Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Review

 (Originally published to Glitchwave on 9/12/2022)

[Image from igdb.com]

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Developer: Traveller's Tales

Publisher: LucasArts

Genre(s): Action-Adventure, 3D Platformer

Platforms: PC, GCN, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, DS, GBA, PSP

Release Date: September 12, 2006

Most people would probably ask why Traveller’s Tales would develop a lego game revolving around the notoriously maligned Star Wars prequels before the gilded original trilogy. The correct answer to this question is that the first Lego Star Wars game was a loose tie-in with the release of Revenge of the Sith in 2005, the last of the prequel trilogy created so George Lucas could pay off his yacht. Some may still find it insulting that the three movies that tarnished the Star Wars name were given precedence over the holy trinity of films even with this fact in mind. Fear not, overzealous manchildren; basing the original trilogy of Star Wars movies on the second Lego Star Wars games is a decision that shows a high level of respect for those films. You see, video games have more leeway to expand on compared to films, learning from the mistakes of the previous title while simultaneously augmenting the aspects that already worked. Traveller’s Tales knew that the first Lego Star Wars would be rough, so why not base the initial project around the inferior prequel trilogy around it and use that experience to craft something better for the original trilogy than the sequel? Hindsight could only create something superior, right?

As one could probably guess, setting the original trilogy as the game’s premise has the inherent advantage of familiarity. For example, the game’s hub outside the three films is set in the Mos Eisley Cantina, a raucous saloon placed on Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine. It took me a little while to recognize the hub in the first Lego Star Wars as “Dexter’s Diner”, even though I had seen Attack of the Clones before playing that game. The Cantina, on the other hand, is so ingrained in the fabric of Star Wars as a brand that I’d be able to recognize it without ever viewing the first film. Those first few notes of that jaunty cantina music can strike up, and I will immediately associate it with the dimly lit watering hole in the heart of the sandy metropolis. Besides its high discernibility, the lively atmosphere of the Cantina is the optimal place for all of George’s multi-million dollar creations in Lego to roam around aimlessly. Other Lego characters will even fight each other to enhance the authenticity of the Cantina. The basis of the hub remains the same, but the Catina outshines the previous hub of the first game with flying colors simply by being associated with warmer Star Wars memories.

Regarding warmer Star Wars memories, Lego Star Wars II also benefits its story mode levels deriving from a much better source: the original Star Wars trilogy. The stories presented in the three films are one of the prime factors in what cemented Star Wars as arguably the biggest film franchise to ever exist. Spoiling the newer prequel trilogy (god forbid) at the time of the first Lego Star Wars release might have been a risk when playing the game, but everyone who is playing through the second game will most likely already be well aware of what’s happening. It also helps that the events of the first three movies make sense as opposed to the jumbled nonsense Once again, the story is told via the body language and facework of the characters without any dialogue, like a film from the silent era. However, Lego Star Wars II includes the characters making wordless warbles for a heightened sense of emotion in lieu of not having any spoken dialogue, and it’s honestly a welcome addition. Depicting these three movies in Lego is inherently silly, so the utterances add to the light-hearted nature of the game. The three films are portrayed the same as the prequel trilogy from the previous game. Three different areas of the Cantina are dedicated to each of the three films, divided evenly between six episodes that tell the film's story (the original trilogy would be damned if one film was unevenly split like with Attack of the Clones!)

In the first Lego Star Wars (especially in multiplayer), being forced to play as anything but a Jedi knight was a disappointing affair. One might think this problem would persist in the original trilogy due to the Jedis being wiped out by Order 66 during Revenge of the Sith and only having an elderly Obi-Wan with force powers to control for one movie. Original trilogy characters like Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and an uninitiated Luke Skywalker control the same as the gun-wielders from the first game, and droids C-3PO and R2D2 are just as clunky and helpless as they always were. However, this was never a problem as it was in the first game because at least I’m more familiar with these characters and like them as opposed to, say, the black guy who guards Padme on Naboo or the color-swapped droid clones of C-3PO and R2D2. Most levels in Lego Star Wars II only offer the characters listed above, with a few exceptions here and there. Still, their constant presence helps the players establish a core dynamic between them. Plus, Han Solo’s double shot with his blaster pistol makes him feel brisk and lively, and Chewbacca’s new ability to rip the arms off of enemies never gets tiring. Playing as the droids still suck, but at least the team will offer another character to play as most of the time.

Of course, I’ve only listed what makes the original trilogy better than the prequels, and that stance will not win me any awards in journalistic insight. How does Lego Star Wars II expand on the first to make for a better game? Well, the changes are only slight but are apparent nonetheless. Lego Star Wars II is much more puzzle-oriented than the previous game. Cues relating to a specific character like the glowing force indicators and the droid doors made up the slight obstacles of the first game, which are still present in this game. Lego Star Wars introduces what I like to refer to as “collection puzzles,” which become utilized much more frequently in subsequent Lego games. The game presents a wide space for the player to gallivant about with a main goal or trajectory in plain sight. To achieve this goal, the player must complete a line of tasks in a specific order. Some require building things out of Legos in a pile (which every character can do now thanks to the new stacking mechanic) or character-specific moves. After a long stretch of circuity, the main goal will be accomplished, and the player can move on to the next block of the level. These sections are more involved than choosing a character for a split second and pressing a button but aren’t as engaging as the developers hope they would be. Their busywork design and lack of puzzle-related acumen make them more tedious than anything, and their widespread presence in these levels pads them to unreasonable lengths.

Any vehicle level in Lego Star Wars II is also worse than the previous game. Vehicle levels in the first game offered some of the steepest challenges and removed the breeziness of infinitely respawning seen in every other level. These levels in Lego Star Wars II, on the other hand, are designed exactly like every other level in the game but with driving or flying at the helm. The puzzles and action in these levels are also limited due to being unable to switch between characters, so what the developers offer results in boring tedium like collecting energy balls. Not even tripping up Lego At-At Walkers on Hoth is all that thrilling. The only level in the game that gets it right is the level on Endor, where the player rides on zoom bikes, but only because the level provides a hybrid of vehicle and foot sections.

Lego Star Wars II provides far more collectibles and other features unseen in the first. The complete roster of unlockable characters is just as vast, but we also get the chance to create our own characters in the hub. Both players can save one character that will either be a gunslinger or Jedi and use them in free mode. It sounds cool, except that the player will have to swap out their creations constantly to do the character-specific parts. Other game modes are offered, but the only one that resonated with me is the bounty hunter mission,s where Boba Fett and his merry band of bounty hunters will hunt down a character in a level for some profit. At the end of the game, a Lego City level that looks like someone rendered a basic Lego playset is available to destroy for potentially a million studs. Oh, and Indiana Jones is an unlockable character, a paradox between him and Han Solo for sure. All of this incentivizes the player to play beyond the story, but it’s all window-dressing at the end of the day.

Lego Star Wars II’s superiority over the first game is entirely unfair. Not only does it get the privilege of being a successor with more polish and pomp, but it’s guaranteed that people will like this entry more than the first one simply due to the source material. However, that seems to be the prime appeal of this game. Unfortunately, Lego Star Wars II did not jump at the chance to improve upon the foundation of the first game, relying too heavily on inherent advantages. Lego Star Wars II is like a cocky rich kid who applies for a job and believes he has a better chance at getting it due to the prestige of his parents over a less fortunate candidate. In the context of this game, it’s like both candidates got the job and shared the workload. Lego Star Wars II is just more of the same, which puts the entire Lego game series into perspective.