C-3PO.jpg
Image: Marvel

When Warner Bros. recently teased the coming together of two major franchises, it need not have bothered - it obviously meant LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens - a huge success at the box office, it was a clear candidate for the LEGO treatment.

Of course, stretching the set pieces and key moments from one film into a full retail release seems like a big ask, so it's pleasing to hear that TT Games / TT Fusion will be including six levels based off backstory content. Not only should this flesh out the game itself, but it should provide some welcome context and extra information on key details from the movie. The levels themselves will be available after every two-or-so core stages, and will be unlockable with golden bricks.

These are going to draw from existing and upcoming lore - such as C-3PO's red arm which is going to be explained in an upcoming Marvel comic, and how Han and Chewie capture the Rathtar creatures that feature in their first major scene in the movie. In addition to drawing on sources such as the Marvel comic for C-3PO, the developers will also have some exclusive story aspects within these missions.

It sounds like a notable selling-point for the late June release - Mike Taylor (head of design at TT Fusion) and Jamie Eden (game director) spoke about it with Game Informer.

Eden: I can remember the first day on the project and we said that we'd be doing those sort of levels and content, and I couldn't believe that we were going to get to make our own content that was going to be part of the Star Wars universe. We tell the story through the sort of Lego viewpoint as well, so the crux of the story is what happens is true to the IP, obviously we put gags in with characters holding sausages or riding around on pigs, et cetera.

Taylor: It's pretty mind-blowing really to think that we've had the opportunity to do that. It's fantastic to be able to look at all these fantastic new characters from The Force Awakens and speak to Lucasfilm about how we can sort of look into their backstory and how they've been led to the events of The Force Awakens, I still struggle to believe that it's actually possible to do that.

We've covered – or are in the process of covering – some pretty significant events that happen before the film that give people more information about why certain things in The Force Awakens happened and why certain characters have ended up where they are. It's pretty amazing.

It should be clarified, though, that the truly massive mysteries left in the air from The Force Awakens won't be explained. We'll probably have to wait for the December 2017 release of the Episode VIII film to learn more about Rey's background, for example. Mike Taylor was clear on the point when asked about that particular storyline.

Certain things are too sacred, I'd say, and too secretive.

[source gameinformer.com, via eurogamer.net]