“Chewie, we’re home…”
Star Wars and Lego. Few things in life can make me grin from ear to ear like that combination. I revert to my childhood just thinking about them. I've built Lego for years and have grown up surrounded by Star Wars all my life. So when LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens was announce I was in hogs heaven. Traveller’s Tales have been making LEGO games based on movie franchises for over fifteen years. During that time their reputation to make fun and engaging games has soared. But as with any game series lethargy has crept in and a sense of deja vu accompanies every new game. The last LEGO game I played was LEGO Jurassic Park and as good as that game is I decided to pass on the opportunity of review any new LEGO games for a while.
Travellers Tales had to do something drastic and give these games a kick up the arse. The novelty of collecting bricks and studs wore thin a long time ago. And a twist of fate they have chosen a Star Wars title to try and inject new blood into the series because for Traveller’s Tales this is where it all began all those years ago. So with a twist here and a tweak there LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens is the best game in the series for years.
Strangely the game begins during the end of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi during the battle of Endor and then ultimately the fight between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and The Emperor. It's a great opening sequence which is chock full of humour but ultimately it's there as a tutorial to teach new players the ropes and to introduce the game's new mechanics. The build function now has a multi-build option which allows you to use one pile of bricks to build multiple object. Once you have built one object and it's outlived it's usefulness you can smash it to pieces and build a completely new object. It's not gonna change the world but it adds an incredible amount of depth to the levels and let's you tackle them how you want rather than only having the option to build just one object to progress.
Another welcome surprise in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens are sequences that see you take on wave after wave of Stormtroopers, turrets and in some sections First Order vehicles in a new gameplay mechanic lifted straight from Gears of War. These cover shooting sections are great fun and being pinned down behind cover and picking the right moment to pop up and lock onto a specific target to blast into smithereens is amazingly satisfying. It's not as gratifying as Gears of War but this is a LEGO game and it definitely adds a little more spice to the gameplay.
Did I mention the flying sections yet? No I didn't think so. For me these really are the icing on the cake. There are two types that you get to play. Some sections are on rails so one minute you could be flying the Millennium Falcon or an X-Wing during the Death Star trench run on rails which leads into a free flight section inside the Death Star's core where you need to collect torpedos to take out the reactor or how about escaping The First Order in a Tie Fighter or escaping Jakku in the Millennium Falcon. These flying sections are a complete joy to play and they blow all of the flying sections in Star Wars: Battlefront out of the water for thrills. Each time I got to climb into the cockpit of a legendary Star Wars ship I grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Traveller's Tales have forgotten about the all encompassing stud/brick collecting but rest assured it's still here. As tedious as it gets I still find myself destroying every single piece of scenery I can just so I can pick up those white, gold and blue studs just so I can get that Jedi rating at the end of each level. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens runs the gamut of the entire film and it even explores the gaps in the film by giving you six secret missions to complete. So if you wondered why C3-P0 has a red arm or how Han and Chewie captured the ravenous Rathtars then you're going to find all the answers you need here. But be warned this is spoiler territory.
As with most LEGO games there are over two hundred characters and forty vehicles and creatures to unlock as you play. As an added bonus there are thirty five slabs of carbonite hidden around the levels and each one
unlocks a classic or prequel character from the Star Wars movies. Add five more free play environments to that list and there's a lot of unlockables and exploring to be done when you have completed the campaign. Every level has multiple routes that are only accessible by specific characters so you'll definitely have to go back and use characters you have unlocked to complete everything the game has to offer. There is also a robust co-op mode available which let's you play the game using local split screen. Maybe it's just me but I found the co-op to be a lot more fun then previous games in the series and I can't really put my finger on why that is. It plays exactly like any other co-op game it just felt tighter and more fun.
Each character's abilities really stand out as well with no one character more important than another. During boss battles Poe Dameron's ability to scan enemy vehicles and structures for weaknesses paired with BB-8’s ability to hack into any terminal he finds then add another character into the mix, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia or even Admiral Ackbar and each character compliments each other. It's a joy to play and it never feels like you're being forced to play as a specific character just because they are part of the Star Wars canon.
I can't recommend LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens enough. It just goes to show how a few gameplay tweaks and a few new game mechanics can breathe life into a series that was beginning to become stale. Traveller's Tales clearly love the source material and their humour and knowledge shines bright throughout the game. The only problem they have now is how do they better this game.
Size:17.57 GB
Release Date: 28/06/2016
Developer:TT Games
Publisher:Warner Bros. Interactive
Genre:Action & Adventure
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available now for £49.99
Review code supplied by XCN