LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens beautifully captures both the authenticity and excitement of the film. In addition to its cute and clever representations of people and places from The Force Awakens, the new LEGO Star Wars tests even the most obsessed fan’s knowledge and attention to detail.
Unsurprisingly, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens functions similarly to previous LEGO games, with puzzles aimed at kids and humor aimed at everyone. New systems allow for more experimentation, such as building numerous different objects using the same pile of LEGO pieces found in the environment.
Finn, Rey, BB-8, and the rest of the cast of over 200 characters have distinctions that make them unique, both in terms of how they fight and what they can do. The agile Rey navigates better with the help of her staff, but she needs a droid to power certain generators to open new pathways.
There’s also an intense understanding of what makes Star Wars great on display, alongside what makes LEGO games special. A menacing, familiar Kylo Ren voice-over ends with an embarrassing look at a messy teenage bedroom complete with Darth Vader posters and memorabilia. Tonally, developer Traveler’s Tales still gets it. On a more granular level, you’ll see hints of hardcore fandom lingering in the background, and fight off lesser-known enemies you might have learned more about in the Force Awakens art book or Visual Dictionary.LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens just feels like it has more options, like it’s more open-ended than previous games in the series, no doubt inspired by the recent super-hero entries and LEGO Dimensions. Strangely, this more than any other LEGO game feels like it doesn’t need the LEGO attachment at all — nearly all of the game is a gorgeous, realistic representation of the universe, with little LEGO folks running around and cracking jokes. But if this is as close as we’ll ever get to an official tie-in game for the film, at least it’s as promising, charming, and entertaining as LEGO The Force Awakens already has the potential to be.Marty Sliva is a Senior Editor at IGN. He once ate a whole blueberry. Follow him on Twitter @McBiggitty.