The newest Lego game from developer TT Games, “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga”, is here at long last. All nine films in the main Star Wars timeline are available to play through in this latest installment. This makes it the biggest Lego game yet, and one that will bring joy to many fans of the franchise.

Strong with this One the Force is

Once the game is installed, the player is given the choice of which episode in the saga to begin first. From the start, there are only three available options. Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Additional episodes are unlocked when the previous ones are completed.

Each episode comes with five levels. Since there are nine films, there are a total of 45 levels to complete. Unfortunately, this hurts the game’s story drastically.

With only five levels to an episode, each one feels extremely rushed. This makes important story moments feel insignificant since they are resolved in mere minutes. Certain dialogue feels off as well because of this rushed story progression. Granted, adding every single story beat from the films would just be too much for the developers. Thus, it is easy to forgive this issue, especially since most fans of the films know the source material already.

An Epic, Hilarious Adventure

In addition to the 45 levels, the game also has tons of other activities to do. When not completing main levels, players can freely roam the galaxy with characters unlocked through story progression. With over 20 planets to explore, gameplay will be stretched out across dozens of hours. Finding all of the upgrade resources like kyber bricks and data cards will keep players busy even longer, especially completionists.

Furthermore, there are many moments where memorable lines from the films are utilized in hilarious fashion. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s famous “hello there” for instance, along with plenty of others. In fact, one of the biggest positives of the game is its humor. The Lego games have always put a fun twist on serious moments, and they are an absolute joy to witness. There are tons of laugh out loud moments throughout this game that will entertain even the toughest of crowds.

You Don’t Know the Power of Lego

Additionally, gameplay has been given a complete overhaul. Previous Lego games showed characters through a fixed wide camera perspective. That is no longer the case here. The camera has now been changed to a third-person perspective, bringing it in much closer to each character.

This is a welcome change. Aiming a blaster weapon with Han Solo or throwing a lightsaber with Kenobi feels more natural. In the older Lego Star Wars games, a simple tap of the left face button would be used to initiate all attacks. However, with the use of modern controls, the controller’s trigger buttons are utilized more effectively (left to aim, right to fire).

Apart from this, character upgrades are available to purchase in various skill trees. These range from general skills such as sprinting faster to specific ones for each character type. Purchased skills may seem lackluster at first, but they do prove to be useful in the long run. For example, being able to collect studs (in-game currency) from further away greatly reduces collecting time.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Star Wars without the iconic music that generations of fans have become familiar with. So, it should be noted that John Williams’ legendary score can be heard all throughout the experience. Also, the sound design of the game is excellent. From lightsabers being sheathed and unsheathed, and lasers firing from blasters, the sounds of all are identical to the source.

Verdict

Above all, “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” is an incredible game that is enjoyable from start to finish. It is certainly the best Lego game to date, but also one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Whether you’re a fan of Star Wars or Lego or both, this game needs to be added to your collection. The force is definitely strong with this one.

Final Score

9/10