Lego Star Wars Battles is Clash Royale for brick builders in a galaxy far, far away

Lego Star Wars Battles is a new game out on Apple Arcade that combines the player-versus-player (PvP) combat of Clash Royale with the delightful bricks-and-blasters flavor of other Lego Star Wars games.

Lego Star Wars Battles sets player against player in short matches where a coin flip decides which is playing light side and which is dark side, with units and characters appropriate to each faction from the franchise. Each player sends lowly minions and stronger champions to destroy the enemy player’s base, while also setting up towers to defend their own HQ – but unlike other strategic games, the action is small enough scale to fit on a (vertical) phone screen. 

Combat is automated once units are dropped on the field, leaving players to balance resources and drop in units at the pivotal moment to overwhelm the enemy. Matches end after five minutes, and the player with the most towers active wins a small reward – or a larger reward if they’ve destroyed the enemy base. Strategy within a game matters, but also which main champion, basic units, and towers players assemble into decks and take into matches.