Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

I am not the biggest fan of Lego games, although I have been known to enjoy them in moderation as mindless, whimsical, fun-yet-shallow romps. I suppose that this is precisely their intended purpose, so I’m not knocking them by saying that.

These are comfort-food games; they don’t mean to challenge players in any meaningful way, both in gameplay difficulty and plot — the Lego games aren’t known for rocking the boat with social commentary or shocking story developments. But as largely forgettable time sinks, they do their little thing pretty well.

But my take-it-or-leave-it attitude changed after I watched the trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. I mean, what?

This looks like a solid, content-rich experience that I can really sink my teeth into. The only downside, of course, being that this is still a Lego game, so it very much leans on Lego’s brand of humor and light-natured optimism (which I’m not the biggest fan of). But considering what is on offer, I am willing to overlook that caveat. It really looks like the development team set out to make a semi-deep, competent action-platformer with legit, modern combat mechanics while forgoing some of the annoyances of the past. And that sounds pretty good to me.

To be clear, this is the culmination of the small strides the Lego gaming franchise has been making for some time now, but it all looks to coalesce into what might very well be the best Lego entry in what previously seemed like a copy/paste assembly line.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The addition of utilizing cover in legit third-person shooting segments — as well as being able to actively aim at specific targets — feels like a generational leap, even though this has been the cornerstone of third-person action games for… well, more than a decade at this point. And seeing more detailed enemy reactions — seeing their comrades get blasted while also reacting specifically to where on their plastic body they were shot — suggests more A.I. depth than the mindless bots we have previously seen in Lego games. And although there is the option to turn on the mumbling voices that plagued the earlier games, a fully voiced cast makes all the difference to my ears.

Am I sick of retreading old Star Wars waters, especially the Skywalker Saga? Yes, definitely. But I am willing to bite the Lego bullet considering how much content this game seems to have on offer. Once I saw the option to open up a galaxy map and basically just planet hop, oftentimes well off the beaten path of the saga’s individual story beats, I was hooked.

For me, the allure of Star Wars is the universe and its creatures and characters — far more than lightsabers and Luke Skywalker. Honestly, that has been the biggest strength of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett series in my opinion. These TV series expand on the cultures of these planets and life forms that inhabit them, instead of just using them as backdrops for wipes between scene transitions.

So I’m excited to stray from those well-worn paths to experience all of the amazing lore and world building this galaxy far, far away has to offer. Does it bathe in the waters of self-referential eyeroll-inducing fandom? Of course — that’s just Disney and Star Wars these days. However, for the first time I can remember, even as a non-Lego fan, I am excited to play a Lego Star Wars game.

Thankfully, the release date is just around the corner, so I won’t have to wait too long. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga hits PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC April 5, 2022. You can check out the game in all its glory in the gameplay overview trailer below.

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