Our take on the LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga co-op

Almost three years after the last episode imagined by Traveller’s Tales, the LEGO saga is back through the front door with a license that has greatly contributed to its success. Five years after the last adaptation of Star Wars, the American developers are coming back with an experience that wants to be complete by integrating all the episodes of the franchise imagined by George Lucas. A return that will not leave indifferent the players who were impatiently waiting to be able to find one of the best cooperative experiences locally.

We are not going to redo the complete history of the LEGO Star Wars franchise, but we must admit that its success has only slightly faded since the release of the first episode in 2005. We can even admit without flinching that the universe imagined by George Lucas has always been well transposed into bricks, and that even without changing the recipe too much. A real asset, especially in an industry that has increasingly shifted away from local multiplayer to online multiplayer, the ability to play co-op has become a strong selling point for gamers looking to get into a family adventure for two. With the arrival of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the co-op side of the franchise is back, with some new additions.

So obviously, since you don’t change a winning team, the recipe keeps its main ingredients. With simplicity to begin with since it’s child’s play to join a player who has started a game. A simple press of the start button is enough to find themselves in the shoes of a character who was previously controlled by the AI. The screen is then split in two and each player can then go about their business without necessarily staying in contact. The feeling of freedom really seems to have been reinforced since the vast majority of the puzzles require only one player. It is then not necessary to coordinate to advance in a level, and even very young players can join the party from the moment a player with a little more experience accompanies them on their adventure.

In our case, it was with a five-year-old child that we revisited the different chapters of the saga. It is necessary to distinguish two types of parts since the game is divided into levels, linked together by a semi-open world which makes it possible to make the link between the different parts of the main story. In levels, progression is scripted and reaching a certain location triggers a cutscene. A classic principle which has the merit of bringing the two players together in the same area if one of them gets lost. The fact of not necessarily having to be two people in a specific place to move forward is a real plus, and avoids wasting unnecessary time.

In the areas between these levels, we therefore find ourselves in semi-open places which take up iconic places of the saga such as Mos Eisley, the city of Theed located on Naboo, Coruscant and many others. Again, everyone is free to go where they want, and explore these many sites as they see fit. To continue the scenario part, you have to go to a marked area and both players agree to continue the adventure. This avoids accidentally cutting off your teammate in an important task. Because these areas contain many objects such as bricks, mini-kits and precious datacards. As you will have understood, exploration in duo saves a lot of time on the recovery of these precious elements.

The feeling of freedom offered to players is really appreciable and allows you to enjoy the title at your own pace. And even if the levels come to bring a little more framework to the whole, with precise objectives to achieve and a more limited exploration, the developers have still managed to bring enough variety so that the pleasure of the game and the desire to move forward in the adventure take over. Unlike the first LEGO Star Wars games, the platforming phases and the need to build objects are very little present, and new sequences are introduced such as chases, spaceship attacks, not to mention the mythical module race. In some cases, the players use the same aircraft, with one crew member dedicated to piloting and the other to the firing position. Good ideas that bring a breath of fresh air to the franchise, and which remind a little of what It Takes Two had managed to put in place, without however managing to match the one who is now considered a master in the field.

If we did not necessarily have fears about the ability of this LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga to provide a satisfactory cooperative experience, we are pleasantly surprised by the willingness of the developers of Traveller’s Tales to want to modernize what was already considered a strengths of the franchise. Everyone will find something for themselves, and while the little ones will enjoy exploring each area to find details aplenty, adults will benefit from the quality of the adaptation. Both audiences will agree, however, to say that humor is omnipresent, and to say that the title of the American studio is a must for players looking for a real adventure playable in cooperation.