LEGO Star Wars is in many ways synonymous with the theatrical franchise, with over 400 buildable products and the five video games released to date. Having debuted the first set in 1999 with the X-Wing and the first video game in 2005 with LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, the two companies have had a strong long-lasting relationship that continues to this day under Disney.
After being announced at 2019's Game Awards for a planned 2020 release, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will finally be dropping on all major platforms in 2022. For the first time, players will be able to experience the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies in one game, all while exploring a huge open-world galaxy and playing as over 300 characters.
So far, only a few short trailers have been released for The Skywalker Saga, but a new video from the studio has revealed lots of gameplay and an official release date.
LEGO Star Wars Reveals Gameplay and Release Date
The official LEGO Gaming YouTube channel released a gameplay overview of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga game featuring footage of all three trilogies.
Star Wars' latest bricked adventure will allow players to start from the first installment of any of the three eras and experience a host of new mechanics that mark a new evolution of the LEGO franchise.
New combat features will include blaster mechanics for targeted aiming, taking cover, and chaining attacks into powerful combos.
Players will be able to explore 20 unlockable planets in free-roam, story levels, and side missions. Gamers can also take to the skies with new flight mechanics to pilot iconic ships and experience immersive dogfights.
A new collectible item called Kyber Bricks can be used to unlock upgraded abilities across a variety of different character classes.
The video confirmed that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will release on April 5, 2022.
The full video can be seen below:
The Next Step in LEGO Evolution
The LEGO game franchise has always had its own unique family-friendly style of simplistic gameplay that tends to avoid any real depth or complications. TT Games seems to be throwing its playbook out the window for the newest Star Wars adventure as it adopts a more traditional third-person action-adventure style.
With features such as targeted aiming, taking cover, and chaining combos, the combat within this game will be the richest in LEGO history and seemingly on par with other titles in the genre. A major surprise comes with the introduction of RPG elements, as different character classes with upgradable abilities add more progression than ever.
Not only does The Skywalker Saga look to be the biggest LEGO title yet, but it also looks to be the biggest Star Wars gaming experience to date. Gamers will be able to freely explore the entire galaxy, experience all nine films, and play as hundreds of iconic characters with unique abilities.
For now, the game appears to be sticking strictly to the nine films in the Skywalker Saga, but it wouldn't be surprising to see future DLC delve into other Star Wars material such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
With LEGO having now seemingly made the definitive Star Wars gaming experience, it will be interesting to see what franchise it will tackle on this scale next. Perhaps the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings franchises could receive similar treatment in the years to come.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will release on April 5, 2022 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.