For some fans, the vastly extended wait forLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagahas been truly arduous. Traveller’s Tales fans are used to getting newLEGOgames every few months, but unfortunately the next game in the franchise has seen some huge delays. Even so, there’s lots of hope that the wait forLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagawill be worth it. If Traveller’s Tales' changes to combat and exploration are as fun as they sound, thenThe Skywalker Sagawill be a truly groundbreaking entry in the series. Fighting off villains and searching for hidden objectives could be more compelling than ever.
It’s worth noting, though, thatThe Skywalker Saga’s own positive qualities mean something for not justLEGO Star Wars,but for theLEGOfranchise as a whole. It seems inevitable that the changes to the game formula that appear inThe Skywalker Sagawill appear inwhateverLEGOgame comes next, too, and that’s a big deal. There’s tons of classicLEGOadaptations of famous IPs that could get a ton of use out ofThe Skywalker Saga’s big ideas. New versions ofLEGO Batman,LEGO Lord of the Rings,and so on would be vastly improved if they’re rooted in the nextLEGO Star Warsgame’s innovations.
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The Skywalker Saga’s Forward-Looking Changes
Although many ofThe Skywalker Saga’s changes seem like they’re specific toLEGO Star Warsat a glance, many of them could easily be applied to the nextLEGOgame. For instance, the game famously features more intricate combat.Jedi have light and strong attacksthat can form combos, while blaster wielders feature an over-the-shoulder third person camera for greater accuracy and immersion. Any futureLEGOgame can give melee characters different types of attacks while enhancing ranged characters' shooting skills, meaningLEGOcombat may permanently be more intricate than ever.
The Skywalker Sagaalso features a whole galaxy of planets that players can visit and explore. Players presumably unlock each planet in the galaxy as they move throughThe Skywalker Saga’s story, and once they’ve been to each planet, players can return there with the help ofThe Skywalker Saga’s galaxy mapor fly there manually and explore space along the way. All of this exploration sounds hard to replicate in futureLEGOgames, but that’s not the case. Any IP that spans a vast world, real or fictional, can have a map on the same scale ofThe Skywalker Sagaas long as there’s enough detail put into the design.
Other significant changes inThe Skywalker Sagainclude the camera’s change from a fixed perspective to a more close-up third-person camera, as well as a staggering list of playable characters. Both of these shifts seem highly likely to influence the next bigLEGOgame, since the new camera angle is great for immersion and 3D exploration, while a huge character roster explores the depths of an IP and provides players with plenty of collectibles. All of theseSkywalker Sagachanges add up to a ton of potential for the nextLEGOgame from Traveller’s Tales, no matter what licensed IP it’s about.
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Potential Successors to The Skywalker Saga
It’s hard to say what IP Traveller’s Tales wants to work on afterThe Skywalker Saga,but it’s certainly not hurting for options. One great choice could be to return toLEGO Batman.While thisLEGOseries has something of a plotline running through it, Traveller’s Tales could “reboot"theLEGO Batmanuniversewith the next game, getting itself a clean slate that it can use to integrate new mechanics. Superheroes are extremely rich material for creating unique fighting styles, while a map that combines the real Earth with famous DC locations like Wayne Manor and the Fortress of Solitude would be perfect for an overworld on par with that ofThe Skywalker Saga.
LEGO Indiana Jonesseems like another great IP to revisit afterLEGO Star Wars.LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continuesgot a mixed reception, but the new ideas ingrained inThe Skywalker Sagacould be just what Indy needs for a fresh start amongLEGOfans. His whip could make great use of changes to combat, while improved gunplay would be a huge help for many otherIndiana Jonescharacters. What’s more,a newLEGO Indiana Jonesgamecould render locations from the movies in vast new detail, making players really feel like archaeologists as they explore Indiana Jones' world in search of hidden secrets.
As for more fantastical IPs, a newLEGO Lord of the Ringsgame could really benefit from combat and exploration enhancements. It’d be great to get a secondLEGO Lord of the Ringsgame that goes out of its way to distinguish heavy weapons users like Aragorn and Gimli from nimbler fighters like Legolas and Frodo.Gandalf deserves a magic-heavy fighting style, too. While the originalLEGO Lord of the Ringshad a very impressive overworld, an even more detailed and faithful recreation on the scope ofThe Skywalker Sagacould be invaluable in capturing the feeling of Middle-earth inLEGOform.
A New Era of LEGO Games
On paper,The Skywalker Saga’s changes to combat and the overworld sound incredible. If Traveller’s Tales delivers on these promises, thenThe Skywalker Sagacould be the most sophisticated and engagingLEGOgame to date. The franchise often gets criticism for being repetitive and that there’s too little distinction between the games, butLEGO Star Wars' next entry promises something completely different. Traveller’s Tales is throwing some much-needed change into the mix, which could mark the beginning ofa newLEGOgame generation.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagamay look like an impressive game in itself, but it’s only the beginning of Traveller’s Tales' experimentation with drastically changing the franchise. It could be that futureLEGOgames all try to be so distinct from one another, rather thanThe Skywalker Sagaestablishing the new status quo. Whatever the case may be, it’ll be a while before more games come out, but all signs indicate that Traveller’s Tales' next project will be worth the wait. HopefullyThe Skywalker Saga’s spirit of innovationis the mark of a new trend within the studio, rather than an exception to the rule.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagareleases in early 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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