‘Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ reveals what happened before ‘Episode VII’

Plenty surrounding “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” remains untold, but an upcoming Lego video game will reveal some of the secrets that led to the film.

No, “Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will likely not offer clues regarding Rey’s lineage, but the game will feature the further adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca and reunite a number of the game’s stars. Harrison Ford (Solo), Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Carrie Fisher (Leia) and more can be heard in the game, due June 28 for all major video game consoles and PCs.

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What’s more, the title will boast six original adventures designed to fill in the gaps prior to the events of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” One will take Han and Chewbacca on a hunt of Rathtars, the alien cargo that wreaked havoc on Han’s ship in the film, and another offers details on the little-seen character the Crimson Corsair.

“Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will also show some of Lor San Tekka’s life on Jakku before he met with Poe Dameron -- and ultimately ran into Kylo Ren in the film’s opening moments -- as well as a short that details Dameron’s rescue of Admiral Ackbar from the evil First Order.

Finally, the game will reveal how C-3PO received his red arm, as well as show how San Tekka obtained a map of Luke Sykwalker’s location.

Some of the adventures get a little weird, says Graham Goring, lead story designer at TT Games, developer of the Lego video games. For instance, he compares “Rathtar Hunting,” the side-story that documents how Han and Chewbacca obtained their dangerous shipment, to a more sinister sci-fi franchise.

“It feels very different from the rest of the game. It’s almost like a Lego version of ‘Alien,’ in some way,” he says.

“They’re on this planet to find these creatures and it’s quite spooky,” he adds. “The graphics on that level are particular outstanding. It’s a wonderfully foggy but neon-infused alien environment. It starts out with them hunting these creatures but it turns out the real threat is other people who are hunting these creatures, so there’s a massive blaster battle.”

The game will also go deep on the Crimson Corsair, a character only glimpsed in “The Force Awakens” in Maz Kanata’s castle. He and his cohorts are featured in a mission that bears his name.

“I get to slightly create those characters,” Goring says. “They’re just in the background in the film. Basically, they’re a bunch freeloaders who have been charged with stealing a ship from under the nose of the First Order, so it’s basically about breaking into a First Order facility and blowing a lot of stuff and knicking a ship.”

The six original missions can be unlocked with in-game currency during a play-through of the game, but they will be ever-so-slightly hidden. Say, for instance, you want to go Rathtar hunting, players will need to be sure to talk to Han and ply him with gold bricks. The stories will also be playable once the 10 or so missions of the core “The Force Awakens” game are completed.

And though these may be new tales, expect plenty of references to familiar ones, including hearing one of Ackbar famous lines during the “Poe to the Rescue” mission.

“The movie itself references stuff as well,” Goring says. “That’s one of the reasons ‘Episode VII’ is so good. It does feel like the original trilogy.

“Plus,” he adds, “from a writing perspective, I do think it’s my job to make Admiral Akbar say ‘It’s a trap’ as many times as possible.”

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