Console Corner: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review

It is a feeling usually reserved for games I enjoyed during my relative youth but Lego Star Wars hadn’t been around that long had it? It prompted me to reach for my phone for a quick Google search upon which I was staggered to learn that the reason for that nostalgic sensation is because the brilliant franchise is now nearly 20 (yes TWENTY) years old. Wow.

Unlike most Lego games - where you advance through the story in a linear format - LSW: Skywalker Saga allows you to choose your starting point from any of the three Skywalker Saga trilogies and complete them in any order you wish.

Each episode has five story missions, making a total of 45 levels, contrasting from six levels per episode in previous games.

The combat has been overhauled from previous titles. Lightsaber wielders now use a variety of combo with light attacks, heavy attacks, and Force moves while blaster characters have an over-the-shoulder camera.

There are a whopping 380 playable characters! As a result there is no character customisation tool. Mumble Mode allows players to switch between original voice acting and having the characters mumble as in the older Lego games.

And much like its predecessor, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the game's hub is not a single area, such as the Mos Eisley Cantina in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, but instead a wide range of fully explorable planets filled with iconic Star Wars landmarks.

Revamped combat mechanics give this Lego game so much more depth in terms of strategic fighting and makes for seriously interesting combos.

The wider variety of character types also provides new depth never seen before both in terms of the combat and puzzles as it really dangles the carrot for players to swap regularly rather than play through with one particular character.

The graphics are sensational on both handheld and big screen for Switch with the Lego bricks and highly-detailed models on each planet making for some awesome exploration and backdrops.The writing and humour, as ever with Lego games, is hilarious and designed to bring a chuckle to players of all ages.

There are some small grievances when it comes to certain campaign objectives which can amount to little more than grinding walks between waypoints. But it does not detract from the overall enjoyment.

LSW: The Skywalker Saga provides a much-needed refresh that goes way beyond the polish up and repackage that some classic titles fall foul of.

This is a top class reinvention of some of the most memorable moments from the LSW cannon set in levels and on planets that look better than ever with more depth than we’ve seen in two decades of this excellent franchise.

Some elements feel a touch shallow in parts and it is easy to see why the upgrade and cover systems as well as co-op mode have been criticised in reviews.

Overall, though, it does little to affect the enjoyment of a thrilling and engaging journey from Episode I through to the end of Episode IX.

A must-have for any discerning Switch owner’s collection.

Rating: 8.5/10