Chris InglisLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is finally upon us launching on April 5 on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC. TT Games have gone to a galaxy far, far away to take the best pieces of all previous LEGO Star Wars games and produced an epic masterpiece that is going to be difficult to top. Thanks to Koch Media ANZ and Warner Bros. for the early access, I have been playing the game over the weekend and there is just so much to do in each episode that I’ll be playing this game with my daughter for quite some time.
Graphically, this is the best LEGO video game by far. The reflections of the blaster and lightsaber lights off surfaces is unreal on the Xbox Series X. The level of detail of all the different characters is spot on, and the environments we get to play in are amazingly populated, feeling alive and lived in. When I first saw the underwater areas of Gungan City, I was blown away. Up until that point in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, aside from the lighting, it felt a little too like playing 2007’s LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, albeit with some extra humour. However, swimming down to the platforms of Gungan City and seeing the glass bubble domes was incredible.
As I was running around, I noticed some targets I could shoot then when hit, started a timer. A quick run around showed me there were more targets, and after hitting all four, bonus studs burst out and a door opened, allowing me to run inside one of the glass domes. I had discovered my first side quest and from then on, I was constantly on the look out for more. I didn’t have to look hard because there are many NPCs in each area with exclamation marks, prompting you to talk to them. They will make a comment and say there may be a hidden Kaiber brick nearby, or if I was to investigate that building over there, I will be rewarded.
You can start playing any of the three trilogies, but you must complete the first episode before unlocking the next. What I was really excited to see was the presence of Episodes VIII and IX which haven’t featured in a LEGO Star Wars game before. I was super keen to get into them, however, as the Star Wars purest that I am, I had to start at the beginning of the Skywalker Saga with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. With over 400 playable characters to unlock across all nine movies, there is just so much content to get through that I’m going to enjoy taking my time through each episode and exploring as much as my OCD loot radar can handle.
The more I progressed each story in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the more side quests I would come across, and completing them netted me lots of bonuses as I watched the counters increase on the various collectibles found through the game. I was also making mental notes of items or areas that required different characters, and different classes of characters to progress. There was a golden brick that had a bounty hunter symbol on it, though I didn’t have one unlocked at the time. I made note to return to that area once I did find a bounter hunter. There were also times where I would be switching between characters as I wound, jumped, glided, and shot my way to hidden areas.
Kaiber bricks are used to upgrade global and class skills and allows you to be flexible and customise your gameplay how you like it, particularly with the combat combos you can perform. There is a whole theme of giving the players ultimate choice to choose their own adventures and play how they want to play within these amazing Star Wars locations. There are sections that often have two possible paths to take, and you must choose a direction to go. Then there are the sections in space as you are travelling between planets. You can choose to just go straight for the next story, but free roaming, both in space and on the ground, is so very rewarding.
I particularly liked the sequences where I was in control of a vehicle, such as when Obi-Wan, Qui-gon and Jar Jar Binks are being chased underwater by bigger fish. The pod race on Tatooine was awesome fun, albeit with a bit of a learning curve with the controls. Then flying around in space above Coruscant was incredible, making me question whether I was really playing a LEGO game or not, shooting Kaiber meteors or defending myself against the attacks of a lone bounty hunter. There’s always something you will find around the corner if you’re willing to explore and experiment.
There were also times where I felt like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was many games within a game. When I landed in Theed on Naboo, I was instantly transported back to 1999 when I was playing The Phantom Menace game for the first time. The pod race sequence reminded me of playing Episode 1: Racer, and the many times we were in control of the Millennium Falcon, a Tie Fighter or an X-Wing, it felt a little like I was flying around in Battlefront or Squadrons. I just loved getting lost in these LEGO Star Wars worlds. Of course, playing the game co-op with my daughter is a particular highlight, especially as she’s becoming a bit of a Star Wars nut like her Dad.
Overall, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an epic masterpiece and will be difficult to top in the LEGO universe. From the incredibly detailed worlds that feel alive, to the many laugh out loud moments, to the clever side quests waiting to be solved, this is a game that should be in every gamer’s collection.
This review utilised an Xbox key provided by Koch Media ANZ. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available now on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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Yonan