The latest LEGO game from Traveller's Tales has hit store shelves after some delays and years of hype. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga adapts the nine mainline Star Wars films, and provides fans a celebration of the franchise. With this title, Traveller's Tales reinvented the formula it has established over the years, and now it is looking to apply this new style of LEGO game to another franchise.
Many are interested in seeing Traveller's Tales' next game be a new LEGO Marvel title, an updated version of LEGO Indiana Jones, or even a LEGO Clone Wars game. While those would all be great steps for Traveller's Tales, it should tell its own story not based on any franchise. Traveller's Tales has shown it is capable of adapting a non-franchise LEGO line with LEGO City Undercover, and it should try its hands at another LEGO line like LEGO Castle.
Traveller's Tales Has Crafted Many Original Stories
Traveller's Tales' LEGO games were built on adapting movie franchises. The series began with LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, which adapted the prequel trilogy into a fun-filled co-op title. Since then, the series has gone on to adapt the entire Skywalker Saga, the first few seasons of Clone Wars, the Indiana Jones series, the first four Pirates of the Caribbean films, Lord of the Rings, the first two Hobbit films, Harry Potter, both LEGO Movies, and the beginning of the MCU. While Traveller's Tales has shown that it can make fun movie-based games, it also knows how to tell original stories.
Ever since 2008's LEGO Batman: The Videogame, almost all of its superhero-related LEGO titles are original stories set in the Marvel and DC universes. It has told the story of the Justice League through three Batman titles, as well as a spin-off title called LEGO DC Supervillians. In 2013, it showed that it was equally capable in telling stories using Marvel's sandbox with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and its sequel four years later. Many fans have praised the writing and storytelling that Traveller's Tales crafted for these titles.
Traveller's Tales went the extra mile in 2013 when it chose to tell a completely original story disconnected from any franchise. LEGO City Undercover brought players to a fully realized version of the fictional city, and had players go through a storyline following police officer Chase McCain. The game was praised for its storytelling and humor, but currently this is the only LEGO game by Traveller's Tales that is not based on a franchise.
LEGO's Old Medieval Brand
The only time LEGO games have deviated from their typical sci-fi, superhero, or modern-day aesthetics was when the franchise dipped its toes in fantasy with LEGO Lord of the Rings, LEGO The Hobbit, and LEGO Harry Potter. LEGO Harry Potter maintained some of a modern aesthetic, but LEGO Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were a completely new feel for the franchise. Taking inspiration from the two Middle-earth LEGO Games, Traveller's Tales should attempt to craft a wholly medieval title.
LEGO used to have a line of sets called LEGO Castle. This line was released in North America in 1981 and lasted until 1999 before being rebooted a couple of times, with the last reboot occurring in 2013. People could build castles, blacksmiths, jousting tournaments, inns, and even siege equipment. It allowed LEGO fans to construct their own medieval villages and have various kingdoms wage war against each other. LEGO's theme park, Legoland, even has a LEGO Castle-themed area, and the LEGO Movie included some figures from the line in Middle Zealand. The brand has struggled to maintain a foothold in recent years, but many fans remember these sets fondly
A LEGO Castle Game Could Be a Lot of Fun
If Traveller's Tales took the LEGO Castle brand and crafted a video game around it, it could be a great time for LEGO fans and medieval fantasy enthusiasts alike. Traveller's Tales could make fun of all sorts of tropes and ideas from the Middle Ages using its iconic LEGO humor, and it could craft an engaging story similar to what was written for LEGO City Undercover.
The game could encompass multiple kingdoms based on the various factions from LEGO Castle, like the Black Falcons and Crusaders. Players could travel to these kingdoms through a large open-world hub filled with tiny villages and collectables. Traveller's Tales could take inspiration from how it crafted Middle-earth in LEGO Lord of the Rings, and combine that with the expansive hub worlds that it created for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. It could even go the extra mile by having the NPC LEGO minifigures react positively or negatively in each kingdom depending upon the allegiance of the player.
Much like LEGO DC Supervillians, a LEGO Castle game should put the player at the forefront of the story. LEGO Castle should allow players to create their own medieval character, and allow for different stories depending upon what side the player chooses; similar to how LEGO Batman offered two different routes. Throw in hundreds of other medieval characters to purchase, an original story, and the updated LEGO gameplay, and a LEGO Castle could be great.
While the next LEGO game will most likely adapt a film franchise or continue one of the superhero stories, Traveller's Tales should consider making another game based on a standalone LEGO line instead of movies. The LEGO games have stayed away from medieval settings, so crafting a game around the LEGO Castle line would help rectify that.