LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – Game Review
Back in 2005, Traveller’s Tales changed the face of gaming when they allowed players to experience the Star Wars prequel trilogy one brick at a time. Yes, when LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game launched, nobody could have predicted that 17 years and over 20 games later, the series would still be going strong. More than strong, in fact, as their latest title – the epic, franchise-spanning LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – is not only their masterpiece but one of the greatest video games ever made. High praise indeed, but wholly earned.
Adapting all nine entries in the so-called Skywalker Saga series of films alongside additional characters based on other Star Wars properties set to be added as DLC, this utterly packed game offers a nostalgic smorgasbord of fun. Unlike most LEGO video games that insisted upon a linear approach, The Skywalker Saga allows players to choose to start the game from any of the three trilogies and complete them in any order they wish. So, whether you want to be chronological by release or narrative, that choice is yours. Each ‘episode’ has five story missions, resulting in a very generous total of 45, with a staggering 380 characters to unlock and play.
Combat – often a weakness of the LEGO games – has been totally revamped, with lightsaber wielding characters able to use a variety of combo with light and heavy attacks for maximum damage alongside an array of Force moves such as lifting and hurling objects at the enemy. Characters tooled up with blasters are able to aim and shoot in a traditional third-person approach, and even able to take cover, resulting in far more immersive shooting than previous entries that saw you just wildly button mashing and hoping for the best.
With a range of fully explorable ‘hub planets’ to enjoy between missions, the game is packed with collectibles and puzzles that should have completists cackling with delight. The amount of things to see and do is almost intimidating – Kyber Bricks, that allow the player to upgrade within their skill tree, total over 1,000 and are scattered throughout the hubs and game missions and rewarded to the player for completing a wide array of puzzles that keep things always feeling fresh and dynamic. The sheer variety of gameplay covered in the puzzles alone is a feast of fun, not to mention the genuinely exciting story missions and side quests. All of this can be enjoyed either solo or in traditional LEGO couch co-op, which is a rare treat in itself in these days of onlin gaming.
Fans of the LEGO game series will be delighted to see the return of Mumble Mode, which allows players to swap from the game’s original voice acting to having the characters mumble and grunt. Sounds silly, because it is, but it works. But whether you choose the spoken or mumbled dialogue, the sight gags and charming slapstick across the iconic scenes of the saga are wonderful, and serve as a truly loving tribute to the film series. And the game looks magnificent – the beloved locations of the film are so beautifully captured, while the shiny plastic of the LEGO bricks will take you right back to playing with the minifigures in days of yore.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a masterpiece of gaming across the board. The gameplay itself is varied, addictive, and above all, fun. The visuals are mesmerising, and the sheer breadth of content is out of this world!
There truly are not enough superlatives to bestow upon LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga; it is one of the greatest games ever made.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available now on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
