Confirmed
While this is bound to slip by someone’s radar: there’s a fun little LEGO Skywalker Saga Xenoblade reference that was “snuck in” by a developer.
A seemingly benign NPC called the “Disco Director” shouting “I’m really feeling it!” felt like an open and shut case for a Xenoblade reference, which got everyone talking. This was later confirmed as a direct reference by David Harris, former developer at Traveller’s Tales Games. The kicker? The joke goes a layer further, as it’s spoken dialogue from Adam Howden, the English voice actor for Shulk.
A reddit comment sheds some more light into how this all apparently went down:
“I worked on LSWTSS [LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga]. When I heard that Adam Howden would be providing his voice to the game, I tried to work in a Xenoblade reference somewhere. I managed to get this one in on the last puzzle I worked on. I wasn’t in the booth when he was recording, but I had an email from the script editor at the time. He said that Adam was initially unsure about the line, but after being told that it was a Xenoblade reference, he nailed it. He was happy to hear that it was indeed a Xenoblade reference. It actually took a long time and a handful of failed attempts before we found a place where we could put it! The Assistant GD was about the only person I knew in the office to have actually played Xenoblade, so he was happy to get it in there. We just had to find the right spot.”
It’s a wholesome little moment, especially given the connection Howden has with Shulk, and the carefree and silly nature of the LEGO series itself. If you’re interested, Harris shared a few more references he’s peppered into LEGO games over the years.
Video of the LEGO Skywalker Saga Xenoblade reference:
Nice to see people are enjoying this little one I snuck in there! https://t.co/JSwZmGM1kH
— David Harris (@DaveBoyColour) April 5, 2022