The number of big releases in this quarter that were meant for last year is pretty crazy. However, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has been an even longer time coming. It was initially announced at E3 2019 and faced numerous delays (with reports of crunch and outdated development tools causing issues). Nevertheless, it’s finally upon us, having gone gold and releasing on April 5th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Here are 15 things you need to know before picking it up.
Features All Nine Films
In terms of scale, this is the biggest LEGO game yet, encompassing all nine films in the Star Wars saga. Everything, from The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, culminating in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, is here. You can also select and complete any trilogy in any order you wish, instead of having to play through them all in linear fashion.
45 Story Missions
Each mainline film offers five story missions, making for a total of 45 missions in the entire saga. Of course, they’re not all straight shots either. As revealed in the recent overview trailer, some have multiple routes which encourage going in, guns blazing, while others reward stealth and sneaky tactics. Each level also has varying mechanics, whether it’s the Speeder Chase on Endor in Return of the Jedi or lobbing projectiles at Droid armies during the battle on Naboo.
Side Missions
If that weren’t enough, each locale has a number of different side missions to tackle. When you’re on Tatooine, for instance, you can partake in a mini-game to shoot Womp Rats (as Luke was known for doing) or resolve the mystery of who shot first – Han or Greedo. The full extent of side missions has yet to be confirmed but levels are incredibly expansive, and there are plenty of collectibles to discover.
Over 300 Playable Characters
The biggest appeal to a game like this is the sheer number of playable characters. Make no mistake, this is the largest roster yet with over 300 characters to control, from Qui-Gonn, Darth Vader and Princess Leia to Rei, C3PO and Mace Windu. Each character has their own specific class which can be upgraded by finding Kyber Bricks. They also have unique abilities like the Scavenger’s Net Launcher for climbing faster, the Scoundrel’s sense of finding opportunistic shots or separating your body as a Protocol Droid to venture into tight spaces.
Freeplay Mode
Based on the overview trailer, it seems that the main story missions will lock you into playing as specific characters (which makes sense given how the movies played out). But don’t worry – there’s also Freeplay Mode. This lets you pick anyone from the roster and go crazy, whether it’s some piddly droid, Count Dooku or Jabba the Hutt. You’ll have to spend some time to unlock everyone but the sheer amount of choice is crazy.
Planets and Moons
There are numerous planets and moons to explore throughout the saga including Tatooine, Coruscant, Kamino, Endor, Jakku, Hoth, Kashyyyk, and even Starkiller Base. Plot a course on the star chart and venture to a location, exploring its numerous levels upon arrival. Certain ships like the Death Star and Star Destroyers can also act as hubs to freely explore.
Random Encounters in Space
Plotting a course isn’t just a matter of fast-traveling to another planet or moon. You’ll actually hop into your ship, fly out into space, travel through hyperspace and arrive outside of a planet’s orbit. Of course, much like the movies, you could also be assaulted in random encounters. For example, a random Star Destroyer may suddenly appear and send TIE Fighters after you, thus prompting a fight for survival.
Space Dogfights
Random encounters aside, there are plenty of iconic space dogfights to satisfy the hardcore Star Wars faithful. You’ll control Luke and his X-Wing in the assault on the Death Star in A New Hope; play as Han and fight off Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters while trying to escape in The Empire Strikes Back; and much more. This is in addition to piloting vehicles like the Landspeeder and Slave-1.
Melee Combat Improvements
One of the biggest criticisms against the LEGO series of games has been their gameplay and how simplistic it can be. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga takes great strides to improve this, particularly when it comes to combat. Melee combat features light and heavy attacks, along with extensive combos which allow for juggling foes into the air. Certain characters have counters and the Jedi can also use Force Powers to lift objects and hurl them at enemies or influence NPCs to do their bidding.
Third-Person Shooting and Cover
Blaster-focused characters also now have a proper third-person perspective for shooting. Cover is also important, allowing you to hunker down, take a breather and tactically pick off foes instead of rushing in headlong. All of this makes for more intuitive combat along with further immersing players in these classic battles.
Extras
Along with additional characters and abilities, there’s an entirely separate category of Extras to unlock. These include Baguette Lightsabers (which, as the name indicates, replaces Lightsabers with baguettes); Hologram Mode, which bestows a hologram effect to playable characters; GNK Civilians which replaces all civilians with GNK Droids; and much more. If you’re tired of the classic voices, then turn on Mumble Mode – this changes all of the spoken dialogue to mumbles and grunts for added hilarity.
PC Requirements
Though touted as the best-looking title in the series yet, the hardware requirements on PC are very manageable. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850. Recommended requirements include a Core i5-6600 or Ryzen 3 3100, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 780 or Radeon R9 290. In both cases, you’ll need 40 GB of installation space.
DLC Character Packs
If all of the content available on day one wasn’t enough, there’s even more that’s being added post-launch. Those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition will receive access to seven DLC character packs. These encompass The Mandalorian Season 1 and 2, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story and even Star Wars: The Bad Batch. You also receive access to classic characters (including an exclusive classic Obi-Wan Kenobi) and the Trooper Pack, which is also available on pre-ordering.
Local Co-op
In terms of multiplayer, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga offers local co-op for two players. Again, how this will work in the main story missions is unknown but there are several occasions, like Luke and Han assaulting the Death Star to rescue Leia, which could accommodate two players. Otherwise, there’s always Freeplay Mode for choosing whichever characters you’d like.
4K Ultra HD and HDR10 Support
In terms of current-gen consoles, the Xbox Store lists support for 4K Ultra HD and HDR10. These same features should be present in the PS5 version (hopefully along with cross-gen saves and free upgrades). Resolution and frame rates for each platform have yet to be detailed but it’s somewhat safe to expect 4K resolution and/or 60 FPS support on Xbox Series X and PS5.