I have been a fan of the Star Wars franchise ever since I saw Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi duke it out in what was considered back then, a lightsaber duel. With the release of the latest addition to the franchise last year, a die-hard fan like me had to watch it at least three times after waiting for more than a decade for another Star Wars movie. When it comes to playing the Lego version of said movie, however, was a totally different story.
It’s A Trap!
The beginning of Lego Star Wars paid homage to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi by reimagining the Battle on Endor scene for scene, right down to Admiral Ackbar spewing his famous line – “It’s a trap!”. You begin by gaining control of a much younger Hans Solo, Leia Organa and Chewbacca (does his race even age to begin with?) as you battle your way through Endor to destroy the shield generator protector Death Star 2.0. A great feature brought into Lego Star Wars was the rebuilding factor that Lego is popularly known for, especially from The Lego Movie where we constantly see broken Lego bricks being rebuilt into something completely different every time. This time round, the Multi-Builds element is also introduced, giving you more options to what you would want to build.
The game also allows you to switch in-between characters in your party on-the-fly, making it easier to complete different tasks, which are suited to only one character at times. What I enjoyed most about the game was the amount of everyday objects that can be destroyed and in its place – gold and silver coins that can be collected for a later use. I honestly spent a good 10 minutes running around the Resistance base on D’Qar destroying everything and everyone (yes, you can kill your rebel buddies who will come back to life) just for more coins.
That’s Not How The Force Works!
You will also get the chance to play the part of Luke and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in their final confrontation against Emperor Palpatine, which for the record, was pretty close to the actual movie as well. Of course, the main highlight of this fight was the use of the Force, which allowed you to fling objects across the room. Like any other Star Wars fanatic, I provided my own sound effects for the lightsaber battles and Force Throws.
Aren’t You A Little Short For A Stormtrooper?
Another cool battle feature introduced into Lego Star Wars was “Blaster Battles”, which will pit you against Stormtroopers as you fight your way through to the next level. Overall, I am not a huge fan of this battle system as the camera to scope out your targets could be greatly worked on. The Blaster Battles were also pretty unrealistic as the Stormtroopers could somehow shoot with unfathomable accuracy and precision. What gives?
I Can Fly Anything
However, what Lego Star Wars lacks in Blaster Battles, it certainly makes up for it in dogfight space battles. The open-air dogfights were exhilarating, frantic and kept me at the edge of my seat at all times. Whether its controlling the agile and speedy TIE fighter, the robust and spirited Resistance X-Wing, or even the Millennium Falcon for crying out loud, it were scenes I looked forward to the most.
After playing through several missions, I came to the sad realisation that this would be the closest I would ever get to pilot an actual TIE Fighter or X-Wing. What followed was a series of heartaches following by tears of utter disappointment where I laid in the corner, clutching my knees, hoping that wouldn’t be true. Damn your brilliant mind George Lucas!
Don’t Get Cocky Kid
The multiplayer system in Lego Star Wars now allows your friend to take control of the other character in your party, thus making the game even more fun (and more challenging!). What ensued was a race to see who could collect more coins and unique items in the game instead of actually progressing with the story.
Score: 8/10
