Review: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Star Wars has been licensed to death in the gaming world, with just about every nook and cranny mined dry of any mystery it might've once possessed. How surprising, then, was it that LEGO Star Wars, ostensibly developed with a younger audience in mind, managed to breathe fresh air into an aging epic laden with archetypes and high drama?
Return of the Jedi
The first Lego Star Wars game was a breakout hit that proved entertaining for all ages, and its sequel continues the Star Wars saga in chronological order by revisiting the original tree episodes. Rather than concern itself terribly with great ambitions of unnecessary innovation or reinvention, LEGO Star Wars II instead focuses on expanding on the original's basics, and after a few hours of play, the first game seems like merely a warm-up for this more elaborately constructed experience.
Let's ride!
The environments, which run the gamut from the moisture farms of Tattooine to the frozen wastes of Hoth, are filled with secrets and interactive diversions. In an early level you can extract water from a dangerous marsh with a droid. Destroy the filled container with a blaster, and flowers sprout on the arid surface. Tug at these plants with the Force, and they'll explode in a shower of "studs," currency with which you may buy hints, defeated enemy characters, and more. There are extensive details everywhere, and you never know what you'll find if you just explore and experiment.
Under Construction
The controls and Cantina level selection are very familiar, but every puzzle, encounter, and character feels deeper and more fleshed-out even if the in-engine cinematics often feel abruptly truncated. In the original, only those who wielded the Force could build things, but now any non-droid can put together predetermined items with the bits and pieces left lying around. You can even marshal vehicles like landspeeders and speeder bikes, or mount and ride banthas and tauntauns. The puzzles are much more intricate and interesting than in the original, and they carefully walk the line between challenging and frustrating wonderfully.
There are tons of vehicles you may utilize in your travels through different worlds.
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