as you populate the Galaxy map with planets and space traversal sections that you’re free to switch between on the fly. Find yourself hunting down Kyber Bricks on Endor, but suddenly fancy hopping over to hunt down secrets on Baku? You can do that in seconds, thanks to the seamless nature of Galaxy Free Play and the impressively quick load times.

Tainted By The Dark Side

It’s probably coming as no surprise to read that I absolutely adore The Skywalker Saga, but there are a few issues that unfortunately prevent me from giving this a perfect score.

The biggest issue is by far the UI and menu screen which struggles in its effort to track everything going on. I mentioned the vast number of collectibles and unlockable content, and TT Games have clearly struggled to provide tracking mechanisms that feel logical and intuitive. The pause menu is a cluttered mess of various location names, collectibles, and numbers that is quite simply a nightmare to navigate. Want to find out in a pinch how many puzzles you have solved on Tattoine? Good luck with that. It also doesn’t help that the little notification icon which appears every time you unlock a new character or lead on a side objective reappears every time you load the game, across everything you have unlocked so far. Unfortunately, this makes it near impossible to effectively track what you have stumbled across in any given play session.

There is also the issue that to fully enjoy the truncated versions of the stories being told here, some familiarity with the source material is required. Other Lego games have, I felt, done a good job of telling a cohesive version of whatever story they’re trying to tell. With The Skywalker Saga having to cover nine Episodes worth of lore and storytelling, it was inevitable that many pivotal narrative beats would get left to the side, and whilst it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story, given I’m hugely familiar with the source material, younger players may struggle to get the most out of the narrative.

Conclusion

The Skywalker Saga is a triumphant return to form for TT Games. Covering all nine big screen Episodes in one game has presented players with a Star Wars sandbox like no other. With meaningful developments in the gameplay department and a level of immersion that surpasses not only all LEGO games that have come before but all Star Wars games also, this is a title to treasure for Star Wars fans and lovers of collectathons alike.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available On: Xbox Series X/S (reviewed), Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC; Publisher: Waner Bros. Games; Developer: TT Games; Players: 1-2; Released; 5 April, 2022; ESRB: E10 + for Everyone 10 +

Full disclosure: The publisher provided a review copy.