Playing my way through a galaxy of bricks in «Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga»
6.4.2022
Translation: Katherine Martin
With more freedom, new perspectives and nine films to relive, «Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga» is a treat for fans – and almost fans alone.
From «Indiana Jones», to «The Lord of the Rings» to «Star Wars», no film franchise is safe from Lego’s reaches. The company regularly takes legendary screen adventures and turns them into games involving their iconic Lego-brick figures. And it always does so with a good pinch of humour. It has stuck to the same formula for «Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga». The camera can now be freely rotated and the game world is more open. The only thing left standing in your way now is the Empire.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Lego games are primarily geared towards children and teens. But it’s no coincidence that the reimagining of cult hits from the 80s and 90s appeals to adults, too. You gallivant around with Luke, Chewbacca, R2D2 and others through a plethora of well-known settings on planets such as Naboo, Tatooine and Dagobah. Lightsabre duels to the death are just as much a part of the programme as space battles in X-Wing or thundering into a jungle skirmish in the cockpit of an AT-ST walker. The sheer number of vehicles, spaceships and characters to unlock is almost obscene.
The game also has an upgrade system. General upgrades, such as being able to run faster, are available at any level. However, there are specific enhancements for the nine levels such as Jedi, Bounty Hunter or Protocol Droid. They can be unlocked via two kinds of Lego bricks. On one hand, there are normal bricks, which you can collect any time, anywhere. On the other, there are Kyber bricks, which are hidden away in boxes, or unlocked upon completion of a challenge or side quest. In other words, you no longer have to rigidly follow the main story. Venture off the path and you’ll get missions from inhabitants, drive monsters out of caves, stumble into bar fights or duel with space pirates.
Huge scope, little challenge
The order in which you complete the nine films is completely up to you, by the way. You can choose the classic order starting with the original «Star Wars» trilogy, then move on to the prequels and the most recent sequels, or simply jump back and forth as you please. Again, there’s a co-op mode available for two players.
I really can’t find fault with the scope. However, even the magic of the design and the ever refreshing humour can’t conceal the game’s lack of depth. Most of the time, you scrap and shoot your way through waves of dumb opponents, occasionally building something at the press of a button or flick of a switch. While the game has been opened up by its huge fleet of vehicles, it can still feel repetitive at times.
«Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga» caters to a young audience in the first instance. If you don’t belong to this particular target group, you at least need to be a «Star Wars» or Lego fan. Otherwise, it’s not the game for you. Give it a miss.
Watch Luca and I streaming «Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga» on Twitch and YouTube.
«Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga» is available on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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