Parents and kids everywhere rejoiced when LucasArts announced a new Lego Star Wars game earlier this year. The newest installment gives the minifig treatment to the Clone Wars animated series, which happens between Episodes II & III from the prequel trilogy. Continuing our interviews with the minds behind the upcoming Star Wars games, we spoke with LucasArts producer Buren E. Renick III to find out how they’re applying the fun Lego game formula to the surprisingly grim Clone Wars universe.
What does Star Wars mean to you? Aside from a job? How has it inspired you as a piece of fiction?
Star Wars has always been a part of my life. I would watch the movies over and over again in my young life, and I keep hold the lessons it taught me to this day. As a piece of fiction, it has such universal appeal because it touches on such core things like love, hate, family, and friendship. It is a broad and beautiful story.
Do you think there’s an essential difference in how kids and adults experience the Star Wars mythos? How do you think that plays out?
Yes and no. The message and the morals of the Star Wars universe are as tried and true to kids now as they ever were, but kids like different stuff.
How have you tailored Lego Star Wars III to home in on that?
LSW3, at its core, is a game for all ages. It is designed to be fun and digestible for children. But much like the franchise as a whole, the game is full of charm, humor, great puzzles, and experiences that a person of any age will love to play and be a part of. It’s a perfect game for families to play together as well with al the new co-op capabilities which you’ll hear more about very soon.
When were you able to share Star Wars with your children or significant others? What was their reaction?
The best and most common reaction to those who haven’t seen anything from the Star Wars saga is an immediate connection to the characters and overarching story. Star Wars is such an integral part of Americana that my family and friends always seem to have a comfortable and fun experience with the films and TV series.
Clone Wars is the most visible piece of Star Wars entertainment now. What do you hope the experience will be in your game for the players who come here from watching the show?
The excitement, the adventure, and the scale of the entire Clone Wars era definitely come through in the game. The Clone Wars is about big battles, revealing adventures on the part of the heroes, and ultimately connecting the future and past of Star Wars. From the hilarious retelling of the story to the scale of the adventure, LSW3 really hits the mark.
The Lego Star Wars games set a very high bar for games aimed at children. What do you this makes them consistently enjoyable?
Utilizing the creativity and whimsy of LEGO and the classic stories and character from Star Wars, the LEGO Star Wars franchise is consistently fun and engaging for people of all ages. We are so fortunate to work with Traveller’s Tales as they are so consistent at finding and teasing out the funny in all the Star Wars situations and delivering the addictive gameplay we’ve come to know and love.
Do the new characters in the Clone Wars series give you more opportunity for comedy than with Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy characters?
There are tons of opportunities for comedy in the Clone Wars. The characters are so richly written and the situations that they are put in so often beg for parody that pulling humor out of the Clone Wars series will be easy. It will, naturally, be hard to best two very, very funny games. But, from what we are seeing out of Traveller’s Tales, so far we’re confident that the player will be tickled.
Traveller’s Tales have managed to get great laughs out of key scenes in the Star Wars movies, like the use of a picture for Darth Vader’s paternity revelation to Luke. (Laughed so hard at that one!) What are the moments from the show that we can expect to see get similar treatment?
Well, we certainly wouldn’t want to spoil any of the laughs, but you can pretty easily imagine poking fun at the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and, of course, tons of clone/ droid jokes. Those guys are inherently funny.
This is the sixth or seventh Lego game for Traveller’s Tales in about five years. That seems like a grueling pace. How do you keep the experience fresh for yourselves and for players?
The freshness of the franchise is in the infinite ways to build and play with LEGO along with the retellings of all-new adventures. Without a doubt, you’ll find that LEGO Star Wars III is truly the next step for the franchise with a brand new look and feel, new abilities, and a level of control and exploration unlike anything you’ve seen in a LEGO game to date.
What’s the most pivotal moment in the prequel trilogy for you? In the original trilogy?
The most pivotal moment in the prequel trilogy for me is the Geonosian Arena battle. That was when I knew that I was finally getting to see some of the Clone Wars and a huge clone vs. droid epic fight. I had been waiting a long time for that.
As far as the original trilogy is concerned… that is a tough one. I would be hard pressed to not say the reveal that Vader is Luke’s father, although the reveal that the green guy in the swamp is actually the great Jedi master is pretty amazing as well. Yoda is definitely my favorite character.
Are there pockets of the Clone Wars universe that players will learn more about through the game?
LEGO Star Wars III will actually span across the clone wars universe. Picking up at the Geonosian Arena, the player will interact with so many of the great characters, relive so many cool storylines, and actually explore the planets that set the stage for the Saga. With so much to discover, you’re sure to learn something you never knew.