Many fans of LEGO games were eager to get news about LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga at Gamescom 2021. Traveller's Tales' gameplay trailer provided some insight into the way that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga plays, which is important because it seemingly aims to change everything. LEGO game fans have known that Travellers' Tales planned to revamp the franchise's combat system in The Skywalker Saga, and its Gamescom trailer gave fans a glimpse of the new fighting techniques available to Jedi and in-depth gunplay available to non-Force users.
However, the trailer revealed more than the way players fight in The Skywalker Saga. It also provided a bit of insight on what makes the new fighting styles worth using. The trailer suggests the game is stepping up the variety of enemies that players will encounter, as it seems like Travellers' Tales wants to offer a new level of challenge to LEGO Star Wars players and make them think more about how specific enemy types behave, and how they can use The Skywalker Saga's combat enhancements to take down foes.
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LEGO Star Wars' Combat History
For all of the LEGO game franchise's strengths, there's a case to be made that combat is one of its weaknesses. Many early LEGO games, particularly LEGO Star Wars, chose to keep combat simple. Most enemies function almost identically, for instance there's tons of different skins for Stormtroopers in early LEGO Star Wars games, but most of them behave the same way. Rather than challenging players with unique behavior or fighting styles, they focus on overwhelming the player to provide a challenge. There's exceptions to the rule, like LEGODroidekas, but the majority of enemies are the same.
In many LEGO games, it's simply a matter of mashing the attack button and staying out of the way of enemy attacks. On one hand, it's understandable that LEGO combat is so straightforward; it's a franchise that's meant to be inviting for younger audiences. On the other hand, it does mean LEGO combat sometimes struggles to feel as meaningful as the game's building mechanics and puzzles.
Traveller's Tales has tried to address combat a few different times. For example, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues featured some enemies with specialized weapons that offered unique threats. The LEGO Harry Potter series was light on combat, sometimes featuring magical creatures from Harry Potter in the right circumstances, but only enhancing wizard duels in the second LEGO Harry Potter game. By comparison, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has some big ideas for changes. Not only will playable characters of all kind fight differently, but a wide range of enemies will diversify combat.
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The Skywalker Saga Has Some Great Ideas
The Skywalker Saga's gameplay trailer shows off a couple different enemies that give a clear sense of the game's variety. For instance, there's a shot of Finn fighting First Order troopers of Exegol in which one trooper flies around on a jetpack while the others crouch behind cover. Standard enemies with jetpacks introduce a lot more moving parts for LEGO Star Wars players to think about. There's also a scene with Rey fighting Supreme Leader Snoke's red-clad Elite Praetorian Guard, suggesting there will be a variety of melee-focused fighters that The Skywalker Saga players will encounter.
Traveller's Tales was already on the right track when it decided to add more fighting techniques to the toolkits of LEGO Star Wars players. If The Skywalker Saga has so many new enemy types, it's vastly enhancing the value of its own combat system. It's one thing for Traveller's Tales to give The Skywalker Saga players new ways to shoot a blaster or swing a lightsaber, but it's something else to encourage them to master that system by means of encountering diverse enemies. A wide enemy pool pushes players to try new things and find clever ways of fighting.
There's a couple segments of the Gamescom trailer that suggest Jedi can use LEGO pieces and objects as projectiles, smashing them against enemies. A Stormtrooper on a jetpack may be out of a Jedi's reach with a lightsaber, but a well-aimed LEGO brick could definitely ground the trooper. While there's a lot that LEGO fans still don't know about The Skywalker Saga's combat, this example shows how the game's new systems could make the franchise's combat more compelling by involving the environment for new approaches to fighting.
The Skywalker Saga Shoots for the Moon
There's also some glimpses of boss battles in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's newest trailer. Fans could have guessed that classic Star Wars battles with Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and more villains would be in the game, offering climactic finales for each movie. LEGO boss battles have always been solid, but the gameplay trailer implies The Skywalker Saga's new combat will be integrated with bosses, pushing players to develop some finesse when they try to take down Sith Lords across the Star Wars timeline.
After months without much news, the Gamescom 2021 trailer for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a relief for many. Not only does it tease some fantastic things about the game, but it gives fans an idea when the game will release. The new Skywalker Saga release window is vague, but now that fans know what the developer is working on, it makes more sense Traveller's Tales needs so much time. It's easier to be patient for The Skywalker Saga now that fans have a better sense of what they're actually waiting for, and with major changes like an overhauled combat system on the way, this LEGO game might be worth the wait.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases in spring 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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