LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Xbox Review

I may not be the world’s biggest Star Wars nerd, but I spent countless hours watching the original trilogy as a kid. I’ve loved the series as far back as I can remember, and even enjoyed the prequels and final three films. The Skywalker family’s story is officially wrapped, so what better sendoff than giving all nine movies the LEGO treatment? That’s exactly the task TT Games took upon themselves, and the project was an incredibly ambitious one. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga more than lived up to its expectations and put a smile on my face more times than I can count. It oozes charm in every scene, gives players a plethora of things to keep them busy, and is obviously created by hardcore fans.

No Thought Control

The Skywalker Saga allows you start with any of the three trilogies you prefer. You won’t be able to start Episodes II, III, V, VI, VII, or IX until you’ve finished the one before. This isn’t a problem however, as each film’s story is told in less than two hours (if you avoid side missions and collectibles). It feels so nice to be able to experience an entire story in such a short amount of time. Nothing is drawn out too long. In fact, I often missed seeing particular memorable scenes in LEGO form.

And what a great form that is. The humor is ever-present, even during serious moments from the series. I legitimately laughed out loud on multiple occasions. Some of the laughs are subtle, some more slapstick, but they all land perfectly. Well, they do for my dad-joke sensibilities, anyway. Playing through Skywalker Saga let me experience the stories I already love in a new and fresh way. Sure, the first seven episodes already received the LEGO treatment, but these aren’t remakes. All are brand new creations built from the ground up.

My only real issue is a personal one. Some of the best parts of each episode involve scouring every level for hidden collectibles and nods to the films. Unfortunately, you can’t experience it all until you’ve finished most of the entire game. I understand the LEGO game formula, which is designed with replayability in mind. I also know that unlocking characters is part of the fun of these types of games. But as a person that knows these stories frontwards and backwards, I would have much rather been able to experience everything on my first play-through. I’m not sure why free play isn’t available right from the start. It’s not like there are story spoilers to worry about. This is a small gripe, however, coming from a man in his 40’s with more limited time than a good portion of the game’s target demographic.

No Dark Sarcasm

As mentioned above, much of the traditional LEGO game formula resides here in Skywalker Saga. Hunting down collectible bricks, racking up a required amount of studs, and finding hidden secrets are all required for 100% enthusiasts. Additionally, the gameplay is quite simple and easy to handle. The penalty for death is minimal, and it happens rarely anyway. This is a game all about the experience and seems clearly designed for parents to be able to play with their kids. Oh, and for long-time nerds like myself who want to geek out with a smile on their face.

The game does come with some significant changes, however. Each character is divided into a set of classes this time around. For example, Han is considered a “scoundrel,” which gives him the ability to spot weak points in certain structures. There’s the obvious Force-users, which will be required for moving objects to reach new places. Droids are used for communicating with machines or interpreting languages. The list goes on an on. This makes free play a bit easier to manage, so you know exactly which type of character you’ll need in order to find the level’s secrets.

Furthermore, the studs you collect can be used to purchase upgrades, which feels new to the franchise (I haven’t played all of the LEGO games). Each character class has a very small skill tree. And by small, I mean maybe four abilities to upgrade. You can also find datacards (which are well-hidden, by the way) for fun sort of “cheat codes” in the game. Once you find them, they cost a pretty penny to activate, but when you do, they’re a blast. One brings back the old-school “mumble voices” from earlier LEGO games. Another replaces all of the firearms with baguettes. This makes collecting studs feel much more worthwhile than simply gaining the “True Jedi” status at the end of each level.

Leave Those Kids Alone

Outside of the lack of early access to Free Play mode, I encountered some other minor issues. Nothing to ever keep me from recommending it to every Star Wars fan I know, but they’re present nonetheless. The first is some minor camera issues when characters are near an environmental hazard. This doesn’t happen too often, but I did fight myself fighting with the controls to get the best view possible. When firing from the hip, the camera zooms in much like it does when aiming down the iron sights. This is hardly game-breaking by any means, but notable.

Also, I found the boss fights to be rather repetitive. I understand that this isn’t mean to be Elden Ring by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s very little variety when encountering a major enemy with another lightsaber. I found myself using the exact same strategies for nearly every fight, which made me wish I was just see the next cutscene instead of going through the motions.

Lastly, the lack of online co-op is a bit of a disappointment. I get the appeal of playing with a buddy (or a child) while sitting on the couch together, but I would have loved to go through each episode with a buddy in my ear instead. Laughing at the same jokes, discovering secrets, and exploring familiar locales together sounds like an absolute blast. I just wish I had the ability to have that experience as a grown man with no offspring of my own.

All in All

None of that will ever keep me from praising what Skywalker Saga has accomplished. I felt like a kid again without feeling as if I were playing a kid’s game. That’s an impressive feat to pull off and puts Traveler’s Tales amongst the ranks of Pixar, in my humble opinion. I can’t wait to see what property they’re handling next to keep me grinning from ear to ear.

There’s simply so much to love with this title. Finishing all nine episodes is only the beginning, as there’s so much more to discover and explore once you unlock the ability to do so. The amount of content is staggering. I think I collected about 200 of the 1,100+ Kyber bricks by the time I rolled credits. Which means I’ve got a lot of hours ahead of me.

If you’re even a casual Star Wars fan, there’s simply no real reason to not pick up this collection of charming games. Its attention to detail, amount of content, humor, and sheer fun to play make it one of the easiest recommends I’ve made this year. Do yourself a favor and hop into your LEGO-infused X-Wing, and enjoy the ride. It’s one you won’t regret.

To hear me talk more about LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, be sure to listen to Episode 392 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

The review is based on an Xbox copy of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga provided by Fortyseven Communications for review purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Switch, and PC.