Verdict
The sheer scope of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is hard to grasp, nevertheless it implies that followers of the collection (and Lego video games on the whole) could have sufficient content material to maintain them engaged for fairly a while. With enjoyable, accessible gameplay, gorgeous graphics and unimaginable consideration to element, it’s laborious to think about a greater homage to the Star Wars collection than what Traveller’s Tales has achieved right here.
Pros
Enough content material to final for weeks on finishMassive ranges to exploreRevamped fight retains you extra engagedCo-op is an absolute blast
Cons
Space battles are a bit mundaneCamera typically will get in the best way
All 9 movies included:Revisit the collection’ mainline movies
Co-op play:Explore the sport’s contents with a buddy
Hundreds of playable characters:With tons of secrets and techniques to unlock
Introduction
As a celebration to a movie collection spanning greater than 40 years, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is as a becoming a tribute as any fan may ask for.
With so many fond reminiscences of enjoying the primary two Lego Star Wars video games, Traveller’s Tales had my consideration utterly when it introduced that it could be creating a completely new entry within the collection that will envelop content material from all 9 of the mainline Star Wars movies.
After spending period of time with the sport, I cannot solely say that the wait was simply price it, however followers of Star Wars and co-op experiences are in for an absolute deal with.
Combat
Over-the-shoulder capturing is nice enjoyableCombo-based fight is extra partaking than earlier Lego titlesSpace battles exterior the principle marketing campaign are a bit uninteresting
If, like me, you keep in mind the Lego Star Wars video games as having satisfying, albeit not significantly tough fight, then you definately’ll be in for fairly a shock with The Skywalker Saga. This isn’t to say that the fight is now not accessible – removed from it – nevertheless it’s now been given a serious shot within the arm to grow to be extra partaking than merely mashing buttons to take down enemies.
For starters, hand-to-hand fight is now a combo-based system. Simply mashing the principle assault button gained’t be efficient, as enemies will decide up in your sample and block, forcing you to change issues up with different assaults in your character’s arsenal. Each character fights in another way in fact, nevertheless it’s nice to see the animations that emerge from these combos – I’ll by no means get bored with seeing Leia uppercut a storm trooper earlier than smashing down them on the bottom with the usage of her grapple.
In truth, characters who have been beforehand solely helpful for opening up doorways (we’re C-3PO) are actually greater than able to deal with themselves in a combat. This helps to get rid of one of many points that plagued the unique Lego Star Wars video games, as co-op play typically ended up being a dialogue of who was going to take management of the boring character. By comparability, BB-8 ended up changing into my spouse’s favorite character to play on account of his terrifying arsenal of assaults.
Melee fight is only one a part of the equation nonetheless, with the opposite compiled of run and canopy capturing. First launched in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, over-the-shoulder capturing is now accessible for any character wielding a blaster – it gained’t dethrone Gears of War anytime quickly, nevertheless it provides a large amount of selection and it even rewards extra correct aiming for superior gamers.
This quantities to a gameplay loop that has simply sufficient happening to maintain adults engaged, nevertheless it’s easy sufficient that kids are extremely unlikely to run into any issues. The similar might be mentioned for the puzzle sections that, in earlier video games, ended up being actual head-scratchers. Here, you may blitz by way of any given stage with out a lot pushback.
What feels barely misplaced nonetheless is the existence of a number of talent bushes that gamers can spend money on for perks and extra powers. There’s a talent tree for each kind of character – which is a pleasant contact – however the idea of investing in additional well being bars for instance appears like a moot level in a recreation that’s already so accessible.
Occasionally, the motion will transfer off the bottom and into the skies as a number of of the collection’ most iconic dogfights are recreated in Lego kind. For the story-based area battles, the place the entire expertise is extra cinematic and there are tons of issues happening on-screen, the sensation or dodging out and in of oncoming hearth is exhilarating – however the identical can’t be mentioned for the optionally available area battles you can have interaction with throughout your travels.
I can perceive why these battles have been put into the sport, because it does make The Skywalker Saga’s area sections really feel extra alive, however with nothing fascinating to take a look at and virtually no problem by any means, I discovered myself avoiding them after some time.
Level design and content material
Massive, sprawling ranges to exploreAn absurd quantity of collectibles to findSure to maintain gamers invested for ages
Over the previous couple of years, Traveller’s Tales has grow to be more proficient at including open-world segments to its Lego video games, and has grow to be one of many greatest upgrades for Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in comparison with 2007’s Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. In-between the marketing campaign missions, you’re free to discover huge ranges primarily based on some basic Star Wars places.
For instance, you may rummage across the barren wastelands of Tatooine, or the rich streets of Canto Bight, and in each instances there are tons of secrets and techniques, optionally available missions and easter eggs to seek out. While not giant sufficient to be thought-about “open-world”, these ranges do call to mind titles like Super Mario Odyssey and It Takes Two, the place gamers are free to discover at their very own tempo.
These ranges are so tightly filled with issues to seek out that I ended up spending most of my playthrough scouring by way of their secrets and techniques, at all times positive that I used to be about to seek out yet one more collectible across the subsequent nook. In addition to the standard mini kits, there are over 1000 Kyber Bricks to seek out all through the sport, that are glowing Lego items that can be utilized to purchase ships, upgrades and extra.
That’s not all – within the deepest depths of the galaxy, there’s a small handful of datacards to seek out which supply enjoyable gameplay tweaks in return. For occasion, considered one of these datacards can be utilized to show all civilians into the shifting, ever-gonking GNK droids.
There’s simply a lot content material packed inside the sport that it’s positive to maintain youthful gamers hooked for ages, and older completionists will recognize a problem that’s harking back to basic collect-a-thons.
Graphics and efficiency
Stunning graphicsNo technical points to talk ofThe Nintendo Switch port can also be spectacular
One of the primary stuff you’ll discover while you boot up The Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is simply how nice the sport appears. Almost the whole lot about it has been designed to draw the attention, and significantly on newer {hardware}, the sport is a visible feast. Even so, there are two distinct artwork types right here that I consider are price drawing consideration to.
For the whole lot that’s constructed of Lego components, be it characters or objects, there’s lots to see past the apparent cartoonish color palette. When you look a bit nearer, there’s a powerful quantity of element to be discovered. In Leia’s iconic hairdo, you may see the shine and finer markings that you just’d look forward to finding on plastic, and the Lego emblem typically makes an look on the within of an arm, simply as if somebody’s taken an actual life minifigure and transported it into the sport. As talked about nonetheless, that is simply one of many recreation’s two artwork types.
For the parts that aren’t constructed of digital Lego, akin to environments and buildings, there’s a sheen of realism to the purpose the place these property wouldn’t look misplaced in Jedi: Fallen Order. At varied factors, I discovered myself taking a second to savour simply how nicely among the movies’ most iconic places had been recreated – the underwater metropolis of Otoh Gunga is especially dazzling.
The prolonged growth interval can also be mirrored within the recreation’s efficiency. At no level in my playthrough did I come throughout any visible hiccups or framerate dips. Sound design is equally improbable, and the sport’s voice actors do such job with the collection’ nicely remembered dialogue that it’s usually laborious to inform the distinction from the unique recordings.
The solely side that did run amok was the sport’s digital camera. To its credit score, this was an irregular incidence, however there have been instances when the digital camera bought caught on a chunk of the atmosphere and it took a number of seconds to determine what was happening.
During this assessment, I additionally examined the Nintendo Switch port to see how the sport fared on the transportable console. On the entire, it’s a really spectacular port and in the course of the recreation’s missions, the expertise felt virtually equivalent to the one discovered on different consoles.
It’s solely in the course of the cutscenes and the bigger free-roam ranges that the port’s technical limitations might be noticed. While the sport manages to maintain the body charge regular, there’s a good quantity of pop-in as a trade-off. It’s not dealbreaker, nonetheless, as I nonetheless discovered myself having enjoyable enjoying the sport on the go, so it’s a straightforward one to advocate to any Switch house owners on the market.
Latest offers
Should you purchase it?
You love Lego or Star Wars: With a lot consideration to element and a ridiculous quantity of content material to sift by way of, it’s laborious to think about a extra entertaining package deal for devotees of the Star Wars universe.
You’re after a problem: Because of its child-friendly nature, The Skywalker Saga lacks any actual problem to place grownup gamers of their place. If you’re after one thing powerful, then Fallen Order matches the invoice much better.
Final Thoughts
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a triumph and the whole lot followers hoped it could be. For Star Wars fanatics, the love of the supply materials might be discovered within the recreation’s numerous particulars, and it’s laborious to think about a extra polished Lego title than this.
Even if you happen to’re a whole novice to the world of Lego Star Wars, the sport is a lot enjoyable as a co-op journey that you just’ll quickly come to adore it. Not since It Takes Two have I loved spending a lot time in a digital world.
How we check
We play each recreation we assessment by way of to the top, exterior of sure exceptions the place getting 100% completion, like Skyrim, is near inconceivable to do. When we don’t absolutely end a recreation earlier than reviewing it we are going to at all times alert the reader.
Reviewed on PS5 and Nintendo Switch
Played each avaible recreation mode
FAQs
Does Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga have multiplayer? The Skywalker Saga might be performed in two-player co-op. Which Star Wars movies are included in The Skywalker Saga? The Skywalker Saga options content material from all 9 of the numbered mainline Star Wars movies.