The original LEGO Star Wars game released in 2005 was the first LEGO game to hit consoles. At the time of release, it was an original concept and brought back some warm fuzzy feelings of playing Jedi Power Battles on PlayStation. However, over the years the simplistic gameplay has overstayed its welcome and the game series has been deemed “for kids.” Enter LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

The mechanics have changed, there’s voice acting or mumble dialogue options now. But is the force steering enough in this one? Let’s launch into hyperspace and find out.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker SagaLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Details

Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X
Developer(s): Traveller’s Tales
Publisher(s): Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Action-adventure
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone)

A super saga awaits

Upon beginning the game, you are introduced to the world of Skywalker. A highlight reel of key moments in Star Wars Lore takes players on a journey through time and is left with Rey wondering who can show her where she belongs. Upon entering the game you are taken in chronological order through key moments in the Skywalker Saga, in LEGO form.

You’re forced to start with A New Hope, Phantom Menace, or The Force Awakens. So if you’re hoping to hop around the Saga for some reason, that’s not in the stars. You take on the role of key characters and moments in the film. Rather than go through each movie fully, players are given short snippets that all interlock into one story.

Lightsabers, blasters and melee, oh my!

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is not the LEGO Star Wars of 2005. Melee combat is surprisingly deep with small combos using various button combos. It feels a lot like a Spider-Man title, with visual cues of which buttons to hit and when. Shooting places the camera over the shoulder of the character for deeper accuracy. These are great improvements, although shooting still feels a bit hollow.

The one spot that is an incredible improvement is lightsaber battles. Wielding the lightsabers feels powerful and surprisingly precise for a LEGO title. The boss battles are intense but fair, and feature fast reaction button mashing moments as well as dodging and blocking. This isn’t LEGO Elden Ring or Dark Souls though. The fights are accessible and fun, capturing the feel of being a Jedi without any Sith anger from the player.

After levels, you are taken to open areas to explore right away. If you follow the yellow checkpoint markers, you can blitz through the main story as fast as you like. However, these areas are worth exploring for collectables too. You traverse through linear levels and have the option of using the Galaxy Map to “Hyperspace Travel” to locations. Although you must complete a certain amount of story objectives to unlock that ability.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

A ton of collectables and secrets to uncover

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga contains a ton of collectables and secrets. There’s 1106 special bricks alone! From Hot Tub relaxing storm troopers to using Jedi Mind Tricks, it’s hard to get bored of this game and the humour and variety it offers. There’s also skill trees of sorts featuring upgradable sprinting and general abilities during exploration and free play mode.

After finishing a story level, you can go back in with unlocked characters and find hidden and in plain sight secrets. True to block form, one cannot beat a LEGO title merely through a singular playthrough. In order to collect everything, you must go back into the levels.

This works because there’s so much to rediscover as a character from the dark side walking through the hull of a Rebel Alliance ship. Thankfully, the level design is pretty simple, so going back doesn’t feel too taxing. And, if you have a partner to play co-op with, it’s even more fun!

The Dark and Light sides of graphics

The graphics in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga are stunning for a LEGO title. Space and planets are detailed and picturesque. The game does a great job of harking back to the original trilogy, where they used toys for the special effects. All textures look just like a Lego set and the building of the pieces looks great. The sounds are crisp, the lighting is great and for the most part, the game performs well.

True to the LEGO Star Wars way of play, the humour also doesn’t stop. Every story point is accurate, but also hilarious. Darth Vader gets his lightsaber stuck in a door for instance… these beats continue throughout the title. This truly is the most content filled LEGO game ever made.

There’s only one glaring issue and that has to be the camera. It moves pretty sporadically and while for the most part it works well, I found moments where I’d be in cover and then magically out of it when I didn’t wish to be. Occasionally the cutscenes sputter and in game there were some moments that felt janky. Overall though, the graphical problems that plagued LEGO titles in the past are lesser in The Skywalker Saga.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Easy to hop in and out co-op action

Co-op is just like the original LEGO games and is easy to hop in and out of making this a great family title. There is a small learning curve in comparison to past LEGO games, but nothing too jarring for players.

The split camera system works well enough as it ever has. While I didn’t experience much of it, I had my partner pop in for the purposes of this review.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the game fans have been dreaming of

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the game fans have been dreaming of. The attention to detail and updated gameplay mechanics make this feel like the most full LEGO game yet! With an exception of small camera angle problems and the occasional and expected graphic bump or glitch, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will have no problem freezing itself in carbonite amongst the great LEGO Games of the past. So hit light speed and jump in!

As a special launch surprise, you’ll find unlock codes below for Dengar and Admiral Holdo. Enjoy!

  • Dengar unlock code: OKV7TLR
  • Admiral Holdo unlock code: XV4WND9

+ Same great accessible experience of LEGO games, but with major improvements
+ Lightsaber wielding is better than ever
+ Hilarious and engaging story with great voice acting

– Camera, especially over the shoulder can feel finicky
– Small graphical issues especially during cutscenes and game delaying bugs
– Some characters feel clunkier than others

OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5

Overall Rating 4/5 (80%)

Purchase LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, or Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One

Click here to see the full line of video game software available at Bestbuy.ca
Click here to see digital video game downloads offered at BestBuy.ca

Jon Scarr
Jon Scarr
Jon is the Gaming Editor and is based in Toronto. He is a proud Canadian who has a serious passion for gaming. He is a veteran of the video game and tech industry with over 20 years experience. You can often find Jon streaming the latest games on his YouTube channel. Jon loves to talk about gaming and tech, come say hi and join the conversation with Jon on Threads @4ScarrsGaming and @4Scarrsgaming on Instagram.
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184 COMMENTS

  2. I want to use the Admiral Holdo unlock code: XV4WND9 on Playstation 5 first as I think it would be the most exciting.

  35. The Star Wars character are I am most anxious to become while playing the game is Princess Leia!

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