This is a great game.
I'll start simply by saying that because that is true. I don't think it is necessarily essential that you are a fan of the films in order to enjoy these but it certainly helps and I think a big part of the reason why this and other Lego games are successful is purely because they are nostalgia-bait.
Before I tell you what I like and don't like I want to let people know a couple of things: One, I had just finished a game I absolutely loved and was dead-set to not enjoy anything that happened afterwards as was the case with 3 games I played before this one. And two: I have only completed 3 of the 9 possible stories available in this game.
So let's get on with it ok?
For the most part, this one functions like all other Lego games in that you cannot lose and the idea is that you get involved in the silly rendition of the story rather than having any sort of competitive elements to deal with here. In that regard this is very different from what I have been playing in the past month or two. Silksong Ender Magnolia and others are difficult games in comparison. Anything that you can possibly lose in is difficult in comparison.
Empire is my favorite film of every Star Wars film ever made. Therefore if this was a difficult game you would expect the Empire assault on the planet to be something that could result in failure that you would have to try again to do better at right? Well no, that is not the case here.
When you are defending against the AT-AT assault for example, one could expect if you do the tow-rigs wrong enough times in a row the Empire would destroy the base but if you are old enough you remember that they do that anyway so it was an easy write for the Lego people. They just had to make it comical and I think they succeeded at that.
This in my mind, is a huge PLUS of the game. You can't lose. you can't do it wrong, you can only do it more right.
Sometimes, given how difficult a lot of games are this is a really nice break from the sorts of games where you need super accurate timing on counters and parries and what not and instead you are basically just tooling around and attacking (or not attacking) everything in sight.
However, that being said, this is also a big downside of the same game. With no opportunity for failure, there is no reason to ever really try to do well. I know that I can start the Hoth invasion and simply go out for the night and leave the PS5 on and nothing is really going to change. I will just be standing somewhere with Luke or Han and have to proceed from there once I stagger in, almost certainly hammered drunk, many hours later.
I don't want every game to be Silksong difficult, but one of the things that starts to annoy me about this an the other Lego games after a while is that there isn't really any incentive to do well at anything.
The only real incentive in Lego (this one and all the other ones) is the collectibles and while I guess I kind of like that, it isn't a huge incentive for me to continue playing.
There are a TON of collectibles in this game to the point where I don't really even understand what all of them are but the problem with attempting to obtain them is that there is nothing other than a "bunch of time" standing between you and getting them. There is almost certainly next to zero ability involved and while this appeals to me on a sense if I am just always going to keep this on the back burner, it is tough for me to stay devoted to it. It's just too easy
Once the nostalgia factor wears off, I don't actually really want to play it anymore. There isn't much reason to.
So while it was fun for about 5 hours or so that I put into it, I am going to walk away from this one but not delete it. If I start playing something that makes me angry I can always walk it back into my life.
I have my eyes set on Cocoon at the moment, and I am going to go and put my first hour into that right now.
If you want to play the Star Wars The Skywalker Saga by Lego I think it is a good game. Unfortunately the complete inability to ever not be victorious is something they kind of overuse in this thing and I'm done with it for now.