By Jack McLaughlin
Multimedia Critic
After seeing numerous delays over the last two years, “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” was finally released on April 5 to fans worldwide.
The task of turning the films in the Star Wars series into an interactive experience has been done before, most notably with “Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga” in 2007. The game, while incredibly simple, is revered by fans of the franchise as one of the best games based on the movies.
TT Games were able to successfully capture the thrill of all nine movies with terrific gameplay and new concepts that let it stand out compared to its predecessors.
Introducing a vast open world that you can freely explore is the most exciting aspect of the game. Being able to traverse through space and the 24 planets available gives you a lot of opportunity to get lost in this sprawling galaxy while playing as one of 384 playable characters.
Graphics are one of the more obvious improvements made with this new title. The levels look gorgeous in certain spots, which I especially noticed on planets like Bespin where the cartoony Lego characters are basking in a beautiful sunset.
The story of the nine-movie saga is followed closely. The Skywalker Saga is equipped with a cast of voice actors that give each of the characters more life, albeit for a lacking performance for some of the characters like Kylo Ren, who sounds nothing like Adam Driver who portrays him in the films.
The addition of dialogue lets the game have a more lighthearted tone, which helps, given the serious nature of some of the saga’s stories.
Gameplay is something that is largely improved upon in this latest release. While still simple like the previous titles, small additions like lightsaber combos and aiming down sight for blaster characters gives the player a little more to do besides mindlessly spamming the same button to fight off enemies.
Controlling starships in this game is reshaped, which is crucial given how poorly done it was in the older games. Being able to explore the galaxy in a cool ship is a necessity, and the way it is controlled makes the vehicle missions in the game enjoyable and an aspect that isn’t dreadful when playing.
Players will also enjoy the added actions that certain characters now have that were lacking before. Droids now can fight and using them to unlock doors now requires the completion of a simple, yet neat puzzle.
To enjoy this game to its fullest, an appreciation for all nine movies is required or else there will be moments in the story where you will be bored and want to skip to the parts you want to play. If there are movies in the series you don’t particularly enjoy, finishing those sections in the game feels more like an obligation rather than something done out of passion.
When you first start the game, you have the option of selecting between the first films in the prequel, original, or sequel trilogy. This helps ease players into the game who are not fond of certain movies and the strong gameplay will leave you wanting to branch out and try the less favorable moments.
This hurts the story of the game. The inability to make all nine stories engaging results in varying degrees of dullness while playing. Fortunately, the addicting gameplay makes it difficult for the low points in the story to completely derail the overall experience.
If the potential low points in the story can be put aside, the player is left with a wildly addicting game. With thousands of collectable items and a seemingly endless number of side quests, you will be coming back for more.
Rating B+: Even more exciting ways to experience this galaxy far, far away.