Years of anticipation have finally come to a head with the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. As someone who played the first two LEGO Star Wars games near-endlessly as well as the Complete Saga, this has been the exact game that I’ve been waiting for, for over fifteen years. Luckily, what TT Games and Warner Bros. Games have put together is nothing short of one of the best Star Wars games to ever exist.

Story

The game consists of the full 9-episode saga and goes through each one at a brisk pace, hitting every important story beat and inside joke along the way. You’ll see Anakin’s fall to the dark side, Rey’s destruction of the Sith, and everything in-between. Your favorite galaxy of characters is brought to life in the hammiest way they’ve ever been and it’s exactly the way they were meant to be. This game is a relentless jokefest that every fan of the series can get behind and it shows the passion that the team behind it has for the series.

There are also some interesting moments throughout the game where a setting was changed a bit or creative liberties were taken in order to fully explain the scenario to any kids playing. Though we adults may love watching the films with our little ones, this truly is the best way for them to get on board with our favorite galaxy far far away. And even as a 26-year-old, this managed to grab my interest one hundred percent of the time and made me feel like a kid again.

Gameplay

As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of all things LEGO Star Wars, I was over-joyed with the creativity and originality TT Games brought to The Skywalker Saga. If you’ve played either the original game or the Complete Saga, you won’t have to worry about retreading the same ground. The levels that may have been evident in those games have been completely done anew to the point where it feels like you’ve never even been there at all.

As I said, the team took liberties with some storytelling aspects and this only strengthens the game and the fact that new outlooks are implemented into it. Say, for instance, we get to see Mace Windu get the gang together to go arrest Palpatine and Leia don her Boushh disguise in order to sneak into Jabba’s palace. It’s moments like these that, as a lifelong Star Wars fan, gave me even more enjoyment for things that have always been left up to my own imagination.

As well as new levels come new combat altogether. Everything is brought up to current industry snuff to the point where this doesn’t at all feel like the run-of-the-mill LEGO game you played all those years ago. There’s over-the-shoulder third-person shooting, wall running, intricate lightsaber combat, more entertaining aerial combat, and even skill trees to upgrade. There are so many insanely cool boss battles that felt as cinematic as they could ever get. It’s truly like playing the movies, in the best way.

But what would a good LEGO game be without its mountain of collectibles? To say that this is large would be an understatement. There are a total of 24 planets in all, each with its own set of collectibles to locate, side-missions to take part in, and easter eggs to discover. This is a Star Wars fan’s paradise if there ever was one. Lest we forget that you can also replay any of the game’s main missions as well to “True Jedi” them by collecting as many studs as possible as well as find their own list of collectibles like the iconic “Minikits”.

Besides playing missions or hunting collectibles, this game really is just an amazing time when exploring just for the sake of it. Each planet is so intricate and painstakingly recreated faithfully to the source material that you could lose yourself for days just wandering around in them with the over 300 characters you can amass as well as the iconic ships you can fly. And yes, each planet’s space is also available to fly around in and offers missions or even space battles to engage in as well.

This game really feels like the perfect culmination of what this team has done since the original LEGO Star Wars, with quality of life updates being brought so that this game will stand the test of time. I was ecstatic my entire time playing and even when I wasn’t playing, all I could think about was the kind of new challenge the game would throw my way when I got back in or how they’d execute a specific scene from the film I left off at. There are very few games these days that give me that feeling so it was really something magical that this was able to capture that feeling in me.

Audio and Visuals

Where to begin with this one? It is absolutely bonkers that this is a LEGO game. There are so many moments where it can look photo-realistic. The environments are so rich and gorgeous to behold. I was absolutely astounded and captivated by what TT Games was able to achieve. The lighting and textures are specifically spectacular and you can really tell that they did not hold back on this one. Every location comes to life the exact way that the films portray them.

That’s not even to mention how fantastic the LEGO aspects of the game look, especially the characters. Not only do they look insanely well-done, but they can also oftentimes have a bit of grit or dirt applied to their clothes or skin to really make them feel real. I also loved the fact that there are so many different variants of many of the characters with subtle changes like hoods or even just facial differences. For example, Anakin’s eyes are normal at the beginning of his fight with Obi-Wan and by the end them being that piercing yellow we all know.

Sound as well is beautiful with just about every track from all 9 films’ scores making the cut. Even the haunting track “Padmé's Ruminations” from Revenge of the Sith makes an appearance. I appreciate that nothing was left on the cutting-room floor when it came to this game. Even a ton of the actors from not only the live-action films but also the animated ventures return to reprise their roles. Billy Dee Williams returned for his role as Lando Calrissian and James Arnold Taylor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the long-running Clone Wars animated series returned as well, and those are just a couple of the many returning stars.

Replayability

As I’ve already said before, this title begs to explored until you’ve gotten to experience each and every little detail. There are hundreds of characters to unlock, there are 24 planets to explore, and 9 campaigns to play over and over again. And we can’t forget that there’s also local drop-in and out co-op with a friend. This is definitely a blast to play with a buddy or even your offspring as you open their eyes to the best stories in the galaxy.

What It Could Have Done Better

If I’m going to be honest, there are a few visual bugs that I noticed though none of which impacted my enjoyment whatsoever. Most were a bit quirky like a character disappearing for a moment. There was also a single game crash though it never reared its ugly face again.

Verdict

As a die-hard Star Wars fan who absolutely enjoys each and every movie in the franchise, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is exactly what I’ve been waiting for my whole life. There really isn’t anything like this game when it comes to the sheer enjoyment and fulfillment it gave me throughout. It even managed to steal a few tears from me by the end. It’s clear to see the genuine admiration and attention to the franchise that the devs lovingly poured into this one.

Nothing can beat blasting my way through all 9 of my favorite films of all time, with deep exploration and incredibly fun gameplay to immerse me. The added fact that I can visit my favorite place ever created, Coruscant, whenever I want is a dream that has finally come true. If you consider yourself a Star Wars fan in any capacity, you are going to fall in love with this as much as I have.