Let’s get this out of the way: Star Wars Squadrons is the most immersive Star Wars game on the market, with only Republic Commando coming close to that level of praise. The way your cockpit shudders as you strafe a Star Destroyer, or hearing the iconic shriek of TIE Fighters during dogfights is an absolute treat for Star Wars fans, and you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Star Wars Squadrons is a flight sim game set within the Star Wars universe. Set entirely in your cockpit, Squadrons offers up a selection of iconic starfighters to pilot such as the U-Wing or the TIE Bomber. While there are only 8 starfighters in the game, each one has a specific function and playstyle that makes them feel unique.
The A-Wing is a fast, agile starfighter that excels at hunting down and eliminating enemy starfighters. However, their low health and lack of options dealing with larger ships make them a high risk, high reward option. On the other end of the scale, TIE bombers are ships with a large pool of health and absolutely armed to the teeth with weapons to dispatch both starfighters and capital ships alike. Their key weakness is their size and speed (or lack thereof) also make them easy prey.
The best part of Squadrons is how accessible it is for any player, even for those who are unfamiliar with flight genre of games like me. Squadrons manages to strike a balance between being both a flight sim game as well as an arcade-y adventure. There’s enough here in the flight controls and moment to moment gameplay to keep flight enthusiasts engaged while also not being overwhelming for newcomers to the genre.
Where players will earn their wings is in Squadrons’ single player campaign. Set after the destruction of the Death Star II, Squadrons follows the story of two starfighter units: the New Republic Vanguard squad and the Titan Squadron of the Empire.
Being set post-Return of the Jedi, its an interesting era to explore for Star Wars fans as we get to see the former Rebel Alliance establish itself as a new galactic power while the Empire struggles to keep itself together in the power vacuum left behind by the death of Emperor Palpatine.
The story itself is fun, but predictable, and the same could be said for the cast of characters as well. While they are all decently written, none of them ever truly standout and sort of fade into the background.
What the campaign does excel at is providing an entertaining training ground for the player while also offering up compelling set pieces that are worth playing the campaign for alone. Whether it is a massive fleet battle in the shadow of a collapsing moon or setting up an ambush in a Star Destroyer graveyard, the levels prove to be just as exciting to play as they are to look at.
The real meat of the game lies in the multiplayer mode. Right now, the offerings are sparse in Squadrons in terms of multiplayer. There are only two game modes in Squadrons: Dogfight and Fleet Battles. Dogfight is a 5 v 5 team deathmatch mode where players duke it out among the stars. Its pretty straightforward, but also serves as a great place to learn some of the early lessons of Squadrons’ multiplayer.
Working with your team matters. Sure, you can be an ace pilot and try taking on the whole enemy squadron on your own, but your chances of success aren’t very high then. Even the ships with the lowest health pools require a decent amount of work to take down, so working alongside your team and coordinating on attacking specific targets is crucial.
The real star of the show is Fleet Battles. Fleet Battles are large scale-conflicts as both the New Republic and the Empire battle to destroy the other side’s capital ship. Its fundamentally a chaotic game of tug-of-war, and with the presence of AI starfighters, makes this mode a frenzy of exploding starships and intense bombing runs.
The scale of this mode is tremendous and feels like you are taking part in your own cinematic space skirmish. Even better is the inclusion of a player-versus-AI mode that allows players a chance at either some practice or they just want a fun starfight without having to deal with other players.
This is where we come to the end for Squadrons. With only 6 maps and two multiplayer modes, Squadrons does feel like a pretty lean game in terms of content, even for its 40 dollar price tag. Its progression system is also on the lite side in terms of content. There are two currencies in Squadrons: Requisitions and Glory. Both currency types are earned through gameplay (no microtransactions) and leveling up your multiplayer profile.
Requisitions can be used to purchase parts for your starship loadout, and Glory is used to purchase cosmetics for both your ship and your pilot. However, there is no level requirement to purchase any of the starship parts you want, so you can very quickly obtain only the parts you need and ignore the rest, and I don’t believe that grinding out Glory for cosmetics will be enough to keep players coming back.
Still, I believe there is a bright future ahead for Squadrons, and it’s already off to a good start. I feel like I’m still only scratching the surface of the gameplay possibilities in Squadrons, and I believe it is that curiosity that will keep me coming back to this game for the next few months.
Hopefully, Squadrons will receive the same amount of love and support that Battlefront II did overt time. Perhaps with the addition of new starfighters, new maps, new modes (and maybe some other Star Wars eras), the full potential of this game can be realized.
Reviewed on Xbox One X.
4/5 Torches
