This feature contains plot details from the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens There was no disturbance in the force, no voices crying out in surprise. Eleven years after the original Lego Star Wars game introduced the winning formula behind this phenomenally successful series of co-op puzzle platformers, no one was shocked when Warner Bros announced Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It was as inevitable as another Death Star. And it’s kind of what you expect: 18 levels and five hub areas, which closely reflect and tell the same story as the movie, picking out key action scenes for players to replicate and interspersing these with comedic cut-scenes that gently mock the source material. This is how UK studio Travellers Tales has dealt with every license that’s passed through its office, from Harry Potter to Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and the Lego Movie itself. The first point of interest, though, is that seven of those levels are entirely new creations. “They cover some of the events leading up to Episode Seven,” says producer Tim Wileman.
“You’ll get the opportunity to take control of Han and Chewie as they capture rathtars; or control Lor San Tekka and work out how he got to Jakku.” The latter is one of the key questions that hovered about after the furst screenings of Force Awakens, so it’ll be interesting to see what answers this Lucasfilm-approved script comes up with. In a three-level demo shown to journalists this week, players start out guiding Rey and BB8 through the spaceship junkyards of Jakku, fighting other scavengers and solving simple puzzles to operate doors and machinery within a downed Star Destroyer to get through the level. Right from a start, there’s a great sense of authenticity. Each level begins with a Star Wars narrative crawl (apparently using exactly the right font, aspect ratio and vanishing point for the text), and all the creatures, craft and locations are rendered in loving detail. Traveller’s Tales says it has examined the movie and replicated beats and vehicles that may only get a glimpse of screen time.
But it has also layered on its daft slapstick. In one section of a third level set in the Niima outpost, Rey and Finn have to escape the marketplace, and it’s filled with the weird aliens and rusty mechanical detritus we saw in the film. But there are also cute touches like stormtroopers in the background, trying out straw hats from a souvenir stall. As ever, all the characters have their own skills. Rey can jump higher than other characters as well as wall jump and wall run to access higher areas. BB8 can get into small ducts and tunnels as well as interface with computers, instigating little hacking mini-games that lift barriers for other characters. There will be over 200 Star Wars characters to unlock, not just from the Force Awakens, but also from previous movies and the expanded Star Wars universe . On top of this, players will be able to use the regular customisation tool to create their own combinations. There are some new elements to the familiar action. In the sections where players have to build models to solve puzzles, Force Awakens provides a selection of possible kits rather than simply requiring you to hit a button to build.
Sometimes it’s about working out which of the models is the only correct option, but other times, players get some freedom to build the model they like then figure out how to use it. It’s a teeny upgrade to the limited building element of the game, but it will at least add an extra layer of complexity. More obvious are the new flight combat levels, which let you take control of the Millennium Falcon as well as X-Wings and Tie-Fighters, piloting them in open-world dog fight battles over familiar areas like the Takodana rebel base. In the second level of the game, you need to escape Jakku in the Falcon, piloting it through the wrecked hulls of Star Destroyers. It’s an on-rails section with limited movement but you get to swoop about and target Tie Fighters, while accompanied by Rey and Finn’s excited whoops. Combat has also been overhauled. Now there will be cover shooter sections where you need to hide behind and use scenery to beat larger numbers of enemies. Players can build gun turrets as well as shoot or pull down scenic objects to squish opponents.
These sections are slightly more tactical too: “sometimes you may see a First Order engineer coming out instead of a regular stormtrooper,” says lead story designer, Graham Goring. “You’ll know that they will probably try to build a blaster turret so you have to deal with them first. Or you may see a guy on a lugger beast who will keep calling in reinforcements until you take him out. It just adds a little more thought to those sections.” Characters also get a unique special attack, accessible via a gauge that powers up while fighting. So far though, it’s the incidental stuff that’s proving most charming. There’s a wonderful Kylo Ren cut-scene, based around his Darth Vader monologue, that really taps into the whole Emo Kylo Ren joke. The levels are filled with easter eggs too, whether thats finding and putting on a gonk droid outfit (which also makes the robot’s signature noise) to making little Star Wars Micro Builds that characters can fly or skateboard about on, there are loads of little references and in-jokes.
Adding to the authenticity is the fact that several major cast members have recorded new dialogue to accompany the game sections. We only heard Daisy Ridley in the demo, but Warner Bros has promised some massive news about the full cast list later on. While the demo levels show that Traveller’s Tales hasn’t strayed a whole galaxy away from the conventions of its series, there are some new features to get to grips with. Flight combat feels a little chaotic, but it changes the pace, while the additional multi-build sections hint at slightly greater puzzle complexity while stopping short of actually offering any sort of creative control to the player. The pleasure though will likely come from the close approximation of these new Star Wars places and characters, infused with knockabout humour. Like the movie itself, Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens looks to be about playing with the conventions, but ensuring that fans get what they want – even if that means repetition. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens launches on 28 June.