Traveller’s Tales, Warner Bros and Disney bring us back to the Galaxy: here’s our review of LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga
There was a reason why, in our latest special dedicated to videogame transpositions of bricks, we paid homage to the formula born with the first LEGO Star Wars: we were ready to see the fruits in one review of the youngest child, The Skywalker Sagaand we are happy to confirm that we are faced with the best distillation not only of Star Wars, but also and above all of the series of TT Games. Are we enthusiastic about it, then? Well, we don’t want to… Come on, tear the suspense apart (and bricks), but it’s hard to contain the smile that the latest tribute to George Lucas (and JJ Abrams, yes, okay) left in our mouth.
We couldn’t be happier to burn our opinions between the first few lines. We all know the stereotypes (or rather, those that we would still like to be able to define as such, if only they did not receive sad confirmation) about licensed games. In conjunction with the release date of a film or a TV series, a videogame transposition is subjected to tight times. This usually leads to disasters, with exceptions. He gave us one Traveller’s Tales in the late nineties with the legendary Toy Story 2. Today, TT Games took the opportunity to hit the mark again, reconfirming itself as a development team driven first of all by passion.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …”
Open the LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review (sorry for entering the colon just now) and talk about the plot would be tantamount to ruining the whole epic for the novices. For that, we opt for cowardice and hook into our Kingdom Hearts glossary. Just as on that occasion we talked about light and dark referring to the Force, in the same way we can describe this prodigious mental power as an equivalent of the combination seen in the Disney and Square-Enix franchise. Suffice it to say that it is, in very broad terms, of a sci-fi universe steeped in fantasy.
The macrotrama speaks of a war, an excellent narrative pretext as well as an unfortunately always current topic, in which a peaceful Republic finds itself having to give way to a tyrannical Empire following authentic coups. The vicissitudes of the series have led to authentic milestones in the history of cinema: scenes cited, both as homages and as parodies, throughout popular culture. And before the title screen, the game does not fail to pay homage to them in a poetic assembly. Rather than go the easy way, with John Williams’ fanfare in a gaudy display of the brand, TT Games wanted to show they knew what he was doing, with a gentle rearrangement before he could “push any button”.
“An elegant weapon for more civilized times” – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review
No sentimentality, it’s time to get to the heart of the review and see what the new offers gameplay of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. In a way, you have to dig a little deeper to grasp the real news. On the surface, outside of a graphics engine that we will be able to praise later, we are dealing with the same shrewd charm that we have already appreciated elsewhere. The pantomime has now given way to dubbing, but there is never a lack of verve with which the game manages not to take itself too seriously (although without ever touching the irreverent approach of Star Trek: Lower Decks).
If we still talked about the narrative aspect, it is to emphasize how well it was this time amalgamated to the gameplay. Every aspect of the plot is combined with the sector of moves at our disposal, whether it is the use of the Force (from the deflection of the blows with the lightsabers, to telekinesis, also passing through the “mental trick”) for Jedi and Sith, Fortnite-style visual for blaster-wielding characters or Rey’s ability to craft his own weapons. Everything finds its place in the game world, making cinematic inspiration a starting point for an unprecedented variety of gameplay.
“Do or not do, there is no try” – Review LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
This brings us to the rate of difficulty of the game. This could prove to be as predictable as it is painful for those who have cut their teeth on Cuphead, but it is a title designed to “live” the saga without worrying about how to overcome a certain phase. Of course, most of the possible headaches come more from puzzles (which ‘choke’ the action in a way that fans of LEGO games have come to love). And it is at this juncture that the implementation of the bricks and their joints takes over. Breaking the scenery and reassembling it to get switches and ladders: TT Games certainly doesn’t change the old path for the new one.
This leads us to underline how the gameplay of the characters is “simplified”, giving them few attacks based on their multiple incarnations. To give an example, on the one hand we will have “Luke Skywalker (Episode IV)” armed only with his trusty blaster, while continuing in the plot (the first episode of each trilogy is available at the beginning of the game) we will unlock the variant armed with a lightsaber . In this regard, the soft difficulty curve is balanced by the huge amount of content available. The galaxy far away is all here, and the same goes for the more than three hundred characters.
“Never Tell Me the Odds” – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review
The game also proves lenient in giving us a lot of freedom in managing progress. Not only a generous awaits us automatic saving with virtually every map change, but our progress remains immaculate even if we were to indulge in the whim of moving from The Phantom Menace to A New Hope (more or less as Jar Jar appears). To be fair, it is this same title that encourages a relaxed approach, presenting the historic Episode IV as the first option. Completing one episode unlocks the next, while allowing you to replay each level individually.
The completion at 100% of the various levels that make up the episodes, it includes an autonomous system of objectives. The three cornerstones of the series also find their place. Let’s talk about the collectible bricks, the minikits and the level of completion “True Jedi” unlocked by collecting a satisfactory number of “buttons” 1 × 1. Collecting minikits is key to unlocking vehicles, while heroes and villains (split into groups to avoid the colossal character select screens in other TT Games titles) largely depend on other parameters. Obtaining them will prove to be fundamental for what, on balance, is the tenth adventure.
“Traveling in hyperspace is not like spreading fertilizer from an airplane” – Review LEGO Star Wars: the Skywalker Saga
In past titles, the modality free play it consisted of the simple ability to replay the levels with greater freedom of choice in the characters to use. Now that the open world has made its way into the backbone of the franchise, however, one wonders how the Star Wars Galaxy has adapted. We are pleased to confirm that the integration ofopen world it’s a real flash of genius. Simply, as we have already hinted, the Galaxy in its entirety is the great sandbox in which to indulge in a separate adventure. Here, where all the planets that can be visited offer challenges and, most importantly, side quests.
To unlock the Galaxy you need to first complete at least one episode: the worlds it contains will then make up the portion of the open world available. This approach to game design, in addition to contributing to a “feel” more alive than ever for the game world, justifies completism. The minikits in particular, with the obnoxious collectibles as an end in themselves that they were in the beginning, now contribute to creating means of transport to explore the scenarios in comfort and style. Meanwhile, characters (based on their group of affiliation) can prove to be crucial to side quests, depending on the objects they can interact with.
“Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy” – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review
We don’t know if it’s possible to praise enough the improvements made to the combat. In general, in past titles, the approach to fighting has always been simple: an incessant string of presses of the attack button. Preparing for confrontations with this intention, to be honest, isn’t entirely fruitless, but paying attention to the tutorials always pays off. The combo system proves particularly generous with those who expertly alternate the types of attacks. Similarly, the roster of options opens up further as the player unlocks more and more characters.
Just by taking possession of the droids we saw how much anyone could be upgraded. There is indeed an authentic skill tree, with which, for example, the sections dedicated to R2-D2 can suddenly be made smoother once the fast run is unlocked. Combining this new element of gameplay with an already huge roster of protagonists (and antagonists), then multiplying it by additions such as the Gears of War-style cover system for blaster-wielding characters or the parade with which Jedi and Sith can reflect the bullets, you get the current apex of the formula. No, ours is not hyperbole.
“As a father and son” – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review
We have already said that, in all of this, the entire game is usable in co-op? It’s not just about splitting the roles of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn – there’s much, much more. The CPU now knows well that it has to collaborate when a puzzle requires a character to wait in one place, in order to press the necessary switches together. Nonetheless, managing certain situations in two always adds value to the whole experience. Which is pretty impressive considering multiplayer allows for drop-in and drop-out at any time (something not to be taken for granted).
The split screen works very well, despite the chaos of the most excited moments. If nothing else, it really risks getting confusing only in the open world Galaxy. In fact, during the “regular” adventure, the game never fails guide us from point A to point B. In this regard, the customization options are not lacking: in addition to free will on the size of the subtitles and on the dichotomy between dialogue and pantomime, there are also several choices for theaccessibility. The only real drawback, in an otherwise near-perfect game, is the choice of release DLC at launch: we know that it is now becoming the norm, but we are not yet ready to consider it as such.
Anything but a pile of scrap metal – LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review
We just have to evaluate the technical sector of this title, starting from graphics….