LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Genre: 3D Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a family-friendly 3D Action-Platformer released in 2016 on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U, with a similar but different game bearing the same title released on PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. This game marks the return of Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO formula to the franchise that first put them on the map, with this being the first major LEGO Star Wars game to release in a half a decade.

In some ways, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a step forward for the franchise, but in other ways, it is a step backwards. There is no open world this time around, though in between missions you do find yourself in smaller open-ended areas that can be explored a bit. The combat in this game also doesn’t have the same nuance we saw in LEGO Marvel’s Avengers. In addition, this is the first LEGO Star Wars game to make use of voice clips pulled directly from the films along with some new voice acting (and of course this is backed by John Williams’ score pulled straight from the film as well). This after all prior games featured mostly-silent characters acting out in pantomime. These changes and omissions are going to be the sort of thing some series fans love while others will hate it.

The new content here seems like a bit of a mixed bag too. One of the new elements here are “multibuilds”, which give players different options when you have the usual bouncing blocks prompting you to build something with them. While this seems like it would be a great way to give players more choice, it ultimately ends up being little more than the illusion of choice – there’s really only one way to progress, and the other build(s) are either to snag a bonus item, or you’re meant to do one and then the other to solve the current “puzzle”.

Another addition of dubious value here are the new cover shooter sections. These could possibly be a fun way to shake up the monotony, except it quickly becomes clear that these sections just railroad the player into the next action, refusing to let you aim for yourself and instead picking your targets for you.

Beyond this, the rest of the game is Traveller’s Tales’ usual LEGO game gameplay, a 3D Action-Platformer where you wreck everything in an area, build something to continue, fight a few enemies, wash rinse repeat. At the very least, the series’ signature sense of humor is in fine form here.

However, if there’s one area of this game that is a clear improvement over prior entries in the series, it’s the visuals. The environmental detail, lighting and shadow, and the sheer amount of activity going on in this game’s environments is often a wonder to behold. In fact, the visuals in this game may be a bit too spectacular – they frequently cause the framerates on the Wii U to noticeably tank. It’s not so severe that it ruins the gameplay or destroys how impressive the visuals look, but it definitely highlights that this is a game probably best played on other more powerful hardware.

Ultimately, I think that LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a good game, and I appreciate all the effort that has gone into trying to evolve the series here, even if the only thing that is truly an unqualified success here, the visuals, is somewhat held back in the Wii U version of the game. Overall, if you’re a LEGO Star Wars fan looking for another game in the franchise, this should satisfy you. But those who are growing weary of the Traveller’s Tales LEGO game formula aren’t likely to have their minds changed by this one.

tl;dr – LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is yet another game to feature Traveller’s Tales family-friendly 3D Action-Platformer LEGO game formula, with this game adding multiple new elements, but the only one that is a clear success is the improved visuals, which unfortunately make for some performance issues on the Wii U. There’s nothing here that truly revolutionizes the LEGO game formula, but fans of the franchise will still find this to be enjoyable.

Grade: C+

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