As soon as the game begins, you’re greeted by a lovingly rendered cutscene compiling some of the Star Wars franchise’s finest and most memorable moments. From Finn’s meme-worthy battle with TR-8R to the pivotal Duel of Fates on Naboo to Luke’s confrontation with his father in Cloud City, the Lego recreations of these epic scenes are cut together to John Williams’ classic score, stirring excitement in even the most casual Star Wars fan.
At a time when the series and its fanbase can feel more divisive than ever, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the best celebration of George Lucas’ seminal space opera to date. It’s also a fun, comforting reminder of why it’s had such a lasting impact on the world for nearly 50 years.
If you’re unfamiliar with the latest entry in the 15-year-old series, 2022’s Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the definitive, kid-friendly retelling of Star Wars’ multi-generation story. Unlike previous entries, The Skywalker Saga doesn’t just retell a specific trilogy within the nine-film saga, but all of it. And best of all, it’s free to play now with your PlayStation Plus subscription.
The Skywalker Saga isn’t just some simple compilation of past Lego Star Wars games, as the first seven films in the franchise have already been told in Lego form going back to the PlayStation 2. Levels, cutscenes, and game mechanics were all rebuilt from the ground up. No other adaptation in the ongoing game series has received this level of reimagining, and that’s partly due to Star Wars’ natural fit to Lego’s platformer-action formula. The Skywalker Saga also marks the first time The Last Jedi and The Rise Of Skywalker received the Lego treatment, giving fans of past Lego Star Wars games a reason to give this new game a shot.
The Skywalker Saga is the best any Lego game has ever felt. Controlling pace vehicles have been revamped, firing blasters feel more comparable to a modern third-person shooter, and melee combat has been expanded to include light attacks, heavy attacks, and some pretty sick-looking combos. Puzzles through the nine-playable films that aren’t taxing on the brain, but most serve to keep the action from feeling too monotonous.
What truly makes The Skywalker Saga special, however, is its unfiltered, infectious adoration for the films. Short of buying all nine movies on BluRay (or paying Disney the increasingly high monthly asking price for its streaming service), this is the most comprehensive way to revisit the series. It's all here:f Your favorites and not-so-favorites, presented without an ounce of shame or regret. It’s a love letter to Star Wars and its fans, one that uses a combination of faithful (and genuinely impressive) recreations of its best moments and fun but respectful spoofs of the source material to give the series the send-off it deserves.
Players pressed for time be warned: there’s a lot of game here. There might be too much content for those who want something they can beat in a couple of days. Nine films is a lot to get through, even at the breakneck speed through which players can blast through each level. Those who haven’t played a Lego game in some time may also miss the old pantomime era of older games in the series. The Skywalker Saga, like more recent Lego games, is fully voice-acted. But don’t let it discourage you. The slapstick humor that lifted the series to prominence is still here in full force.
For everyone else though, The Skywalker Saga retains everything that’s made the Lego games a gaming staple since 2005. You can still load up levels with a friend and casually smash your way through couch co-op. There are hundreds of Star Wars minifigs to unlock, and hundreds of thousands of Lego studs to collect. In an era where traditional 3D platformers are tougher to come by, the Lego games have provided reliable fun, and The Skywalker Saga is no different.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the closest thing to an official video game adaptation of Star Wars. It is also easily the most ambitious game in the pantheon of Lego games. Amid the increasingly toxic discourse and tiresome banter within the fandom, Traveller’s Tales’ Star Wars swansong is a joyous reprieve. If you need a reminder of what makes Star Wars so great and so fun, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is probably the easiest way to do that.
