In a few months,Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagashould finally be out.LEGOfans have been looking forward to this installment, as not only is it adapting nine movies intoLEGOform, two of them for the first time, but it’s also completely overhauling standardLEGOgameplay.The Skywalker Sagais going open world on a scale no otherLEGOgame has tried, even those adaptingLEGO-owned properties. Supposedly, that openness will be immediately apparent, with players able to fly across the galaxy to engage with the nineStar Warsfilm adaptations however they please. Even the basic combat has been changed to be closer to a traditional third-person shooter. After so many formulaicLEGOgames,The Skywalker Sagais sure to be a breath of fresh air.
But the change shouldn’t end atStar Wars. In Traveller’s Tales’sixteen years of developingLEGOgames, it has touched many properties beloved by geeks and gamers everywhere.Indiana Jones,Pirates of the Caribbean,The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and DC have all passed through its doors. However, one licensed property deserves to be revisited withThe Skywalker Saga’s changes more than any other. TheHarry Potterfilm and book franchise may have wrapped up its main story years ago, but with more movies and an upcoming AAA game coming out, the brand is still going strong. It would definitely be worth givingLEGO Harry Pottera second pass with the skills and technology built up byStar Wars.
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The Skywalker Saga’s Open World Would be Perfect for Harry Potter
LEGO Harry Potterwould be a perfect fit for theSkywalker Saga’s new format. Formerly, most licensedLEGOgames were linear, level-based affairs. Characters would move along a set path in an environment, stopping in various puzzle rooms and combat arenas along the way. At the end of a level, they would be able to either proceed to the next one or return to a hub.LEGOgames adapting multiple filmsalso had each film given its own section in the hub. There did come a point where certainLEGOgames took place primarily in an open world, but it was late into the brand’s life. When gameplay was happening, it typically happened in a straight line.
The Skywalker Sagais putting an end to that, more or less. The player will still be directed to chapters that bring them through distinct areas focused around set pieces. However, the wider game will be open world, and players will be able to roam the galaxy with their character of choice.Chapters will presumably be found on their planetsof origin, and would afterward probably be accessible via a menu. Otherwise, players will be able to pursue whatever side quests or collectathons they want in the massive play space.
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Most of theHarry Potterfilms and books take place inside Hogwarts, thus all ofLEGO Harry Potter’s Hogwarts should be expanded into a giant, explorable map that evolvesover the course ofHarry Potter’s school years. Every room and story event can be found somewhere, at some point, in the game. After a film’s year is complete, players could choose to reset the map state to a past film’s year, allowing them to explore the many attractions ofHarry Potter’s world to their heart’s content. They would be able to travel outside of Hogwarts as well, though it would not be an open world in the same way thatThe Skywalker Sagais. The many locations Harry visits over the course of his journeys are often far apart, though usually connected to Hogwarts in some way. Thus, Hogwarts would be the primary open-world map in a newLEGO Harry Pottergame.
LEGO Harry Potter Meshes Perfectly With The Skywalker Saga’s Gameplay
The typical LEGO game is a straightforward experience, befitting oftheir smaller development teams. One or two players take a party of characters through linear levels and solve simple puzzles in them. Often this is done by breaking and building LEGO pieces in the environment and performing light platforming. Sometimes enemies are spawned in, and sometimes other objectives are given, but this is what most of the gameplay boils down to. In all of the licensedLEGOgames, this has held true. There are plenty of side paths and opportunities for replaying with other characters, and over the years there has been more of an effort to visually differentiate the massive rosters. Even after what little progress has been made, the four originalLEGO Star Warsgames now feel particularly archaic, with character types in combat boiling down to using guns, lightsabers, or any other type of melee weapon.
That core seems to still hold true inThe Skywalker Saga, as it’s unclear if the attention paid to unique animations in the Marvel and DCLEGOgames will be carried back intoLEGO Star Wars. However,The Skywalker Sagawill be changing things upsignificantly. When combat rolls around, the perspective now shifts over the player character’s shoulder. Players can aim guns freely instead of just using a lock-on system, and lightsaber combat appears to have been completely overhauled. The minute gameplay differences aren’t yet known, but it’s clear to see things are not the same as they were.
These changes could not be more ideal forHarry Potter. The focus on wands inHarry Potter’s action means that the new aiming mechanics have come just in time. The cinematic duels observed inSkywalker Sagatrailers also work well for the various climactic duels inHarry Potter, such as the times Harry and Voldemort have fought. ALEGO Harry Pottergame could expand this even more, with spells unlocked over the course of the different films being added to the player’s arsenal. These spells could in turn be used to access secret areas in past levels, or in the open world. The dramaticexpansion ofLEGOgameplay inThe Skywalker Sagawill definitely benefit future Traveller’s TalesLEGOgames, and with any luck,Harry Potterwill be the first to reap what’s been sown.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagareleases in spring 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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