LEGO bricks are back and Star Wars is back; indeed, they come back together in a single game. A game that, like all its predecessors, does not disappoint and, indeed, finds a way to reinvent itself and keep us nailed to the screen again. Let’s see what LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga brings us new with this review.
The LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review
We have already spoken extensively on this site about the Skywalker Saga. When we presented the preview one of the questions was: “will LEGO Star Wars be able to keep all the promises made in recent months?”. The answer is yes; he succeeds, and the result is in our opinion of a high level.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a third person action game where it’s possible retrace the entire history of the nine films in the Star Wars saga. In doing so, we play the role of our favorite charactersnot limited to humans but also including the droids. Our team will be made up of various characters, each with their own characteristics and abilities; we will be able to select from time to time the most useful one based on the situation that arises in front of us.
Some might now think that we are faced again with the usual game that is repeated to us every time with small changes, but in reality this is not the case. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga continues to leverage well-established game mechanics but has been rewritten from scratch with the aim of improving the graphic rendering and usability, as well as giving players as much freedom as possible. We therefore confirm that we are not dealing with a game we have already seen repurposed right on a newer console.
A gameplay for adults and children
That of LEGO Star Wars is one video game series that re-proposes the eponymous saga of science fiction films in a humorous key using LEGO bricks and characters. So, on the one hand, the older ones have the opportunity to retrace a story that, let’s face it, has been a pillar of science fiction since the 1970s. On the other hand, the little ones, who have not yet seen the films, they have access to an accessible and age-appropriate gamewith a captivating setting, as well as based on a toy that they also like in real life.
During the game, we go through LEGO-themed levels by defeating enemies, solving puzzles and collecting bricks scattered around. Although in the game you shoot the characters do not die on the ground but are disassembled in bricks; the setting also breaks into LEGO pieces and can, at times, be reassembled to solve puzzles.
Speaking of puzzles, we found them to be well-balanced. Perhaps, for an adult they could be more a game of skill and coordination, but for a child even in school age (the game is PEGI 7) they can be interesting puzzles without being frustrating.
A revamped combat system
The fights are designed to be accessible even to the little ones, but they don’t necessarily have to be trivial. The combat system, in fact, has been heavily revised to become more engaging. Hand-to-hand combat now provides different types of melee actions and a system based on combos allowing us to adopt the style of play that we like the most. The final result is fluid and controllable in the movements. In addition, quick-time events, in which we have to complete actions by pressing buttons at the right pace, have been well integrated into this new system. As for remote combat, however, we are faced with a well thought out third person shooter and where the use of shelters can be an important part of our strategy.
A story told like in the cinema
One of the goals with which the game was revised was to make the story more dynamic and compelling. The player does not watch the LEGO characters do actions, but feels like it viewer of an action movie to which he can contribute. One of the changes, you immediately notice, concerns the use of the camera. The character is no longer framed from the side as if you were looking at the scene from a window. The camera, rather, always follows the player behind him. In battle situations this translates into a more dynamic action, proper to a third person shooter. Hand-to-hand combat has also been made more cinematic, especially during boss fights. This thanks to more theatrical interactions with enemies and interludes with quick-time actions at key moments.
During this review of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga we found much more cinematic and spectacular intermission cinematics. Real ones clips that evoke the most important turning points in history. These clips, however, never go too far but always help to keep us firmly in the flow of the game. Plus, but we expected it, the game is peppered with iconic Star Wars jokes and references accompanied by the comic actions typical of the LEGO series.
Although the direction is very cinematic, the designers have decided not to force the use of the story in a restricted form. It is indeed possible freely decide in which sequence to play the nine episodes. We can decide to do the classic path and start from A New Hope or the chronological one with The Phantom Menace. Obviously, as in previous episodes, the freedom also applies to each map segment: we can decide when we are done exploring and are ready to continue with the next chapter.
The progression of the characters
That of the characters is perhaps the aspect on which the designers have decided to be more conservative. indeed, exploring 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 on this aspect is that the characters are now divided by classes and each class has a set of skills organized in a tree.
To unlock or upgrade a skill you need to pay a price in collected bricks plus a special brick, by Kyber. At the end of each level and the completion of each special mission we will be rewarded with a Kyber brick. Indeed, in each level three missions will be availablewhich however will not be binding to proceed in the story but will allow us to unlock all possible skills.
It should also be noted that during the story mode we will unlock many characters and that different aesthetic variants will be available for each character. In all, we will have more than three hundred combinations available.
The changes in level design
Having redone the game from scratch compared to previous editions can also be seen in the level design. And this mainly concerns indoor and space settings.
As for the interiors, the structures are made entirely of lego. Someone might comment “good news”; but no. Because, compared to the previous episodes, it is no longer a question of observing an environment where there are many bricks and characters but, rather, it seems to have your head tucked into a real LEGO diorama. For those moments in which use is made of outdoor settings, however, inevitably, we will still be faced with a mixed situation of pseudo-natural elements and bricks.
Turning now to the space settings, again, of course, we will find ourselves in battles aboard spaceships. In previous episodes, the spatial actions often had very constrained movements; so you often felt anchored to a rail with the main task of aiming and shooting. With The Skywalker Saga the situation changes drastically and we are inside a simulator in three dimensions with total freedom of movement. We will therefore be able to engage in battle with enemies by taking advantage of the great maneuverability offered by the spacecraft, especially if we are piloting an X-Wing.
Spaceships will not only be used in combat, but 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 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review at a glance
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga it is not the re-release of an old game on new consoles and PCs but one Complete reinterpretation of the saga that capitalizes on well-established game mechanics and functioning for young and old. This new episode offers renewed gameplay in many parts. In particular, combat, level design and direction have been heavily revised. If you are a fan of LEGO or Star Wars, or both, it is a title that absolutely cannot be in your collection. Plus, it can become the perfect opportunity to start a child or grandchild on the path of the Force.