As the video game industry has evolved, it's become commonplace for longstanding franchises to evolve along with it. Call of Duty has brought players from the beaches of Normandy to the reaches of outer space, Assassin's Creed went from a dedicated stealth series to open-world RPG titles, and now after over 15years of following mostly the same formula, the LEGO games are shaking things up with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
The sixth game in the LEGO Star Wars series has become one of the most highly-anticipated LEGO projects in the franchise's history. Not only is the game bringing players back to the franchise that started it all, but it's already showed that it's going to be totally unique from past installments. Traveller's Tales has already confirmed a slew of new features for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but there's a case for even more expansion if the developer really plans on making this the biggest LEGO game yet. Luckily, there's decades of other Star Wars games to "steal" features from to make The Skywalker Saga a comprehensive Star Wars experience.
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If there's any Star Wars game that can be considered one of the most influential to the whole franchise, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic would have a strong case for itself. The early 2000s RPG from BioWare altered the landscape of the franchise by giving fans one of the most compelling stories in the whole Star Wars galaxy. Players were able to experience a Star Wars story thousands of years removed from the films, and one of the most compelling aspects of the game was the ability to control parts of the story based on how players used certain dialogue options.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga could adopt a similar mechanic, even if it's in a smaller capacity compared to KOTOR. It may be difficult to incorporate story-changing dialogue options into main missions due to the established structure of the films, but there could be room to include them with side missions. Traveller's Tales has already detailed how The Skywalker Saga will have expansive hub worlds, and it's likely that they'll be filled with optional objectives for players to explore. If the game incorporated dialogue options when interacting with NPCs for these missions, it could do wonders to make each player's experience unique.
Releasing in the same Star Wars gaming era as KOTOR, Star Wars: Republic Commando gave players control over their very own squad of elite clone troopers. With that control came the ability to direct the squad of clones towards certain objectives, whether it was planting explosives or taking an advantageous sniper position. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has already shown that it plans to have an expanded combat system, especially when it comes to firefights. It could add on to this expansion by allowing players to direct NPCs in game, whether it's leading a battalion of clones into battle or telling Chewbacca to take out a certain stormtrooper.
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The LEGO series has always prided itself on combining elements of the actual toy bricks into its games. The customization that has come with each game has only gotten more robust with each new installment, and it would be reasonable to expect that The Skywalker Saga will follow the same trend. One place that has seen minimal customization in the LEGO Star Wars series has been the game's ships. Star Wars Squadrons has already shown the potential for ship customization, with its numerous skins and cockpit charms that allow players to have a starship that's all their own. If The Skywalker Saga did the same, it would only add to the personal experiences that the LEGO games are capable of creating.
On top of the potential for starship customization, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga could look to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for tips on lightsaber customization. The action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment did a lot of things well, and one of the more understated elements of the game was its lightsaber building feature. From the color of the blade to the material the hilt was made of, few Star Wars games have given players so much control over one of the most iconic weapons in the franchise. Putting a similar lightsaber customization feature in The Skywalker Saga would likely make the game's customization the most robust in any LEGO game.
Wielding the Force is a dream for many Star Wars fans, and the video games are often the closest thing that they can get to using it. Each game in the franchise has had its own interpretation of how the Force can be used in gameplay, but perhaps the one game to give players the most freedom is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The game made players feel like the strongest Force-wielder in the galaxy, and The Skywalker Saga could learn a thing or two from it. The LEGO Star Wars games have always included elements of the Force, but adding some truly fantastic powers aside from the usual Force push could make gameplay very exciting.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has had a rocky development, and at this point it's hard to say when the game is finally going to release. Game development has been a struggle for many studios over the past year, so it's understandable that a game this ambitious would come across some delays. Traveller's Tales has built up a strong relationship with fans based on its consistency, so maintaining that relationship with a successful launch will likely prove to be very important. The developer has proven to be reliable so far, so it's likely that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be another big hit.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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