LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

Genre: 3D Action-Platformer

Players: 1, StreetPass Supported

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Review:

LEGO Star Wars III is a family-friendly 3D Action-Platformer released in 2011 on the PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, and Wii, with versions also released on Nintendo DS and on Nintendo 3DS just in time for that platform’s launch in 2011. Unlike the prior games in the LEGO Star Wars franchise, which all focused on films in the Star Wars series, LEGO Star Wars III is based on the computer-animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, including characters and plot elements from that series.

While one wouldn’t look to a LEGO launch title on the Nintendo 3DS as a graphical showpiece, LEGO Star Wars III is surprisingly impressive, not only featuring 3D visuals with plenty of little animated LEGO bits and pieces flying around the environment as you battle with enemies, but also making use of some good lighting and shadow, with lightsabers and blaster shots illuminating surrounding areas.

And as was typical of LEGO games at the time, the sound makes minimal use of voice, with grunts and screams, and occasional clips of droids shouting a monotone “Oh no.” as they’re about to get blasted to pieces. Still, the sound painted this as unquestionably a Star Wars property, as blasters, lightsabers, and other in-universe tech all have their appropriate sound effects, and covers of John Williams’ legendary score plays throughout the game.

As for the gameplay… well, you surely know how Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games play by this point, yes? The series’ formula of 3D Action-Platformer has remained fairly consistent over the years, and this game is no exception. You’ll move and jump through the levels, occasionally stopping to solve some puzzles (usually by either swapping to a different character and/or building something using bouncing blocks in the area). It’s pretty accessible, with just enough variety to keep things interesting.

This game adds a few elements that streamline the process a bit for the handheld release – There’s an R2D2 icon in the corner that you can tap to give you clues if you get stuck or don’t know how to do something, and you can quickly swap characters by tapping L&R, and unlike console games in the series, this just transforms your character rather than having these other characters trailing behind you in the environment (and honestly, I like this version of the mechanic better, as I don’t have to keep track of multiple party members in the area).

However, one change here is very clearly in the negative, removing one of the biggest elements of the Traveller’s Tales LEGO games – this game has no multiplayer. The loss of this feature is a terrible blow to the game, as much of the fun of this otherwise relatively simple experience is sharing it with a friend. Without that, the game feels a bit more repetitive. There are a few other issues I have here too, such as a camera that isn’t always optimally-placed and which you have no control over, and characters with ranged weapons that are too difficult to aim.

In the end, LEGO Star Wars III is a solid but not perfect transition for the franchise to Nintendo’s then-new handheld. The loss of multiplayer is one of the biggest flaws in this release, and there are a few other issues here as well. However, for the most part, players seeking a Nintendo 3DS game with the same quality gameplay that typifies the Traveller’s Tales LEGO games will indeed find it here… though of course, they’ll find it in a lot of other places too (as there are tons of LEGO games on the Nintendo 3DS).

tl;dr – LEGO Star Wars III is a solid first entry for the Traveller’s Tales family-friendly LEGO games on Nintendo 3DS, though not a perfect one. While the game largely retains the same great 3D Action-Platformer gameplay as its console counterparts, the lack of multiplayer is a big disappointment here. It’s still worth playing if you’re a fan of the franchise, though.

Grade: C+

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