LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review (DeltaQDelta)
In 2015, the hype for the long awaited sequel trilogy in the Star Wars saga was unlike anything else. Everyone was getting in on it, so why not make a new LEGO game to go alongside it? The fifth (yes, I'm counting TCS as a separate entry) Star Wars game to come from TT, 2016's LEGO The Force Awakens is impressive to me in the way that TT were somehow able to squeeze enough content out of a single film to make a fully fledged game. While these days I look back on the sequels with a sadness for what could have been, I'm going to review this game the same as I have with every other entry.
With the exception of a single level depicting the Battle of Endor, the entire game is set during the events of Episode VII. Because of the fact the game is based on a single film, they've really had to stretch the levels out, to the point where there's a level ENTIRELY dedicated to the Resistance preparing for their attack on Starkiller Base. When the levels are good though, they get really good. I thought the cover-based shootouts were a fun addition, and with the more open areas during space battles, the ship-to-ship combat felt even more open than they did in the original games. There are also bonus levels both in the base game and as DLC, filling in the gaps between VI & VII, such as how C-3PO got his red arm, or how Han & Chewie captured the Rathtars. Something I wouldn't have expected to have come from a LEGO game of all things, but they make for some pretty good levels.
There's about 5 or so hub worlds, including Jakku, Starkiller Base and the Millennium Falcon, where you can play Dejarik, which I think is really cool. Again, since it's only based on one film, the character selection is rather limited to just whoever appeared in The Force Awakens (with the exception of character iterations from Episode VI), although throughout the hubs are carbonite canisters, which can be used to unlock bonus characters from across the saga. And for those concerned about the lack of a certain Toydarian, with the DLC packs, you can get Watto back in the game, right where he should be.
The Force Awakens is no doubt the weakest of the Star Wars games, and ever since the release of The Skywalker Saga in 2022, there's been even less reason to pick it up. But I would say there is still a lot of good to be found in this game, and is still worth a play whether you're a casual fan, a hardcore LEGO completionist or one of the three sequel trilogy enjoyers still around.