Is the Force strong with this latest Lego game?
Ahh Episode 7: The Force Awakens…a great film that reunited us with old characters such as Leia, Han, Chewie and Luke (Even if it was for a few seconds before the credits, damn you JJ!) I had a feeling that we might be getting another Lego game of the series, especially considering it was the franchise that made the Lego games famous in the first place.
The game oddly begins with a Prologue, basically a level recapping the events at the end of Return of the Jedi. Essentially you fight on Endor and re-do the battle against the Emperor, I’m not entirely sure why they decided to add this in, my guess is probably as filler. That doesn’t stop it being a bad level, it’s actually quite good and introduces us to the new gameplay features such as the cover system for shooting sections and the ability to build more than one object out of Lego bricks.
As you would expect, the game takes you through the course of events in Episode 7 but with the classic Lego humour during the cutscenes and levels. The cast did special lines for the game, which is a first for the Star Wars collection of Lego games, which obviously makes it better than simply re-using dialogue from the film.
The core Lego gameplay is still in place, but the new cover system is a curious addition. I actually quite like it, even if it is a bit basic in its design. Essentially you only go into cover during certain sections and then you have to wipe out the enemies in front of you by popping out at the right times and shooting. An indication of what enemy will attack next shows, so you can time it just right too.
Expect plenty of hidden collectibles and levels to replay once you have the specific characters to reach hidden areas or break specific items, just like past Lego games. It doesn’t break tradition too much, but I do like that you can build an object with a set of blocks, only to use it for it’s purpose then smash it and use it again for the other location.
Visually, it’s one of the best looking games in the Lego series to date. Having played both Xbox One and PS4 versions, I can say they are identical in their performance. It runs smoothly, load times aren’t too bad and even after all these years, plus dozens of Lego games at this point…it still maintains a great sense of humour that always gets a chuckle out of me. Voice-acting is great thanks to the cast who I assume will be reprising their roles for Lego Star Wars – Episode 8 and 9, maybe even a Lego Star Wars: Rogue One perhaps?
The Verdict
While it doesn’t break tradition that much, there’s lots of fun to be found with The Force Awakens…just like the film itself. TT Games still have what it takes to deliver a great Lego parody of classic and new films that hopefully will continue for a long time to come.