Reviewed on Xbox Series X
Introduction
Latest from developer TT Games, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is here at long last. The game features all main films of the Star Wars franchise, making it the biggest Lego game yet.
While it is easy to think that it is an experience designed only for fans who have seen the films, this is not the case. You don’t have to be a Star Wars fan to understand the events of each episode, making The Skywalker Saga an excellent route to tackle the franchise for the first time.
Of course, Star Wars fans will enjoy the experience as well thanks to the references and key moments from the movies that are successfully recreated with the classic humor of Lego games.
Story & Gameplay
Like other Lego games, the game is somewhat easy considering the game is intended for ages 7 and up. With that said, the game is a still playable for the older generations thanks to the gameplay overhaul. TT Games has opted for the traditional third-person shooter perspective, which works really well and is a welcome change. Given that the majority of the characters use blasters, this is one of the better choices made technically. In addition to the updated camera position, a combo system has also been upgraded.
The better you combine your attacks, the more money you will earn which you can then use to buy upgrades in various skill trees for each character type with their unique abilities. These range from general skills such as sprinting faster to specific ones for each character type and will be necessary to progress through the campaign and get all the collectibles. These upgrades give the game a lot more depth and makes you want to spend tens of hours in-game after you’ve played through all nine storylines which takes about 20 hours roughly.
While Lego games usually had a linear storyline, in LegoStar Wars: The Skywalker Saga you actually have open worlds. Every planet has its own open world to explore with a plethora of side missions, puzzles and secrets to unravel.
The game offers an abundance of challenges both in the main story and in the semi-open areas that connect the episodes. Before you end up on a planet, you can also fly through the space around the planets and progress through a lot of fun activities there such as space battles in the Millennium Falcon, race against the clock and shooting tests, as well as solve dozens of puzzles.
Unfortunately, the game does come with some minor bugs that sometimes require you to reload levels. The frame rate also dips quite a few times especially during cutscenes.
Audio
John Williams’ legendary score can be heard throughout the experience. Also, the sound design of the game is excellent – from lightsabers being sheathed and unsheathed, and lasers firing from blasters.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review: Verdict
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great game that is enjoyable from start to finish for both new comers to the franchise and fans. It definitely is a step forward for the franchise and lays the groundwork for subsequent Lego games. The force is definitely strong with this one.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
