All 9 'Star Wars' films are coming to the world of Lego video games.
'Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' is coming to consoles on April 5th, and we received our first proper in-depth look at what the game has to offer.
The biggest draw is the ability to play through all 9 movies in the iconic 'Star Wars' saga, with 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Rise Of Skywalker' available in video game form for the first time.
Over 300 characters from the famous sci-fi franchise will be available for players to play as, finally letting us live out our fan fiction where Jar Jar Binks and Kylo Ren are best friends or Jabba The Hutt hanging out with Domhnall Gleeson's General Hux.
This is the first game in the Lego universe since the 2019 tie-in for 'The Lego Movie 2' and has suffered a protracted development process, with the game being subject to numerous delays.
The game missed its initial October 2020 release date and was announced to have been delayed again in early 2021, but the game has a release date locked in, with a new gameplay video to go along with it.
The gameplay looks different to the typical Lego game based on licensed properties, with a pseudo-RPG element, cover mechanics, and an open-world approach to level design present in the trailer.
A press release from Warner Brothers said "LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga lets players experience battles like never before in a LEGO game as players can string different attacks together to form combo chains and fend off oncoming attacks."
"New blaster controls and mechanics allow players to aim with precision and take cover to plot their next move or utilize the skills of a Jedi by wielding a lightsaber and using the power of The Force."
A class system has been introduced to the game, with players able to upgrade abilities across a range of classes such as Jedi, Hero, Dark Side, Villain, Scavenger, Scoundrel, Bounty Hunter, Astromech Droid, and Protocol Droid.
'Lego Star Wars' was the very first Lego game based on a licensed property, and helped establish developer Traveller's Tales as the go-to studio for adapting big franchise titles such as 'Harry Potter', 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Avengers'.
'Lego Star Wars', which adapted George Lucas' prequel trilogy, was released to coincide with 'Revenge Of The Sith' in May 2005 and turned out to be a surprise hit for Traveller's Tales, with 'Lego Star Wars 2', which adapted the classic original trilogy, following shortly after in 2006.
The original 'Lego Star Wars' games used mumbled voices to tell the existing stories while more recent Lego games have moved to fully-voiced acted performances, and in homage to the games roots, players can play through the entire saga in the classic mumbled voices.
'The Force Awakens' received its own mainline title in 2016, but the 'Lego Star Wars' franchise has remained dormant since then, which makes 'The Skywalker Saga' the first time 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Rise Of Skywalker' are playable.
'The Skywalker Saga' is set for release on April 5th 2022 for PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox series of consoles, the Nintendo Switch and PC.
