It's strange to think that the LEGO action-adventure games from Traveller's Tales have been going for almost twenty years now. It all started with LEGO Star Wars back in 2005, and the developer has revisited the property with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga this year. Now, the Galactic Edition is available as a comprehensive version of this title.
The idea of revisiting LEGO Star Wars may raise an eyebrow for those who already played the original games, particularly if they were less enamored by the sequel trilogy's rather chaotic story. However it's worth noting that this is an extremely different beast to those original games, and indeed is very different to the other LEGO games based on external properties that Traveller's Tales has worked on over the years. With a changed third person camera perspective and a complete overhaul of the combat mechanics, this is actually a refreshing change to the LEGO game formula.
It's quite a drastic shift of focus, but in single player LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Galactic Edition works very well. The game is full of large, expansive open world areas that shift into more linear sections, and the way that these recreate the feeling of different parts of the Star Wars universe is great. There's plenty of LEGO fun to be found as well, with little moments of humor hidden throughout, and so there's always something enjoyable to find.
It's almost a shame that this creativity is hidden behind the need to rehash old parts of the Star Wars movies, rather than allowing for a bit of creativity. This stays very close to the source material - perhaps moreso than some of the previous LEGO games - when the more open nature would have been served very well by letting Traveller's Tales off the reins to be able to work on some more original concepts within the Star Wars universe. It's still an enjoyable experience, and unlocking all those beloved characters scratches that endorphin itch, but having something unique here could maybe have been even better - particularly given the lack of custom character tools.
Even so, rebuilding LEGO Star Wars was always going to be tricky. The original two games based on the prequel and original trilogy, and to a lesser extent the third Clone Wars title, are beloved video games for many, but Traveller's Tales has gone a good job of creating something new while maintaining the legacy of tone that the original titles had. One particularly nice touch is the ability to select 'Mumble Mode' for the game, bringing back the classic LEGO mumbling instead of voice lines. Meanwhile, the moment to moment combat is enjoyable, although it may occasionally feel a little clumsy.
Unfortunately one of the changes made for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Galactic Edition does impact on the experience negatively. LEGO games have always reveled in two player couch co-op, but the new third person camera seriously hampers split screen, reducing how much of the game each player can see in comparison to the previous fixed camera of older games. It does make co-op play worse, and in other games this could be something of a minor inconvenience, but in a game series that has long been a go-to for local multiplayer it is very disappointing. Everything from puzzles to combat is hindered by an inability to really see what is going on, particularly when using force powers.
Overall, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Galactic Edition is a strong game in the series. Those who didn't pick up the Skywalker Saga normal release earlier this year will find some enjoyment at the inclusion of a new set of characters, particularly those from Star Wars TV shows, although it's nothing essential for those who already own the game. The changes to the LEGO formula are a bit hit and miss, but in general land well - hopefully there will be a tweak to how the co-op works for future releases, though.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Galactic Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a Xbox Series X/S code for the purposes of this review.
