Highlights

  • LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga introduced groundbreaking features and served as a modernized makeover for the classic LEGO game formula.
  • The game's refined third-person shooting mechanics open the door for more action-focused LEGO games in the future.
  • LEGO games can now potentially crossover with popular third-person shooter franchises, offering new and exciting collaborations like Uncharted, Gears of War, and so on.

In the grand scheme of the gaming landscape, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga couldn't really be considered revolutionary, but in relation to the classic LEGO video game formula, it was pretty groundbreaking. More expansive and impressive than any LEGO game before it, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga added a plethora of new features to the usual LEGO game formula, giving it a much-needed, modernized makeover, from more of a focus on open-world gameplay and compelling side content to more playable characters than any LEGO game has had before.

But while the wealth of new content was impressive, it was LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's quality-of-life and mechanical improvements that were really the game's best additions. One of the best examples of this is LEGO Star Wars' refined third-person shooting mechanics, allowing for seamless transitions in and out of cover, and giving players an experience they'd expect from a modern-era action game. And in the process of refining these mechanics, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga may have opened the door for more third-person-focused LEGO games in the near future.

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LEGO Star Wars's Shooting Mechanics Pave the Way for More Third-Person LEGO Games

LEGO Games Can Use More Action-Focused Licenses

With a set of refined third-person shooting mechanics, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has paved the way for some more action-focused franchises to get the LEGO treatment. While action franchises like Marvel, DC, and Lord of the Rings have all already worked well with the original LEGO formula, these franchises all have fairly diverse combat types, which worked well with LEGO's more general combat system. But for action franchises that mainly revolve around shootouts and firearms, the original LEGO combat formula wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying.

There are a ton of iconic movie franchises that could now be given the LEGO game treatment, and the James Bond series should be first up. Though not entirely family-friendly, the James Bond series could translate very well to a LEGO video game, especially with Skywalker Saga's more complex third-person shooting mechanics. The Matrix is another series that could thrive in a LEGO video game format, especially if it was willing to refine LEGO's melee combat mechanics as well.

LEGO Games Could Cross Over With Third-Person Shooters

Over the last 20 years or so, LEGO has crossed over with a plethora of popular franchises, both in the realm of video games and with real-world LEGO sets. But while LEGO video games have stuck to popular movie franchises, LEGO's real-world sets haven't been afraid to cross over with a handful of video games, ranging from Star Wars: The Old Republic to Overwatch to Minecraft. But with LEGO's recent Fortnite collaboration, a new era for LEGO video games might have just begun.

It would be fun to see LEGO cross over with other video game properties in the near future, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's third-person shooting mechanics have already paved the way for a handful of potential crossover franchises. In terms of family-friendly third-person shooters that LEGO could cross over with, the best options are probably Ratchet and Clank and Splatoon. But if LEGO wasn't afraid to put a family-friendly spin on a more adult-oriented IP, then there are countless third-person shooter franchises it could collaborate with, from Uncharted to Gears of War to even Resident Evil.