It had been a long time coming, but Traveller's Tales' LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga launched this month to huge acclaim. Garnering a great deal of positive reviews and selling well, the studio's most ambitious LEGO game to date has proven to be a bona fide hit. So much work went into creating an expansive galaxy to explore, meticulously crafting each location and filling it with loads of content and detail as a faithful adaptation of the film saga.
Considering the technical achievement made with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, it would be a shame for Traveller's Tales to revert to its old style after just one game. With a new engine and tools already developed, it would be wise to put this to good use for other major franchises. Few other film franchises can rival Star Wars in terms of popularity and appeal, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes as close as any. A similar game chronicling the events of Phase 1 through 3 would be an excellent endeavor for Traveller's Tales to tackle.
The MCU Offers an Expansive, Epic Adventure
At this point the MCU needs no introduction, as its dominance on at the box office has made it a household name for over a decade. Technically beginning with Iron Man in 2008, the franchise went on to have several other hits including The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War. Such a pop culture juggernaut would be an easily identifiable brand for even the most casual fan to enjoy in a LEGO game adaptation, with all the humor and charm that Traveller's Tales imbues.
The Star Wars saga was made up of nine films that spanned numerous pivotal events: the fall of the Jedi, the Clone Wars, the rise of the Empire, and more. If nine movies is enough to create a jam-packed video game, a film saga spanning 23 installments (counting only the first three phases) has even more material to work with.
Creating an Interconnected Playable Universe
One of the biggest strengths of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is how seamlessly it blends all nine movies together to create a massive universe to explore. Each respective movie can be played in any order of the player's choice, and even more interesting are the hub worlds in between these levels. Planets like Coruscant, Naboo, and Tatooine are all expertly re-created and can be explored at the player's leisure.
The MCU similarly has a good assortment of locations that can be used to make the game feel like a large, lived-in world. New York City, Asgard, and even the vast cosmos explored by the Guardians of the Galaxy are all varied enough to maintain a colorful and engaging world. Once more characters are unlocked and can be utilized, it would be fun to experiment with all the different interactions between heroes and villains within the MCU.
Borrowing Skywalker Saga's Gameplay Variety
LEGO video games have always been simple fun, enjoyable for players of all ages. However, a common criticism over the years is that the gameplay was too simplistic, sucking out some engagement for players who wanted a more immersive experience. Traveller's Tales listened, because LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga made significant tweaks to every aspect of the gameplay, creating a huge shift from prior LEGO games.
Switching to a third-person perspective brings a much better viewpoint for the action, and allows players to take in all the details of their surrounding environments. Additionally, more variety to the missions and side objectives in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga could easily be adopted. Mini-games in which players tinker in Tony Stark's lab to make new armor, or pilot the Milano across the far reaches of space as Star-Lord, would provide fans with many options.
The Skywalker Saga's Graphics Could Translate Beautifully
It may seem superficial, but LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the most graphically beautiful LEGO game yet, which an MCU-inspired game deserves as well. High production values are expected from certain brand based on the pedigree of the franchise and scale of other media. Marvel's Spider-Man raised the bar for superhero games, and fans may go into any Marvel video game, LEGO or otherwise, expecting top-notch visual flair.
The graphics in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga deftly blend more realistic-looking environments with lifelike LEGO models and characters. The many locations and set pieces from the Star Wars saga are recreated with such attention to detail that it would make any fan of the galaxy far, far away happy. To see places like Wakanda, the Mirror Dimension, and more remade with the same care would be amazing.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
