Yoda Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga

[Kylee Evancho]

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1999 was a momentous year for both The LEGO Group and Star Wars. The Phantom Menace was the first new Star Wars film since 1983's Return of the Jedi and transported audiences into a hitherto-unexplored era before the rise of the Empire; LEGO was in the midst of refining their "constraction" (construction + action figure) figures into what we would eventually know as Bionicle through its forerunners Slizers and RoboRiders (I've got a few Slizer pieces; must be from my older brother's collection) while trying to fend off bankruptcy induced by several failed experiments. Most importantly, LEGO and Lucasfilm struck a licensing deal, resulting in the birth of LEGO Star Wars, their first (and longest-lasting) licensed range of products.

While The Phantom Menace's sleek vehicles would prove challenging for the Danish automatic binding brick makers (didn't stop them from trying, though), they had no problem recreating the blockier vehicles of the original trilogy. It wasn't long before 2002 and 2004's grand reinventions of what LEGO was helped smooth things out- literally and figuratively. The minifigures gained realistic skin tones, the ships got sleeker, and by 2005, they were able to nail many vehicles and scenes from Revenge of the Sith on their first try.

2005 wasn't just a big year because of the final film in George's original 6-film run releasing, though. See, LEGO had partnered with British game developer Traveler's Tales (best known for obscure SEGA Genesis gem Sonic 3D Blast and many Pixar licensed games pre-The Incredibles) in order to create a video game that retold the prequels in a comedic fashion (including the then-unreleased Revenge of the Sith). Despite game journalists' initial concerns due to how absurd the concept sounded, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game ended up being a runaway success.

2006 saw the release of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (which adapted exactly what the title implied and refined the already solid gameplay from the first game), and the two games were combined into 2007's The Complete Saga, which took all that the original trilogy game did better and applied it to the prequel levels. If you were a child born in the 2000s like me, chances are you've played this game at least once. Heck, for some of us, it was our first exposure to gaming.

The Complete Saga is one of the best video games ever made and the best LEGO video game even after all these years. Yes, there are many LEGO games that get close, but there's just something about this one that keeps I and many others coming back to it. Not only that, but the LEGO Star Wars games that came out after this always felt lesser.

Now, I wouldn't say it's nostalgia that makes me see TCS as better than LEGO Star Wars III, The Force Awakens, or The Skywalker Saga. I've replayed the game in recent years, and I recognize the issues that it has (and III and TFA are pretty solid in their own rights). But when you stack up the flaws of the later LEGO games next to this one's problems... it's not even close. TCS is an extremely good game that has some problems that don't hinder my enjoyment of the game; the rest are good games with game-specific problems that hold them back.

One of the reasons as to why The Complete Saga has held up so well is its level design. Each movie is broken up into six levels that adapt key moments from the films, with one or two levels being dedicated to operating vehicles and the rest having you control minifigure versions of the characters. You can play the movies in any order, but first, you've got to do "Negotiations"- the first level of The Phantom Menace.

It's a brisk level ("You were right, Master. Those negotiations WERE short.") that sees Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's escape from the Trade Federation ship to Naboo. Throughout the level, everything you do serves as a teacher. Use the Force on some chairs? They'll play the Cantina theme and give you some "studs" (those round 1x1s that LEGO games treat as currency). Want to break some stuff? Mash the attack button to hack it up with your lightsaber, young Jedi. Get attacked by some battle droids? Use the Force to push them into each other OR whack 'em with your lightsaber. The game doesn't need to give you an explicit tutorial because this level IS your tutorial and you're probably having too much fun to notice you're learning.

The level also integrates the obscure protocol droid TC-14, whose role from TPM is greatly expanded for the sake of introducing droid panels (with which she and other protocol droids can interface). Not only does this teach you about droid panels, but it does something that The Complete Saga does many times to guarantee that there's always something to do for player 2. Even if you're stuck playing as an Artoo-type astromech while your friend is playing as a Jedi, the game makes sure that neither player is less important than the other. There's always going to be a droid panel you need a buddy to access and it's unlikely that you, playing as R4-P17, can take down Jango Fett all on your own.

As this is a LEGO game, building is part of the game. I was honestly surprised to learn that prior to LEGO Star Wars II, only Jedi characters could build. Knowing that reducing building to something only the space monks with laser swords could do would send a bad message to budding builders, TT corrected this for the original trilogy game and then went back to the prequels to patch that back into The Complete Saga. Alas, droid characters can't build, but that's somewhat understandable considering how many of them don't have hands.

Another thing this level introduces are minikits, strange white canisters that are scattered throughout each levels in sets of ten and contain parts that create miniature versions of Star Wars vehicles both iconic and obscure. You won't be able to get them all in one run, but you might get some through your exploration of the Trade Federation ship's halls. That, and there's also a Red Brick, which contain bonuses that let you either mess with the game's aesthetics or make the game easier (such as making it so you gain more studs or do more damage) and are usually missed during your first play through of the game because you can't find them without certain character abilities on hand.

Once you're done with "Negotiations", you can do any film's levels in any order, but I recommend playing through all The Phantom Menace (regardless of your feelings on the film) first. If "Negotiations" got you used to the basics, the rest of TPM's levels will leave you ready to take on the rest of the game because of what they teach you. "Invasion of Naboo" introduces Jar Jar and his high jumps, "Escape from Naboo" introduces you to blaster combat and grappling hooks, "Mos Eisley Podrace" is a high-octane introduction to vehicle levels, "Retake Theed Palace" introduces short characters like Anakin and Artoo-type droid panels as well as Artoo's rocket boosters, and "Darth Maul" ends it with a boss fight against (who else) Darth Maul and a series of platforming challenges that test everything you've learned up to this point.

Everything you need to know about TCS's gameplay minus a few select abilities are shown off here, and once you've downed Darth Maul, you can press onward or go back and replay the levels for a multitude of reasons. You can go back in "Free Play" mode and collect the minikits and Red Bricks you missed using newly-unlocked/purchased characters, you can do it in "Challenge" mode if you want to collect a set of blue minikits placed in challenging spots under a strict 10 minute time limit, or you can see how quickly you can get 100,000 studs while playing through all six levels. TCS encourages replaying old levels not only because there's a lot to collect, but because these levels are fun.

With TPM complete, we move onto the rest of the game. Attack of the Clones, once you get past the miserable "Bounty Hunter Pursuit" vehicle level, is a surprisingly fun romp that cranks up the difficulty slightly. "Droid Factory" is the standout level here, focusing on puzzles involving Artoo and Threepio and tight platforming in a place that felt prime for a video game adaptation. "Discovery on Kamino" is a close second for its closing chase sequence and boss fight against Jango and Boba Fett, although its first half is a bit sluggish before you run into the elder Fett.

"Jedi Battle" and "Gunship Cavalry" unfortunately drag down the back half of AOTC, with the former being a melee level that is just you mowing down a bunch of battle droids and fighting a MUCH weaker Jango Fett and the latter being an annoying vehicle level full of insta-kill lasers and a "bomb towing" mechanic that unfortunately isn't limited to this level. "Count Dooku" ends Episode II with a mixed bag. Unlike "Darth Maul", which integrated platforming and puzzles organically into the boss fight, this level separates the fight against Dooku from the puzzles. The actual fight against Dooku is great (even managing to integrate Yoda's arrival after Anakin is disarmed well), but I'd rather there have been more puzzle-y and platform-y elements to the fight.

Revenge of the Sith's levels, like its source material within the context of the prequel trilogy, are some of the best the game has to offer. While the movie-accuracy is somewhat hampered by references to scenes that were cut ("Ruin of the Jedi" has clone troopers in Jedi disguises and Shaak Ti being killed by Anakin, both of which were excised from the final film), that's kind of a moot point considering how solid these levels are. "Battle Over Coruscant" is the best vehicle level in the game because its on-rails shooter mechanics prevent the usual difficulties with controlling vehicles in space (it's also the easiest level to 100% and one of the best to get hundreds of studs from).

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