On Saturday, March 29th, 2005, the gaming landscape was forever changed with the release of Traveller’s Tales, Giant Interactive Entertainment, and LucasArts’LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game. The first LEGO game TT Games developed,LEGO Star Wars: The Video Gameis a comical, voiceless adaption of the then-newStar Warsprequel trilogy in LEGO form. Released about two months before the theatrical debut ofRevenge of the Sith,LEGO Star Warswas many young gamer’s first experience playing both a LEGO and aStar Warsgame. With its easy and engaging gameplay, funny adaptation ofStar Warsfilms, and addictive post-game content,LEGO Star Warssparked the creation of a new video game series that would become beloved by millions of players worldwide for 17 years.
How Giant Interactive Entertainment and Traveller’s Tales Built LEGO Star Wars
Today, LEGO andStar Warsare seen as near-inseparable entities, with dozens ofLEGO Star Warssets filling the shelves of stores annually across the globe. However, this partnership didn’t appear until the beginning of theStar Warsprequel trilogy with the release ofStar Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menacein 1999.The first wave ofLEGO Star Warssetswere initially based on scenes from the original trilogy, such as Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi in a landspeeder, but other sets quickly appeared based on scenes fromEpisode 1and subsequent prequel films. The high sales of bothLEGO Star Warsand LEGO’s very own 2001Bionicletoy line helped rescue LEGO from bankruptcy and other financial woes.
With LEGO rejuvenated and theStar Warsfranchise reaching a peak in popularity in the world, LEGO Interactive sought to develop a game combiningStar Wars’ rich world with the innate fun of building and deconstructing LEGO sets. Interactive quickly gained the support of LucasArts and contracted Traveller’s Tales to develop the game alongside them. By 2004, however, LEGO chose to step away from developing games themselves and shut down LEGO Interactive. Despite this loss, former Interactive staff membersTom Stone and Jonathan Smith created Giant Interactive Entertainmentto continue working on LEGOStar Warsand co-produce it with LucasArts. After being publicly unveiled at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con, development on LEGOStar Warsremained fairly smooth, though several levels and features were cut.
Cut LEGO Star Wars Levels Explained
Adapting a nearly seven-hour-long trilogy as intricate astheStar Warsprequel trilogyinto a single game would be a difficult task for many and the developers ofLEGO Star Warswere not able to avoid cutting some notable sections of the films. Most main plot points were still covered in each film, but a few were cut due to deadlines or to make each episode have a consistent level count. InEpisode 1, a space level featuring Anakin Skywalker blowing up the Trade Federation Lucrehulk-class battleship was cut for pacing. Two levels were cut fromEpisode 2, including one featuring Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi chasing Zam Wessel and another featuring Kenobi chasing Jango Fett among Geonosis’ rings. Only one level was cut fromEpisode 3, featuring Kenobi riding a Boga and chasing General Grievous.
Skywalker and Kenobi’s hunt for Zam Wessel level was later completed and included as a proper level, while Skywalker’s destruction of the Lucrehulk was retooled as a bonus level in 2007’sLEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
LEGO Star Wars’ Engaging Gameplay and Comical Adaption Explained
LEGO Star Wars: The Video Gamecan be divided up between two types of levels: third-person combat scenarios with minifigures or third-person, commonly on-rails, vehicle scenarios. Most of the game is played in the former with plates able to embody many of the prequel trilogy’s most iconic Jedi’s and other heroes to fight battle droids, solve puzzles, and build small LEGO sets with the Force. One level in each episode has players entirely in vehicles, includingthe famously frustrating Mos Espa podrace, destroying Separatist ships in Gunship Cavalry, and flying towards Grievous' flagship in the Battle Over Coruscant. Each of these levels can be played seamlessly in two-player co-op, paving the way for many beloved memories of friends and family playing throughLEGO Star Warstogether.
WhileLEGO Star Warsadapts the rather story-heavy prequel films, it features no dialogue at all. Instead,LEGO Star Warsfeatures simple gestures, grunts, and slapstick comedyfor its minifigures to convey the prequel story. This offered an often hilarious alternative for fans as this method of storytelling kept the core message of each scene intact while implementing comical sound effects and actions to dramatic events. For instance, the pilots of the Consular cruiser will briefly stay afloat after their ship is destroyed before falling into pieces. Similarly, Count Dooku will slam his head and hands in silent frustration after the Jedi are saved from the Geonosian arena. Even the alien Kaminoans will get down dancing to a groovy rendition of the mainStar Warstheme akin to classic 1960s disco dance parties.
The Many Bonuses and Post-game Content of LEGO Star Wars
Throughout each level, players can collect silver, gold, and blue LEGO studs by simply moving through the level or breaking LEGO structures. These studs serve as both the games’ currency to purchase extras, characters, and hints inthe hub Dexter’s Dinerand the player’s overall score. If enough studs are earned in each level, they’ll unlock the True Jedi status and one Superkit Piece. Each level additionally features 10 hidden Minikits that, when fully collected, will build a small LEGO vehicle that can be seen in Dexter’s parking lot and provide players with a trove of blue studs. Once all Superkit Pieces are unlocked, players will unlock a short level ofStar Wars Episode IV A New Hope, allowing players to play through Darth Vader’s boarding of the Tantive IV.
LEGO Star Wars: The Video Gamefeatures several scenes cut from theatrical films, such as Clone Troopers disguising themselves as Jedi near the Jedi Temple and Anakin Skywalker killing Jedi Master Shaak Ti.
The Impact and Legacy of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
2005 is often regarded as one of the best years inStar Warsgaming thanks to the release ofLEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, alongside otherwell-received releases, includingStar Wars: Battlefront II,Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords(PC),Republic Commando, and theRevenge of the Sithgame.LEGO Star Warsbecame the 13th best-selling game of 2005 and sold over 3.3 million copies by 2006, with many praising the game for its fun gameplay and amusing adaptation of the prequel trilogy. Thanks to the critical and financial success ofLEGO Star Wars, Traveller’s Tales acquired Giant Interactive, officially forming TT Games, and quickly began developing its sequel, 2006’sLEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.
All ofLEGO Star Wars: The Video Game’s gameplay features and comical, slapstick method to adapting theStar Warsfilms formed the groundwork for what many consider to be a pillar of 21st century gaming: LEGO TT Games. FromLEGO Star Wars’ framework, TT Games went on to produce 34 more LEGO games, with many being based on other popular film series such asIndiana Jones,Harry Potter,Pirates of the Caribbean,Lord of the Rings,Jurassic Park, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For many young players, these LEGO games were their first experiences in the vast gaming world, helping people become fans of not just video games but of LEGO and classic films as well. While TT Games’ time developing LEGO games may be over, their impact on gaming starting withLEGO Star Warswill never be forgotten.
