Over the years, video games have lost some things that were once considered staples. One of the biggest examples of this is cheat codes. These codes used to be common in games, giving players anything from access to secret music rooms to special characters to the ability to access any level and fly around with a debug mode. The 3D era brought even more variance to cheat codes, with a lot of them like big head mode being relegated to jokes that could last for an entire playthrough. They were rarely necessary additions to games, but many developers added a fair bit of extra charm through them, and some like the Konami Code have gone down as a signature part of gaming history.
Not all cheat codes were lost as the generations ticked on, however. Even as video game projects became more focused and tightly designed, a couple of places still found room to fit in old-school cheat codes. Perhaps the most famous of these is the LEGO games, starting with the original LEGO Star Wars. While these codes were different from normal codes in that they often unlocked things that then needed to be purchased with in-game resources, they still did just about everything that one would expect from a cheat code. Characters, money multipliers, visual filters, and other assorted gags were all tied into these codes.
Now, almost two decades later, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is bringing back some of the franchise’s oldest cheat codes for the grandest LEGO Star Wars yet. The gameplay overview trailer partially revealed the list of extras unlocked through codes or currency and collectibles, and they consist of a mix of old favorites and new cheats that are sure to entertain.
All Visible Cheat Codes in The Skywalker Saga’s Gameplay Overview
More than half of the codes tied to extra modifiers were seen in the Enter Code screen under the pause menu’s Extras tab. It’s unclear if there are codes attached to specific characters, or if there are standard LEGO game features like an in-game character shop and a place to input actual six-character codes, but all of these modifiers can be purchased right from the Enter Code menu.
- Studs x4
- Studs x6
- Studs x8
- Studs x10
- Super GNK Droid
- Porg Companion
- Baguette Lightsabers
- Galaxy Rave
- Television Mode
- Hologram Mode
- Retro Mode
- GNK Civilians
- Mumble Mode
- Comedy Weapons
- Rainbow Effects
- Cantina Music
The “Stud” toggles are looking to be even more essential than in past games, and deserve some explanation. Stud multipliers are the most basic extra toggles in most LEGO games, as they increase the amount of currency every stud provides. Studs x4, x6, x8, and x10 were seen in The Skywalker Saga’s trailer, and x2 is likely just off-screen. These multipliers are vital for purchasing other extras, especially considering that some cheats in The Skywalker Saga can cost upwards of one hundred million studs and require special collectibles on top of that. Players should start grabbing stud multipliers as soon as they can.
Special Cheat Codes in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Most of the other revealed cheats are simple aesthetic changes, but there are a couple of exceptions. One is the Super GNK Droid, or Super Gonk Droid, which is a code that dates back to LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The invincible Gonk Droids have been playable in every LEGO Star Wars game, but they normally can’t do anything besides walk around slowly and make strange noises. Super Gonk Droids gain the ability to sprint and high jump, allowing them to access certain areas only the most mobile characters can. They are still there more for a laugh than anything else, but if The Skywalker Saga also has the Self Destruct cheat code, then these droids could become a menace once more.
The other highlights are Retro Mode and Mumble Mode, which are said to combine into a truly nostalgic experience. Retro Mode just places a filter over the screen, but Mumble Mode is something that LEGO game purists will beeline towards. That’s because it switches the entire game to an alternate voice track where characters speak unsubtitled gibberish, and the game’s physical comedy is left to speak for itself. This is how classic LEGO games handled their cutscenes, as they were relatively low-budget games that did not have the resources to hire voice actors. That changed upon the release of LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, but some fans still yearned for a simpler time. Mumble Mode provides just that, and it proves Traveller’s Tales’ dedication to making LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga feel like a celebration.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases April 5, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.