As a family friendly video game franchise, multiplayer co-op has always been central to the identity of LEGO Star Wars and other titles from Traveller's Tales. Friends or family of any skill level can pick up controllers and set off on a lighthearted adventure through the franchise's recurring two player co-op. Traveller's Tales hasn't discussed multiplayer in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but signs suggest the bold new LEGO Star Wars title does have multiplayer. The latest gameplay overview for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga offers glimpses of two-person puzzles and characters wandering the overworld together.
The Skywalker Saga has gone to great lengths to define itself as an innovator, making drastic changes to the LEGO combat system and constructing an overworld of unmatched proportions. Even so, it inherits plenty of concepts from its predecessors, likely including multiplayer. While two-player co-op wouldn't be anything new, the features that surround it could revamp everything. Combat changes that allow greater tactical thought and an overworld filled with activities could make The Skywalker Saga more worth exploring with a friend than any previous LEGO Star Wars title.
Tag-Team LEGO Combat
Historically, LEGO Star Wars combat is simple even with a friend; players mash the attack button and occasionally use Force powers or deflect blaster bolts to clear groups of enemies. Traveller's Tales has said it wants The Skywalker Saga to afford greater opportunities for combat mastery, and so its systems are far more elaborate. Ranged characters can hamper enemies with precision shots, meanwhile Jedi and Sith Force powers can have more elaborate impacts on the world. The Skywalker Saga's playable characters also belong to character classes that afford them upgradable skills.
In single player these changes sound great, but two-player co-op in The Skywalker Saga might show them off best. LEGO Star Wars fans will have more power than ever to come up with unique strategies and work as a team in combat. For instance, thanks to The Skywalker Saga's RPG-style skill trees, a Bounty Hunter player can use a shock grenade to stun enemies, allowing a Jedi player to make short work of vulnerable foes with rapid melee attacks. Precision shots, Force-influence techniques, and other skills mean that players can protect and support one another in ways that previous LEGO Star Wars games never offered.
Wandering the Star Wars Galaxy Together
The Skywalker Saga's multi-planet overworld also makes co-op valuable. Traveller's Tales promises an overworld filled with Kyber Bricks and other collectibles, as well as side quests and minigames, meaning players will have many hours of content to get through once they complete The Skywalker Saga's story missions. With two players, LEGO Star Wars fans can cover ground significantly faster, finding more collectibles and overcoming the game's challenges.
Combat and overworld changes intersect when The Skywalker Saga players run into outer space dogfights, letting them do battle with the Empire, the First Order, or any of Star Wars' other well-known factions. Spaceship battles will represent a scale of combat that's likely hard to find on the surface of planets, meaning they will be rewarded more than ever as they coordinate attacks on enemy flagships. Even if players don't always operate two separate starfighters, if one player pilots a ship while another operates special weapons, The Skywalker Saga's space battles will exemplify the fun of multiplayer.
Integrating Co-Op Into The Skywalker Saga
Putting traditional LEGO Star Wars multiplayer in The Skywalker Saga presents a unique set of challenges. For instance, The Skywalker Saga uses a different camera angle from its predecessors, favoring a close third-person approach over the more isometric design of many other LEGO games. For another thing, The Skywalker Saga's overworld might make co-op navigation difficult. If players can explore two different planets at the same time, then the game will be forced to render two huge, detailed environments at the same time, which might make older platforms struggle.
Traveller's Tales can make two-player co-op work in The Skywalker Saga in spite of these challenges. If local co-op means the game breaks into split screen until one player drops out, both players will have a proper perspective. Similarly, The Skywalker Saga could restrict players to one Star Wars planet at a time, giving a player control over when they leave the planet while making sure its combat challenges, quests, and puzzles cater toward two players working together.
LEGO Star Wars' Multiplayer Future
Ideally, The Skywalker Saga won't feature local multiplayer alone. It'd be great to see an online option, allowing fans to invite a friend to join from afar while preserving the dwindling couch co-op style of multiplayer. While it's in the process of overhauling the way LEGO games approach combat, overworlds, and progression mechanics, The Skywalker Saga might as well experiment with multiplayer options too.
Even if there's no online multiplayer, couch co-op would be invaluable in The Skywalker Saga. The game looks great to explore in single player, but could offer a lot of extra value when it's explored with a friend. Hopefully Traveller's Tales discusses multiplayer co-op more explicitly soon, offering fans insight into what it's like to travel and fight through the Star Wars galaxy with a friend. It would be a shame if The Skywalker Saga drops local co-op to make room for its new features, but considering how LEGO Star Wars usually clings to franchise tradition, there's still hope.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases April 5, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
