As players will no doubt expect from a game that encompasses multiple movies, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is immense. Star Wars itself is a universe as diverse as it is vast and trying to encapsulate that in just one game is tough, but Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games have managed to pull it off with aplomb. Some fans may have worried that covering so many of the beloved Star Wars films in one title would mean that quality would have to be sacrificed to make room for quantity, but LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has managed to achieve both.
First released in April of this year, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the sixth entry in TT Games' LEGO Star Wars series and adapts all nine core entries in the Star Wars film franchise. It was an ambitious undertaking, and it has taken the developer a long time to bring to fruition, but many players feel like the wait was worth it. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga captures the humor of the LEGO franchise while still elevating the combat, graphics, and gameplay, but it's the little details that are included in the game that fans have really come to appreciate, alongside its more obvious accomplishments.
The Visual Details
Star Wars is full of iconic imagery and memorable characters, so it's no wonder that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga paid extra close attention when it came to translating these into a video game. From the lighting and the expanded environments to the impressive graphics, the game really nailed the Star Wars aesthetics and made sure they were an improvement from previous entries into the LEGO Star Wars series. Some elements impressed fans more than others, as they showed off just how detailed the visuals were for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
One of these aspects was the fact that environments would impact the characters' weapons, like how running through the mud would make them dirty, and they would only become clean over time as players used them in combat. Not only does this help to make the environments feel more real and authentic -- a tricky feat, given the cartoonish design of the LEGO characters and objects -- but it also just adds an interesting and immersive layer to the gameplay.
Side Characters
Although Star Wars has a canon universe of dizzying proportions that is only getting bigger over time, there are more than a few faces that every fan will be familiar with. From the wizened Yoda to the bulbous Jabba the Hutt, some Star Wars characters are among the most famous pop culture figures ever, but there are also a few that might be a little more peripheral. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga naturally puts its biggest names front and center as the game follows the nine main films and the adventures of characters like Luke, Leia, and Rey, but for eagle-eyed players, there are also some great side characters along for the ride.
The galaxy is full of fun references and peripheral characters that help to flesh out the world and provide nostalgic links to the films as well. Players might recognize the mustachioed Biggs Darklighter, Luke's Alliance pilot friend from A New Hope, during a mission in the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine, even if he's a fairly fleeting presence in the film. There's also Yaddle, one of the rare aliens that's the same mysterious species as Yoda and Grogu and who appears briefly in The Phantom Menace. There are some more niche characters like the elephant-like Max Rebo, and players can spend hours scouring the galaxy to find them all.
Plenty Of Humor
The LEGO games are well-known for their slightly tongue-in-cheek slapstick humor, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is no exception. Sometimes these comedic elements play out in mandatory cutscenes or character dialogue, but sometimes they're more environmental and players have to go searching for them. A lot of the funniest nods to the Star Wars series or wider pop culture references are in the background, buried in the design of an area, or embodied by a stray character. For example, if Anakin is left standing around for too long during the Revenge of the Sith episode, his lightsaber will temporarily 'malfunction' and turn red, foreshadowing his imminent turn to the Dark side.
Locations like Obi-Wan's house in the A New Hope episode are full of LEGO's cheeky nods to previous moments in the franchise, or memorabilia from the Jedi's numerous adventures. Luke's fairly careless and completely clueless investigations of this environment can force a knowing chuckle from players, and help add to the game's charm and self-referential nature. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga also derives plenty of its humor from the dialogue, with comments reflecting fan disappointment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy for "reusing old ideas" from previous films, which serve as nice little acknowledgments to the wider world if players encounter them.
Full Of Film References
Not only does LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga reference its own film roots, but it also includes nods to other film franchises as well. Players who aren't familiar with these other movies might not get the humorous hints, and some of these references might fly under the radar. One of the subtler ones comes from Qui-Gon, who might mutter a line if players are near a Force-sensitive puzzle-related item. The former Jedi Master can be heard to say “I have a particular set of skills that will come in handy here," which fans might recognize as a reference to the iconic phrase from the Taken films that star Qui-Gon actor Liam Neeson.
There's also a cameo from a rather famous fedora during the first mission of A New Hope, which is only a quick visual reference to the legendary archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones that players might easily miss. Indiana Jones is obviously played by Harrison Ford, whose turn as Han Solo helped make him into the star he is today. These little nods to other films are fun for fans and also create connections between multiple franchises, even if some of the references might go unnoticed.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.