PC Gamer - UK (2022-06)

The Skywalker Saga pushes its charm,
with practically every cutscene
featuring some visual gag or
punchline at the film series’ expense.
Kylo Ren is pumping iron and flexing
as Rey contacts him in
that infamous scene
from The Last Jedi.
Ben Kenobi pops some
popcorn before
watching Leia’s
message to him in A
New Hope. At the
beginning of Revenge
of the Sith, Lego Count
Dooku makes a cheeky plastic pop
noise as Anakin scissors his head off.
This ribald sense of humour
reminds me of the classic Star Wars
parody, Spaceballs, in the best way,
and it really centres the experience.
Lego Star Wars has been working its
strange magic ever since 2 005, and
the series’ keen sense of humour has
often been able to elevate what might
otherwise just be a soulless melding
of two brands. The Skywalker Saga
seeks to be the definitive entry,

covering all the ground of previous

games in the series, as well as

including The Last Jedi and The Rise

of Skywalker in Lego form for the

first time. The result is a grab-bag of

different gameplay

styles all lent just

enough depth to make

them work, held

together by that

through-line of

humour and charm.

There’s an

enormous amount of

content on offer –

though that does serve as a reminder

of recent reports of crunch, bullying

and high turnover of staff on the

project at developer TT Games. The

final product is full of joy, but the

alleged human suffering behind it

casts a pall over the game’s release.

BUILD ME UP

As in previous Lego games, every

character, vehicle, and interactable

object in the game is constructed out

of Lego, with a commitment to the

destructibility and creativity inherent

to the medium. You’re often required

to break down detritus and

environment objects to produce the

raw materials for puzzle solutions,

and some playable droids can split in

half to squeeze through tight spaces.

The currency of the game is, as ever,

‘studs’, those tiny, one-peg pieces that

always seem to find their way into

couch cushions.

The actual terrain of the world

and most buildings have always been

realistic rather than made out of Lego

in the series, and here in The

Skywalker Saga the ludicrously

detailed environments add another

layer to the presentation. The

underwater city of the Gungans on

Naboo or Star Destroyer graveyard on

Jakku look like they could be maps

from a lost Battlefront game. Instead

they’re inhabited by cute little Lego

versions of iconic Star Wars

characters. It has a similar effect to

Mario exploring New Donk City in

Mario Odyssey, a wonderfully absurd

combination of cartoonish characters

with an authentic world.

The charm of the setting also

extends to the voice acting, a feature

I wasn’t sold on before starting The

Skywalker Saga. Back in the hazy

prehistoric mists of the mid 2 000s, I

played a Lego Star Wars full of

charismatic mimes pantomiming the

events of the series, and change is a

hard thing to deal with. Thankfully,

The Skywalker Saga sells the dialogue

with incredible voice acting talent.

Not only is there a stellar cast of

veteran voice actors, including old

hands reprising their roles from The

Clone Wars and other spin-offs, but

several actors from the films return

too. Brian Blessed as Boss Nass,

Anthony Daniels as C3-PO, and even

Billy Dee Williams as Lando are all a

joy to hear here.

YODA MAYCRY

Mechanically, The Skywalker Saga is a

jack-of-all-trades, mixing multiple

genres over the course of its nine

I

knew I was in for a good time with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker
Saga when I began the Prequel Trilogy portion and saw Qui Gon
Jinn and Obi Wan’s ship get stopped at a traffic gate floating in
space. After a quick video conference with the Trade Federation,
which saw them hastily try and hide their evil plans labelled “evil
plans”, Qui Gon and Obi Wan breeze through the gate, accidentally
knocking a hapless battle droid, sending it floating off into space.

THE OLD REPUBRICK

LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA is a loving tribute to the films

By Ted Litchfield

There’s an

enormous

amount of

content on

offer

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT?

A parodius Lego

adaptation of all nine

Star Wars movies with

PS2-era gameplay

sensibilities.

EXPECT TO PAY

£40

DEVELOPER

TT Games

PUBLISHER

Warner Bros

REVIEWED ON

Core i5 12600K, RTX

3070, 32 gig DDR5

MULTIPLAYER

Yes

LINK

bit.ly/3xfvYj4

CLASS WARFARE

The cast is sorted into archetypes, dictating their attacks and abilities

JEDI/DARK SIDE

Lightsaber combos

and Force push. Say

what you want about

the space western

stuff, but this is what

people show up for.

SCOUNDREL/

BOUNTY HUNTER

The space western

stuff in Star Wars –

this is what I show up

for.Ranged attacks

and bonus cash.

HERO/VILLAIN

Our non Force-

powered protagonist

types. Useful in any

situation, and also

able to hack certain

special consoles.

SCAVENGER

A uniqueclasswith

the ability to craft

puzzle-solving

implements like a

barrier-busting

cannon.

ASTROMECH/

PROTOCOL DROID

Astromechs are

needed to get past

locks, and Protocol

Droids can translate

alien languages.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

REVIEW

74