LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga takes the DNA of past LEGO games from developer TT Games but gives it a modern makeover. Gone is the pull-back, almost isometric camera of the likes of LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Marvel, replaced by a third-person view suitable for the next generation of action games. LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga is all about action, putting players in the climax of all 9 Star Wars movies.
Players can jump into Chapter 1, Chapter 4, or Chapter 7 to start their adventure and progress through their respective saga. They can still hop between the three trilogies, but the starting point is fixed. From there, they’ll experience the brisk pace of the film’s events, some of which are represented in full levels, while others take place in small open-world sections. For example, the pod racer in Episode 1 gets the full race treatment, but all other major scenes take place while exploring the open world Tatooine.
Whereas past LEGO games have attempted to expand almost every scene into a full level, LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga is able to focus on the highlights. But make no mistake, TT Games doesn’t skimp when it comes to gaming experience. From lightsaber melee to spaceship combat, when there’s an opportunity to deliver a fun gaming experience, developers jump at it.
Anyone who has played a LEGO game before will feel right at home here. Lego stud collecting, breakable environments, easy puzzle solving, and character unlocking are all present in the game, but blown to dizzying levels. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has a range that should satisfy collectors like few games. From the progression paths for the various character archetypes (Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, etc.) to the abundance of Kyber Bricks, there’s a lot players can do when they’re not advancing an episode’s story.
Focusing on going from one beat to another is at the heart of the LEGO Star Wars : Skywalker Saga, and it’s a joy to experience. From controlling Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan through the Trade Federation blockade at the start of Episode 1, to Luke’s Cloud City showdown with Darth Vader, to the epic Finn and Rey efforts to save the galaxy on Exegol , which is exactly what Star Wars fans will be looking for and TT Games provides.
As we noted in our LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga preview, melee, ranged, and ship combat have been improved, but not completely changed. Small changes like the combo meter for melee or the cover system for ranged are enough to keep veteran players engaged, but they’re not advanced enough to put off casual players. It’s still entirely possible that with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will look and play even better than previous LEGO games.
Collaboration has always been a major selling point for LEGO games, but it’s been a mixed bag for the Skywalker saga. Playing with friends or family is great, but the new camera angles often lead to awkward perspectives with limited screen real estate. In previous games, TT Games introduced systems to help each partner get their bearings, but with this game, one player can explore a completely different part of the open world or space area. Freedom is high, but some players may find themselves getting lost more than usual.
The LEGO Star Wars : Skywalker Saga is not only fun to play, but looks great too. On a next-gen console, the visual fidelity is astounding, and the attention to detail is astounding. The environments mirror their cinematic counterparts, but TT Games did their best to ensure that as many parts as possible appear to be made entirely of LEGO bricks. The pod racing track, for example, seems to be a faithful recreation, with plenty of LEGO bricks and standard 3D models. It’s a small part of such a big game, but TT took the time to make it feel right. Some might even forget they are sometimes playing Lego because everything works together.
Storytelling has always been a mixed bag for TT Games in its many LEGO games, but LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga has locked in the use of voice actors with similar voices (including some recognizable voices from the animated series) and generally elicits a laugh or two. Because there’s still a narrative to stick to, the writing and comedy don’t stray too far from the expected tone and presentation, but the game’s cutscenes are still fun.
The pacing of the LEGO Star Wars : Skywalker Saga can feel clumsy when trying to juggle so many different elements and string 9 movies together. It breezes through elements that a player might think would make for an interesting level, often turning them into cutscenes or open-world areas to explore. There are plenty of pivotal scenes to play, and the game lives up to all expectations; it’s surprising to see other sequences that aren’t as fleshed out. Maybe it’s a response to criticisms of past Lego games being too bloated, maybe it’s development resource constraints, but either way, the game does feel a bit rushed.
Criticism of the gameplay will vary, and it’s admittedly simplistic. Introducing combos and giving ranged combat a third-person shooter feel are modern touches, but LEGO games still need to appeal to a broad audience. Still, TT Games does enough to elevate everything above the basics, which should please many gamers.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is without a doubt the best compilation TT Games has ever put out. Visually stunning, mechanically evolving, and endlessly entertaining, this game goes all out and never lets up. Pacing issues and simplicity aside, the fact that the developers can revisit a game they’ve already made and make this pack feel fresh is an achievement in itself. Regardless of how players feel about the three-part trilogy’s stories, it’s hard to argue that this is the best video game representation of the trilogy that just so happens to be LEGO.
LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga will be released on April 5, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Game Rant obtained the Xbox Series X code for this review.