LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a third person action game in which we can relive the story of the nine films of the Star Wars saga going to play the role of our favorite characters. The game, announced in 2019, has been in preparation for a long time. From 2019 to today there has been no shortage of occasions where we have seen some very promising trailer videos. From what we could see in this preview, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga seems to want to keep all promises made in the last 2 years.
The preview of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
For those unfamiliar with the series, remember that LEGO Star Wars is a video game series that follows the science fiction film saga of the same name, revisiting it in a humorous way through LEGO bricks and characters. In a typical game of this series, we play the role of one of the characters from Star Wars and we have to retrace the story of one of the films. To do this, we go through LEGO-themed levels by defeating enemies, solving puzzles and collecting bricks scattered across the territory. The player has various characters available, each with different characteristics and abilities and can select the most useful one from time to time.
Since the various films have already been proposed in past editions of the series, one important thing must be said: the game we are talking about is not a compilation or a remaster, but everything has been redone from scratch. This allowed the designers and developers to review many aspects of the formula that we all already know in order to truly bring innovations. So, we are not dealing with a game already seen repurposed on a newer console.
The innovations we’ve seen introduced in this preview of LEGO Star Wars, The Skywalker Saga are about the gameplay, revised especially in the combat phase e a new character advancement system. But, which we really appreciated, they try to give the maximum flexibility to the player on how to explore the galaxy.
Freedom to the player
It will be possible to decide which of the nine episodes to play in total freedom. We will not be forced into a sequence with which to relive the films; so we can decide to do the classic path and start from A New Hope or the chronological one with The Phantom Menace. Indeed, one of the pillars on which the game rests is to give the maximum possible freedom to the player. This is true not only in the choice of the level, but also in each segment of the map so we can decide when we are finished exploring and are ready to continue with the next chapter of the story.
Obviously, whatever our choice will bethe game will be peppered with iconic Star Wars jokes and references as well as some light-hearted actions that LEGO has accustomed us to. The latter aspect improves accessibility even to the little ones who are not (yet) fans of movies.
Still talking about freedom of choice, you will be able to unlock many characters in story mode; and for each character there will also be more aesthetic variations. In all, we will be able to choose from more than three hundred combinations. This means that we will certainly be able to play with our favorite character and count on different aesthetics based on the situation and our tastes.
Gameplay revised
In past editions, some players weren’t thrilled with the game mechanics because, according to them, they didn’t have enough variations. For this reason, the gameplay has been radically revised. First of all, and this is immediately evident, the camera no longer frames the character from the side but always follows him from behind. This, in battle actions, turn the game into a real e own third person shooter, where we also have the opportunity to hide behind cover in difficult times.
The gameplay novelties are not limited to cameras and firearms, because close combat is also all new. This time we will have different types of melee actions and a combo-based system to really define our style of play. The interlude cinematics then became much more cinematic and spectacular so they help keep us in the flow of the game. The final result, proven, is very engaging and fluid in the movements. Not all of the previous system has been eliminated, of course. Quick-time events, in which we have to complete actions by pressing buttons at the right pace, are still present, integrated into the new system.
Finally, regarding the gameplay, the presence of a shared-screen cooperative mode is confirmedalthough unfortunately it was not possible to try it.
Walking around the galaxy
As in previous editions, this time too we will find ourselves in battles aboard spaceships. Here too, thanks to the completely revised mechanics, the experience levels up and we will find ourselves inside a simulator in three dimensions with total freedom of movement. Therefore, we will no longer feel bound to a script as if we were on the tracks, but we will be able to engage in battle freely with the enemies around us. Above all, in trying it, we heard a great level of maneuverability of the nacelle.
Spaceships aren’t just for combat though. We will also use them for move quickly around the galaxy. Once we arrive in the orbit of the destination planet we will be free to move as we want. From each planet we will be able to get new missions that will make us continue in the story or that will be useful for accumulating other resources and strengthening our characters.
As with the characters, the progress in the story it will also unlock many new shipswhich we can use for our travels and battles.
The progression of the characters
On this aspect, the designers have been rather conservative, given that the formula has always worked well. By running around the map and breaking the objects around us we will be able to collect bricks which, at the end of each level, will allow us to unlock skills. The novelty introduced in this episode, however, is that the characters are divided into classes and each class has a series of skills organized in a tree. Once a skill is unlocked, all characters in that class will be able to use it.
To unlock or upgrade each skill you need to pay a price in collected bricks plus a special brick, by Kyber. At the end of each level, in fact, we will be given a Kyber brick for its completion. However, even after completing all the levels, it will not be possible to obtain all the skills. For this reason, in each level three challenges will be available to deal with and which, if passed, will reward us with extra Kyber bricks. These extra bricks will allow us to complete our skill tree.
A completely LEGO environment
Yes, we know, this is not a real novelty. But believe us, the level designers, in redesigning all the levels from scratch, went much further than the immersion of the previous episode. It is no longer a question of seeing an environment where there are a lot of interactive LEGOs. Rather, especially in indoor areas, it seems to have your head stuck in a real diorama made of bricks. And that also includes special effects.
The preview of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga at a glance
After a long wait we are finally about to have a new episode of LEGO Star Wars. This new game, redesigned from scratch, offers renewed gameplay in many parts. In particular, combat and character progression have been completely revised. Also, one of the main goals is to leave an extreme freedom to the player on how to move on the map and on how to deal with the story. So, we feel like saying it’s not your usual LEGO Star Wars game. The Skywalker Saga it has been redesigned from scratch starting from a series that had already managed to give us a lot. The result, in our opinion, keeps all its promises and, if you are a fan of LEGO or Star Wars, it is a title that you absolutely must consider for your library.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be available starting April 5, 2022 on all consoles and for Windows via the Steam platform.