Revisit the story of all nine “Star Wars” films in one definitive package, stylized almost completely in “LEGO” bricks. Following the legacy of the Skywalker name from trilogy to trilogy, “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” allows players to explore the galaxy and experience the story in its entirety from start to finish.
The game revives the charm of the previous entries while expanding the universe to encompass the whole galaxy, making for a fun and whimsical way to experience the films in video game format.
Starting up the game, I was able to start my adventure at the beginning of any of the three trilogies, meaning there are three different starting points. This is great for those who wish to play the game in the same order the movies were released, start where the story begins in the prequels or jump right into the new trilogy. I began by playing Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, and it was a fantastic combination of nostalgia and wonder.
This game is not just a remastered version of the older games, though, meaning even if you are like me and have played the past “LEGO Star Wars” entries, you’ll still get to experience something new. This is especially the case with the new trilogy, as both “The Last Jedi” and “The Force Awakens” were not yet made into video games and were completely new territory.
All nine mainline films have been packed into “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga,” ensuring there is a plethora of missions and collectibles to find. Each film has five main story missions, and between each level, I was tasked with a smaller objective within an open-world area. These were usually simple pursuits that didn’t take more than a few minutes to complete and didn’t distract away from the narrative, instead providing some breathing room to explore the worlds at my own leisure.
With so much material to cover, it only makes sense that some pieces of the story are glossed over, with the most important moments of the films being covered within the levels. There are also cutscenes to quickly cover the missing pieces that aren’t made playable. These cutscenes often made the darker tones of the films lighter with comedic gags in a typical “LEGO” fashion.
Outside of completing the main storyline of the films, there are numerous other objectives and collectibles to track down. With 140 sidequests, 38 racing and shooting trials and just over 700 puzzles scattered across the galaxy, I had more than enough content left to search for after finishing all nine films.
These are, of course, on top of the “LEGO” franchise staple collectibles, the mini-kit pieces, which total up to 225 across the whole game. These come in sets of five and when gathered together they create a small replica ship that can be viewed and piloted. For someone like me who loves checking every nook and cranny for secrets and finds gathering collectibles to be relaxing, this is a dream come true. However, I can also recognize that this may simply be off-putting for those who don’t enjoy spending hours tracking all of these down. Luckily, most of these side objectives are completely optional and are encouraged for those looking for more upgrades and side characters to play with.
One of the biggest appeals to this game is the massive roster of “Star Wars” characters to play with. Coming in at 380 playable characters from all of the films is staggering, and I was happily surprised to see some of the more fringe characters make an appearance. It has the main staples like the Jedi and the Sith, but there are also lesser seen members from “Star Wars” that range from side-cast characters like Rose Tico all the way to extended universe characters such as Mr. Bones from Chuck Wendig’s “Aftermath” trilogy. Each of these characters are fun to use, and while some of the move-sets get reused, they still hold their own personalities.
On the topic of characters, “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” has divided the cast into different groups that all have their own unique abilities. These are Jedi, heroes, scavengers, scoundrels, bounty hunters, villains, Sith, astromechs and protocol droids. There is also a 10th category for extras who don’t fit neatly into any of these categories. These groups make it easier to navigate the massive character list and also feature their own skill trees to further strengthen their abilities. The Jedi, for example, can improve the damage of objects thrown by using the force. Bounty hunters can increase the number of bolts fired from their weapons, and protocol droids can upgrade their bodies to deflect blaster fire. These systems are much more involved than I initially expected them to be and made engaging with a variety of characters much more interesting.
Alongside the extensive number of characters, there are also numerous starships to utilize. These are not simply for show, and can actually be used to traverse the galaxy and engage in space combat. It was an absolute blast to customize what ship I wanted to fly around in, and it made traversing from place to place much more exciting. At times, there would also be large scale battles involving massive capital ships which, when defeated, allowed me to collect them as well, but not pilot. Despite not being able to fly them myself, the interior of the ships could still be explored, which was a good compromise.
There is so much to love about “LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga,” which is perfect because of the sheer amount of content the game has to offer. This is the largest “LEGO” game to date, and is the best looking in terms of graphics –– and certainly the most involved within gameplay mechanics. While never truly challenging, the game never ceases to be engaging and oozes with the charm only “LEGO” games can capture. Just like the real-world counterpart of the interlocking plastic bricks, this game appeals to all ages and is a must play for “Star Wars” enthusiasts.
