REVIEW: Star Wars Squadrons

By NICK VERCILLA

Earlier in the year, it was revealed that we would be getting a new, "smaller-in-scale" Star Wars video game by the end of the year. That game, which was released in October, was Star Wars Squadrons, a flight-based game reminiscent of older games like Rogue Squadron, as well as the flight simulator games like X-Wing and Tie Fighter.

While I never got a chance to play those games growing up, I was excited, and curious, to be able to pilot different ships from the universe, as well as see how immersive it would be to be a pilot.

Story and campaign

The story takes place after Return of the Jedi, but before the Battle of Jakku. It revolves around two squadrons of fighter pilots -- Vanguard Squadron from the New Republic, and Titan Squadron from the Empire. The Empire is looking to find and destroy the New Republic's secret project, giant capitol ships called the Starhawk, while the New Republic is looking to protect it.

Overall, I though the story and characters, personally, were fine. I liked how you can interact with your squad mates in between missions, and their banter in battle is true to Star Wars films and shows. However, I didn't think the characters were all that memorable, though they did have a few moments to shine at certain points in the game. I also thought the overall story behind the Starhawk was ok, as while it certainly had its stand out moments, you ultimately know that there are Starhawks in the future, based on other references and appearances, so some of the tension is kind of removed.

Keep in mind, I didn't think the story and campaign were bad. I just thought that overall, it was a fairly above average experience that had its moments, but won't necessarily be remembered by me years from now, unlike games like Jedi Fallen Order and The Force Unleashed.

Technical

While it is a smaller title, developer Motive certainly put a lot of detail into not only the environments and worlds, but put a lot of detail into each ship, and cockpit of each ship, making you feel like you are piloting a real ship from the series. The music is also good. The only negative is that this game is compatible with VR, which I heard also works well, but that means you are limited with how you move and interact with other characters outside of missions, which can feel a little awkward if you are playing on a regular PC or console.

Gameplay

Overall, I found the gameplay to be both fun and frustrating at the same time. For the New Republic, you can pilot an X-Wing, Y-Wing, A-Wing, U-Wing, or B-Wing. For the Empire, you can pilot a Tie Fighter, Tie Bomber, Tie Interceptor, Tie Reaper, and Tie Defender. Each ships feels different, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Each ship can be customized with both cosmetics, such as paint jobs and cockpit accessories, as well as different components that effect different elements, such as shields, flying, attack power, etc. (Thankfully there are no microstransactions). When flying, you have to balance between shields, attack power, and speed. Essentially, the game is easy to pick up, but difficult to master.

As far as the individual flying is concerned, it is incredibly immersive, and is simply the best feeling of flying in the Star Wars universe that I have ever played. Dogfighting with enemies is fun, and the satisfaction of destroying another fighter or ship never gets old. However, the controls are my biggest problem in the game for me. When they work, they work well enough. However, there are times when the game, at least on my end, didn't work properly, or I had great difficulty controlling my ships, which led me to either losing track of other ships or the objective, and/or crash and die. This happened a lot during the campaign, leading me to feel frustrated very quickly. Over time, I gradually got used to the controls, but it is a learning curve, which I think could deter some people.

There also isn't a lot to the game. The campaign, depending on difficulty, could take between 8-12 hours to complete. From there, there is only two multiplayer modes for now. A standard team deathmatch mode, and a "Fleet Battle," mode, where you and your squad work to complete different objectives, in different phases, to eventually destroy the enemy capitol ship. While it is fun to play online, and I'm sure it's a dream come true for many fans, I'm not sure how long the staying power will be for the game, as I'm sure people will grow tired of playing the same two modes after awhile.

Overall

In conclusion, I think Star Wars Squadrons is a fine game. I don't think it's bad in any way, but I'm also not in love with it like a lot of people. I guess your mileage with the game depends on how much you love pilots, and as well as how much you love the overall feel and gameplay of the game.