LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais still a fresh release, but it’s already an iconic entry in the franchise. Although the wait for the newLEGO Star Warstitle has been long, critics and fans have hailed it as a worthy evolution for the franchise. The massive overworld, combat adjustments, and new collectibles inLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagahave seen positive reception on the whole for adding up to a more robustLEGOexperience than usual. Of course,The Skywalker Sagaisn’t without flaws. In spite of the praise, it has also received a fair amount of criticism for its handling of local co-op.
Local 2-player multiplayer is a longtime traditional facet of Traveller’s Tales’LEGOgames, allowing friends and family to battle foes and solve puzzles as a team.The Skywalker Sagapreserves the feature, but unfortunately it’s held back by several flaws that unfortunately make the game more optimal in singleplayer. Traveller’s Tales is apparently alreadyworking on the nextLEGOgame, and if that’s the case, it must remember to strike a balance betweenThe Skywalker Saga’s innovations and a more satisfying co-op experience. As such an important mechanic in the franchise, co-op deserves to be a priority in allLEGOgames.
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The Skywalker Saga’s Co-Op Flaws
Historically,LEGOgames are full of puzzles that require two players to work together, or at the very least, for one player to solve problems with an NPC’s help.The Skywalker Sagahas some similar puzzles, but the levels containing them aren’t perfect. For instance, in the Droid Factory Frenzy level fromStar Wars Episode 2:Attack of the Clones,there are multiple segments where one player will stand around waiting for the other player to overcome some obstacle, rather than two players constantly working together. Because of this, certain levels inThe Skywalker Sagaare far less engaging in co-op than they ought to be.
The Skywalker Saga’s HUD also causes some problems for co-op. When two players are working together, they both have their own mini-maps and quest pop-ups, meaning a lot of the screen is taken up by superfluous information systems. That reduced visibility is a big deal when players are already working with split-screen’s limitations.The Skywalker Sagacan feel cluttered due to its HUD, which makes it far harder to enjoythe impressiveLEGOvisuals ofThe Skywalker Saga’s overworld. A simpler layout may have served co-op better.
Unfortunately,The Skywalker Saga’s overworld contributes to the game’s flaws as well. While it’s great that Traveller’s Tales lets two players explore different parts of a planet at the same time, it also creates some problems. When players are loading into sub-areas ofThe Skywalker Sagatogether, there can be quite a few loading screens that slow down the exploration experience massively. Altogether,playingThe Skywalker Sagain co-ophas quite a few drawbacks, which is a shame.The Skywalker Sagaseemed like a prime opportunity to experience theStar Warsuniverse with a friend, but the co-op experience simply isn’t as practical as it deserves to be.
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How the Next LEGO Game Can Improve
Traveller’s Tales can still keepmany ofThe Skywalker Saga’s innovationswhile improving co-op in the next game. For instance, co-op in levels can easily be fixed. As long as players constantly work together to overcome obstacles like in previousLEGOgames, the levels will be vastly improved. Taking turns fighting enemies and solving puzzles is far less fun than both players getting to consistently engage with the game.The Skywalker Saga’s level co-op structure at least seems like a simple problem to resolve.
HUD changes in the nextLEGOgame will be a little more complicated, but there are still good ways to streamline. For instance, instead of both players getting a quest icon like inThe Skywalker Saga,the next game should simply have players share a quest guide rather than putting one on both sides of the screen, assumingthe quest structure inThe Skywalker Sagareturns. Players should also have an easy way to toggle the minimap, quest indicator, and other information off immediately so that they can clear up space on the screen. Even in a simple game likeLEGO Star Wars,sight lines are important.
Changes to a futureLEGOgame’s overworld may be needed for simplicity of exploration too. There’s no telling if the next game’s overworld will be anywhere near as elaborate asThe Skywalker Saga’s, since not every IP has a world as vast astheStar Warsgalaxy, but it could still be a sprawling world that creates optimization issues when two players explore in different directions. Whether Traveller’s Tales simply tethers the two players together more strictly or features fewer rooms requiring their own loading screens, there are a fair few ways that a newLEGOgame could improve onThe Skywalker Saga’s exploration.
Honoring LEGO Co-Op Tradition
Traveller’s Tales’LEGOgamesare at their best when they’re experienced with someone else. They’re simple enough that anyone can pick them up and play at a moment’s notice, and their goofy sense of humor can make just about any IP approachable for fans of all ages. Co-op deserves to be a priority for everyLEGOgame, no matter what it’s about.The Skywalker Sagatries a lot of interesting things, but in the process, it has unfortunately let the quality of multiplayer slip. Even if it’s still fun as a singleplayer experience, the weak multiplayer is a major loss of potential.
It’ll be interesting to see how much of an influenceThe Skywalker Sagaends up being on Traveller’s Tales' next project, both in terms of its strengths and flaws.The Skywalker Saga’s combat, RPG-like character progression, and more definitely deserve a place in anotherLEGOgame, but certain aspects like co-op could really stand to be shored up in the future. It’s up to Traveller’s Tales to decide which areas need the most improvement, which mechanics can best be reused, andwhatLEGOgames will look likefrom here on out. Its iconic franchise may never look the same thanks toThe Skywalker Saga,but hopefully the lessons thatThe Skywalker Sagateaches ensure that the franchise only gets better from here.
LEGO Star Wars: the Skywalker Sagais available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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