'Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga' Review: The Empire Strikes Brick

Reviewed on base PlayStation 4

Remember when games used to be just fun? That's the overall feeling I had playing Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. And it is a feeling I haven't had for years: a feeling I absolutely missed as if my connection to the Force was severed and then restored.  

'A Surprise, Sure, But A Welcome One'

I've never played a Lego game. Ever. They never stood out to me. I just thought they were made for kids and I was okay with that: I wasn't hating. Not at all. I just thought they were not for me, especially as I grew older over the years. 

One can argue that modern video games have been increasingly more serious. Some may even say that they're even more stressful. But TT Games' latest romp through all nine mainline Star Wars films gave me a sense of fun that I've been missing for so long. And that was a very welcome surprise. I was astonished to see that games can be fun again. And "fun," these games really are. 

The visuals are what stood out to me the most. TT Games' Lego-fiction of all nine Skywalker saga films is a great exercise at making something that looks unique and impressive at the same time. Playing through the game (specifically the Prequel trilogy), I always thought of the entire experience like this. I'm a young kid of about five, I have a massive Lego Star Wars set to play with, and I am re-enacting the movies' storylines using my minifigs. And it was a good feeling-great, even. 

I remember always telling myself that aside from the obvious Lego components of the world, the environments will not look out of place in a more realistic-looking game. The sands of Tatooine, the high-rise buildings of Coruscant, and even the shores of Naboo's Lake Paonga all look amazingly detailed, and I couldn't want more.

Next up, Lego's signature weird humor playing out for the entire saga is a refreshing take on these now-iconic stories. I found myself laughing way too many times than I could admit it, more so when I saw even the most serious parts of these Star Wars movies Lego-fied. But that's not even the only thing that got me excited. 

I never thought I'd have as much of a blast seeing all of these massive, impressive Lego setpieces just blow up into their tiny brick components in a glorious manner. I remember seeing the Trade Federation Battleship explode after a heated dogfight, and I was just ... in awe. And I thought to myself: how is this a Lego game? The sheer spectacle is out of this world and would rival other AAA games-bar none. Fight me. 

Either way, the only gripe I have with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's presentation is that the cutscenes are way too short. I understand TT Games' desire to cater both to older players (and Star Wars nerds) like myself and kids with minuscule attention spans, but did you really have to do the story cutscenes like that? I don't understand, but I'm perhaps not meant to. And I'm more than willing to let that go.

Read also: Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga Guide: How To Farm Kyber Bricks

Layers Upon Layers Of Gameplay

Here's something that might not be too related, but I believe it actually is. Remember Watch Dogs Legion? Remember how that game tried to differentiate itself by offering gamers the ability to play as anyone, no questions asked? I remember loving that mechanic, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's sheer number of unlockable, playable characters reminded me of it. 

However, there's a problem with offering these many playable character options: they can be a bit too difficult to differentiate. But TT Games did just enough to ensure that each character, whether it's a Jedi, a Bounty Hunter, or even a Protocol Droid, will have their own unique skillset. And that's another plus for me. I often played as Jedi (because, duh), and I can easily separate the playstyle of Anakin Skywalker to that of Obi-Wan's, Master Yoda's to Mace Windu's more. Every character's moveset felt unique, and that was an impressive feat. 

The gameplay also fits quite nicely within TT Games' style of retelling the story of the mainline Star Wars films. Case in point, the boss battles. The developers could have just made players button-mash their entire way through everything. But again, I was taken aback by how layered these story boss fights are. You can't choose to blast through them mashing buttons as fast as you can: you have to employ strategy. 

Still on the subject of boss fights, the fact that they're layered once again gives way to something far more strategic than just mashing buttons. Most of the time, you're not alone during a fight: you'll have the aid of AI-controlled companion characters to help you traverse the environment. They're going to help you open doors, solve puzzles, and take down enemies. On their own, the AI is basically brain-dead, but their usefulness is in their unique abilities that allow them to perform tasks your main playable character cannot do. 

For instance, during my fight against Anakin on Mustafar as Obi-Wan, C3PO and R2-D2 helped me solve puzzles and get to places I needed to be so I could gain the High Ground (totally intended). It gave me a much-needed break from all the lightsaber combat (which is exceptional for a freaking Lego game) and helped keep the entire sequence interesting.  

On the other pillars of gameplay that I liked, I am very fond of the game's massive space battles. Again, HOW IS THIS A LEGO GAME? The spectacle of these dogfights is very unexpected, with big Lego setpieces once again being the stars of the show. Controlling a starship in these space battles is fun and made me think that maybe they could be even more fun if I played through the Original Trilogy, where aerial and space battles are more pronounced.

Last, let's talk about the puzzles. I don't normally like puzzles in games, more so in action-adventure ones (I'm looking at you, Uncharted). Most of the time, they're way too complicated for their own good. And at my advancing age, I'm getting too old to "git gud" at these puzzles. I just don't have time. With Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the puzzles offer a great balance between challenge and fun and are one thing that once again stood out for me. 

For now, I have just two gripes with the gameplay overall. First, it can get repetitive at times. I believe this is even more apparent if you play through all nine films in rapid succession. Heck, I only played through the prequel trilogy and was feeling tired of the gameplay loop. I understand that TT Games can only do so much with this aspect of the game, but it's a small blot in an otherwise brilliant design. 

Second, it's not too friendly for someone like me who loves going off the beaten path in an open-world (or, in the case of this game, open-galaxy) game. So many side quests were locked behind certain playable characters---most of which you couldn't unlock until you've played through all of the films or collected enough Kyber Bricks/studs to pay for them. The side quests could have been a fun distraction from the repetitiveness of the story missions' structures, and they almost always remained out of reach.

Witness The Power 

On the technical side, I am quite impressed with what TT Games managed to achieve once again. The game runs at a relatively stable 30 FPS on the base PS4, at a native 1080p resolution. Sometimes, the frame rate does tank when things get a bit too heavy on the screen. There were also instances when the resolution looked a tad too low (maybe going below 720p in some situations), but overall it is a crisp and smooth-performing game. 

However, I was still kind of expecting that the game would run at around 1080p 60 FPS locked, with barely any frame rate or resolution dips. Or maybe I'm just underestimating how demanding the game's engine is. Nevertheless, I was also impressed by how fast the loading times are even on a mechanical HDD. There were times when I thought the game loaded snappy enough to rival an SSD, but I wouldn't know as I don't have the game on PC to test it out. 

Final Verdict 

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is fun. It really is. In an age where too many games are trying so hard to be realistic, gritty, and stressful, it pays to have a game like this break the monotony and just remind you of the good old days. Plus, it's another refreshing take on the Galaxy Far Far Away's iconic tales, which might not really reinvent the wheel but still brings its own excellent spin on an established IP. 

FINAL SCORE: 9 out of 10 

Related: 'Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' Cheat Codes, How to Turn on Mumble Mode

Story posted on GameNGuide 

Reviewed by RJ Pierce