LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais shaping up to be one of the biggest celebrations ofStar Warscommitted to a video game, and it’s also proving to be one of the most ambitiousLEGOprojects that Traveller’s Tales has ever produced. Among the many new features that the game is boasting,getting to play theStar Warsfilms in any orderwith a laundry list of characters across the franchise is very exciting. There is one feature, however, that stands out from the rest as perhaps just as interesting as the game itself, and it’s the massive hub worlds that have been promised.
Recent installments in theLEGOfranchise have introduced some truly remarkable hub worlds that serve as an open space for exploration between the linear storytelling of each game.LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagalooks to be taking this feature and dialing it up significantly, by essentially giving players a whole galaxy of hubs to explore. This kind of expansion is in line with the rest ofThe SkywalkerSaga’s philosophy, and that is giving players the biggest and bestLEGO Star Warsexperience to date. Just at the surface, the sheer amount of content promised with these hubs is likely enough to make the game worth the hype.
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Traveling The Galaxy
One of the most exciting things about the hub worlds ofLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais that almost every significant planet, moon, and capital ship in theStar Warsfranchise has been confirmed as a hub at this point. The locations confirmed so far include: Naboo,Luke’s homeworld of Tatooine, Coruscant, Kamino, Geonosis, Kashyyyk, Utapau, Mustafar, Yavin 4, Hoth, Dagobah, Bespin, Endor, Jakku, Takodana, D’Qar, Starkiller Base, Ahch-To, Cantonica, Crait, Ajan Kloss, Pasaana, Kijimi, Kef Bir, and Exegol. Star Destroyers and the Death Star will also have explorable hubs, rounding out an impressive list of areas for exploration.
This extensive list of locations not only ensures a wealth of content inThe Skywalker Saga, but it shows how every corner of theStar Warsuniverse will be getting attention. Planets like Tatooine and Coruscant are to be expected considering how often they appear in the films, but for planets like Mustafar and Exegol, this game will likely be the most exposure they have gotten outside of the context of the films. With Mustafar in particular, players should really be able to sink their teeth into the visuals of the planet and see what goes on whenObi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalkeraren’t dueling across the place.
The same can be said for the planet Exegol that was featured inThe Rise of Skywalker, as that location left a significant amount of questions unanswered in the film.The Skywalker Sagawill have a chance to fix some of the mistakes of the sequel trilogyin this regard. Through side missions and visual storytelling, some of the gaps could be filled in about how the Sith fleet was constructed on Exegol, as well as how all of Palpatine’s Sith cultists made their way on to the planet. It would certainly be more interactive than finding out in random Tweets and visual dictionaries after the fact, and it could help redeem the films somewhat.
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A Surprise, But A Welcome One
TheLEGOgamesare known for having a fairly consistent level of quality that has helped them remain relevant for a very long time. The evolution into more open hub worlds has certainly helped the franchise as adventure games continue to get bigger and bigger, but there are times where the activities within the hubs can get repetitive. This can likely be attributed to the fact that the sheer amount of collectibles in each game requires similar missions so that development doesn’t take forever, butLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagadoes not plan to simply do what’s been done before.
In addition to the massive amount of hubs confirmed for the game so far, when traveling through the galaxy, players will encounter a series of dynamic events. Not too dissimilar to howRed Dead Redemption 2’s open worldworked, these random encounters should help keep gameplay interesting and to keep players on their toes. One situation that developers have talked about is when the player is traveling through space, an Imperial Star Destroyer could show up at any moment and send in a fleet of TIE Fighters to attack the player. It’s then up to the player to decide whether they will attack or run, adding a layer of uniqueness to each gameplay session.
Perhaps what is most interesting about this feature is the sheer potential for other encounters that players could experience. It likely won’t be as wildly expansive asRed Dead Redemption 2, but each planet in the game could have its own unique encounters based on the films. For example, if the Naboo hub gives players access to the underwater home of the Gungans, or the area around it, then players could come across a random encounter where they can savethe infamous Jar Jar Binksfrom peril. Whether or not the players chooses to save him, it would act as a sudden change of pace that shakes up the game and gives players a truly unique experience.
Even thoughthe recent delay toLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagamay be discouraging, some solace should be found in the fact that it will likely be one of the biggestLEGOgames yet.Star Warshas been theLEGOfranchise’s flagship property since the first game came out in 2005, so Traveller’s Tales clearly cares a lot about the franchise and its fanbase. If the developer’s history is any indication,The Skywalker Sagawill demonstrate a meticulous attention to detail that pays homage to the entireStar Warsgalaxy, and that will likely shine through the brightest when it comes to the game’s hub worlds.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagais in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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