With two-and-a-half decades' worth of experience in the video game industry, LEGO has made quite a name for itself, becoming a go-to starter franchise for younger fans and relaxing nostalgia for older players. While LEGO has a long history of making games based on own unique themes, like the classic LEGO Island and LEGO Racers games, the company is most known for its series of games based on popular IPs ranging from Indiana Jones to Jurassic Park. By far, the company's most beloved series is LEGO Star Wars, and the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga may just be its most ambitious game yet.
Releasing in just a few weeks' time, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga turns all nine mainline Star Wars movies into charming, light-hearted experiences that look to be pushing the boundaries of previous LEGO titles. Though its core structure will be familiar to fans, there's some new gameplay mechanics people should know about before diving in.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's General Gameplay Loop
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is going to follow the same general formula that past LEGO Star Wars games have, but with some slight tweaks to bring it closer to a modern AAA experience. The player will start their adventure by choosing one of the nine mainline Star Wars films.
There are said to be five story missions in each Star Wars episode, encapsulating the movies' biggest moments. Cutscenes will bookend each level, presumably filled with unmistakable LEGO charm and humor. Once the player has finished the level, they'll be allowed to free-roam around the planet they've unlocked, grabbing a slew of collectibles in the environment or by completing side missions. These collectibles will allow the player to unlock iconic characters and vehicles from across the Star Wars universe.
As players progress through each episode, they'll unlock more planets. One of the big draws for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is that players will be able to explore each of these planets freely, hopping between each of them at will. Traveller's Tales has made this a big point in the game's marketing, describing its sandbox as an open Star Wars universe, filled with smaller open worlds.
How LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Innovates on Past LEGO Games
On the surface, it sounds like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is going to be essentially just another LEGO game, but there are a few key features that might make it stand out from previous titles. The game's combat, for instance, seems like a step-up.
Wearing its RPG influences on its sleeve, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has added some more complex combat mechanics. In previous games the player could only mash the attack button to hit or shoot enemies, but LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga separates these two types of combat. When a blaster is equipped, players can now enter a third-person, over-the-shoulder view where they'll have the ability to aim their weapon manually. Players can also enter cover, which was first attempted in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens but was a little too restrictive.
Players can also use a range of melee attacks. These attacks seem to be combo-based, whereby a player will need to input a specific set of buttons in order to execute a powerful chain of attacks. In trailers released so far, characters have been shown to hit an enemy, launch them into the air, and bring them back down again with a grapple gun. Lightsaber-wielding characters will have their own set of melee animations and moves as well, so while the combat may be simplistic, it should still offer more variety than past LEGO games.
Another innovation over previous LEGO games is The Skywalker Saga's upgrade paths. As players collect Kyber Bricks, they'll have access to a range of new upgrades, with pathways available for each of the character classes - such as Dark Side upgrades that improve the strength of Force powers, and Scoundrel upgrades that improve the player's shooting capabilities. With nine distinct classes, there's plenty to work toward.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the biggest LEGO game to date. With 24 explorable planets, each including a plethora of side missions and collectibles, The Skywalker Saga should keep fans invested long after they've finished the main story levels. The Skywalker Saga also has the most unlockable characters and vehicles of any Star Wars game, with even obscure characters like Mama the Hutt getting their own spot. There's going to be several versions of individual characters, such as different skins of Obi-Wan Kenobi based on his appearance in each episode.
Players will also be able to fly their ship directly above a planet, coming across a variety of events to partake in before they head to the surface. In trailers released so far, these events have been shown to include space races, dogfighting challenges, and a Star Destroyer ambush.
Retail Versions of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
For those looking to pick up LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, there's a few things to know about the different versions of the game currently available to pre-order. There are two main editions to choose from, those being the Standard Edition and the Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition. The cheaper of the two, Standard Edition gives players just the base game for $59.99. The $69.99 Deluxe Edition gives players the base game along with six Character Pack DLCs. These expansions include a Classic Character Pack, Mandalorian Season 1 and 2 Packs, a Rogue One Pack, a Bad Batch Pack, a Solo Pack, and a Trooper Pack.
Those who pre-order the physical version of the Deluxe Edition will also get am exclusive Luke Skywalker minifigure, equipped with a carton of Blue Milk. Some retailers are also offering additional pre-order bonuses, such as Best Buyproviding a steelbook case, and GameStop handing out mini X-Wing LEGO sets.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases April 5, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.