Announced in June 2019 and originally slated for launch the following year, LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga will have suffered many postponements before reaching us. But the wait is about to come to an end and we finally got to approach the game for the very first time. Here are our cold impressions of this dream collection for fans of the franchise imagined by George Lucas.
But before we start, let's point out that we attended a one-hour presentation with the developers before having the opportunity to test the game with the controller in hand for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Our session took place on PC in streaming, which did not necessarily pay tribute to the graphics of the title. Additionally, only Episode IV was playable as part of this preview. Now it's time to go to a galaxy far, far away.
A true tribute to a mythical saga
It's not really new, but remember that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga comes in the form of a compilation of the nine feature films reworked with LEGO sauce. From the main menu, the player can freely choose the trilogy with which he wishes to start. Each adventure will depict the events of the films while adding a healthy dose of humor. Thus, the lifespan will undoubtedly be astronomical! And the presentation that was concocted for us by the TT Games teams turned out to be rich in content.
The developers promise more than 300 characters to unlock, a hundred or so vehicles to pilot (Millennium Falcon, imperial ships, TIE fighters, etc.) and up to 23 planets to explore freely. Without forgetting the story told through the nine films which will be divided into missions. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca and of course the terrible Darth Vader will all be playable throughout our epic. Suffice to say right away that the program is very attractive on paper... And there is also something to celebrate, controller in hand.
Stronger LEGOs?
In the past, video games stamped "LEGO" were mainly aimed at a young audience. This was reflected in their jokes sweetening the sometimes dark moments of a story and in their somewhat simplistic gameplay. At this level, TT Games has reviewed its copy. With this Star Wars saga, significant changes have been applied with, for example, a freer camera which is now placed behind our hero or the arrival of a more advanced combat system. Characters equipped with a firearm can now take cover before firing. The damage on an enemy is localized according to the part of the body targeted. You can even perform combos during close encounters. This is valid for jousting with bare hands as with a lightsaber.
Sure, the scuffles aren't terribly difficult, but these additions bring real depth to the gameplay. Fairly basic puzzles and other platform phases come to diversify the formula. A few QTEs punctuate the moments of bravery and space combat at the controls of a ship are also to be expected. Even better, each level has alternate paths that the player can decide to take or not. So, it definitely feels like TT Games has ticked all the boxes for a Star Wars game worthy of the name.
Absolutely shiny bricks
The trailers hinted at high-end graphic quality and this first approach to LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga confirms it. The conditions that were imposed on us did not allow us to judge the graphics at their fair value, but it was enough to see the beauty of the scenery accessible during the preview. The set is colorful, the cities teem with life and the visual effects (like the explosions) hit the mark. If we still have some reservations about fluidity in general, we can say that this LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga looks great aesthetically. Same observation on the audio part since the best pieces of the films constantly titillate our ears and we appreciate the presence of fully dubbed dialogues for the occasion.
Finally, if picking up LEGO pieces or even bricks is not necessarily your favorite pastime, know that the game goes much further by incorporating RPG elements rather well included. Skill trees must thus be completed gradually in order to improve the abilities of our heroes. These talents are divided into different classes (jedi, rebel, bounty hunter, droid...) and can be unlocked by spending kyber bricks hidden through the sometimes relatively open environments. Thus, the recipe for LEGO video games seems more harmonious than ever!
JVFR
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, our first impressions
We repeat, this LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga impressed us with the richness of its content when we have only scratched the surface so far. TT Games' game is just as pleasant to watch despite a sometimes capricious framerate. Thanks to the new combat system, everything seems more dynamic so that it sometimes feels like rubbing shoulders with a real TPS.
If we can fear a form of redundancy unfortunately quite common in LEGO productions, the phases that were shown to us precisely emphasized their variety. We will therefore have to wait for our final test to know the end of the story. Anyway, this LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga seems to have all the cards in hand to satisfy movie lovers but also newcomers.
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