LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review: Force Friendly

It’s interesting that after all these years of LEGO games seeing their ever evolving state constantly trying to figure out just what makes a game fun. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is no exception. This is possibly one of the best LEGO games available and is by far superior to anything (save LEGO Dimensions) that the developers TT Fusion and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have put forth. As we all know (or should know by now), LEGO games are often a foil or spoof on other familiar franchises; in this case it would be the Star Wars: The Force Awaken film that debuted in movies theaters last December. These spoofs over the course of time since the first [modern] LEGO title have become funnier, better timed, and never too much to handle.

The Force Awakens is funny. It’s extremely family-friendly. It’s easy to pick up and put down at a moment’s notice. Those are three very important points when getting into this game so you can imagine right off the bat what type of person this game is intended for. Though the film was rated PG-13 which means it’s intended for teenagers or older, The Force Awakens is definitely for any and all who’d like to partake in this colorful adventure. Its eye opening colors from beginning to end blow up the screen’s brightness as these shiny little connectable blocks don’t just copy a modern film, but politely put their own inner workings of humor and a fun time to good use. You won’t see any bloodshed here. Just a cute and charming way of making the newest Star Wars film as a playable tribute.

"Within the games eight to 10 hours of play time, the pacing for the game was superb. There didn’t seem to be any drawn out moments, or gags that went on far too long."

The Force Awakens uses dialog from the movie during their respective scenes. In a game where the simplest light saber battle quickly turns into a game of witlessness (quite literally, I might add), these nearly always serious dialogues are sometimes out of place as they can often be too much for a lighthearted setting. Either way, it fills the player in on what exactly is going down in a fulfilling way rather than old LEGO games that had to use way too many actions to give a somewhat abstract approach to storytelling.

Within the game’s 8 to 10 hours of play time, the pacing for the game was superb. There didn’t seem to be any drawn out moments, or gags that went on far too long. Going from one location to another was a delight as each location supported a main story theme and a great amount of action, unique puzzle solving, and co-op interactivity to get through each section. Speaking of co-op interactivity, this time around all characters seem to have a real purpose in the game that can keep them busy a lot of the time. Playing alone or with a friend will be nothing less than an action packed session where everyone is busy doing something, even if you are switching between characters by yourself.

Besides the fun single player/co-op worlds, there is actually a surprising amount of new ideas stuffed into this tiny, little package. On-rails shooting segments within a space ship, and even dogfights where you are free to fly about have been added for space scenes. And seeing LEGO pieces fly off into space after fragmenting an enemy vessel was just fun.

"Furthermore, these worlds often take a substantial amount of loading times in a game that isn’t too often loading in other main story."

Continuing on with additional stuffing (if you will), many different worlds have been added within the galaxy as well. These worlds are often free to explore and find spoils and loot to collect to 100 percent the game. Other stories follow out into these far reaching worlds, but nothing that is too concerning for the main game itself. Furthermore, these worlds often take a substantial amount of loading time. I’m not sure if this will be fixed later on down the line, but as of right now the load times for those worlds is not good enough.

One of the most fun aspects about being a Star Wars enthusiast, like myself,  is the engrossing music that runs along each scene; intricately utilized in some of the most impressive ways in modern film history. With The Force Awakens, there are plenty of moments where the music plays just the right keys that allows for that moment of awesomeness. You can actually sit back, spoof aside, and realize that this is not only a Star Wars game, but an enticingly good one.

When all the pieces are put in place, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is actually a game you probably would be happy with adding to your collection of family friendly, non-violent games. It’s quick to play through, has fun story, hilarious antics and good natured cuteness which makes this a great game for anyone to get their hands on.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.