My kids have recently discovered LEGO Star Wars and it has been a blast getting to watch them and play along with them! When I had the chance to see the latest installment in the LEGO Star Wars franchise I couldn’t wait to see it and blow my kids minds. At E3 2019 I got to go behind closed doors with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games to see more.
Rather than do a basic remaster of what came before TT Games has opted to rebuild the Star Wars saga brick by brick. When LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga launches in early 2020 it will include all 9 mainline Star Wars films! Each movie can be accessed right from the start, so if you want to jump right into Episode IX you are free to. In our presentation we jumped into Return of the Jedi and were off to Tatooine. Things work differently in LEGO Star Wars this time around with each planet acting as a tiny open world. You can explore and find side quests or jump into the story content that follows the movies. In typical LEGO game fashion there was plenty of humor to be found, like a clumsy Gonk droid that just wanted to get across the desert!
Combat and force powers are also more in depth than previous LEGO Star Wars games. Shooting is now handled more like a traditional third person shooter with aiming down sites and body specific damages and reactions. Likewise, force powers work with more freedom and you are able to move objects with ease. New space combat segments have also been added for when you travel between planets. In the presentation, a Super Star Destroyer popped out of hyperspace and launched a flight of Tie Fighters to try and take us out. Being a Rogue Squadron fan, it is always a thrill to see Star Wars space combat in any form and The Skywalker Saga’s looks really fun!
I came away from the presentation loving what I saw! The series has definitely moved to another level and I can’t wait to experience everything it has to offer. I do think the new mechanics will make the game harder to enjoy with my younger kids, but who knows what types of games they will be able to handle by the time LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga launches! LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be released on PC PS4, Switch and Xbox One in early 2020.
