Star Wars Squadrons: A Review

About twenty years ago, you could only try out a new game if its demo appeared on a CD with some magazine. Some demo versions, like those for Future Cop LAPD and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, are still etched in my memory today, even though I never played the full versions. One such game was Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter.

 My knowledge of the Star Wars franchise was casual at the time, so I truly began to appreciate the game in a nostalgic retrospective. In the meantime, I played Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, and that was it for my Star Wars flying experience until EA surprised us with the announcement of the game Star Wars Squadrons.

My first thought was that Squadrons would be a hotbed of microtransactions. Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and there's no chance that EA would release a cheaper Star Wars game of a smaller scope without heavily monetizing it. Fortunately, we are all in a parallel universe where the corporate overlords at Electronic Arts left Motive Studio to create a game unburdened by everything we expect from an EA title.

Before I delve into details, Squadrons is primarily a flying game, and only then a Star Wars game. Accordingly, if you don't like the genre, there's no amount of love for the Star Wars universe that will make you fall in love with this game. If you love both, wear your helmet because we're taking off.

As the game tends to get heavily discounted and even offered free on EPIC, we decided to review this, an overlooked gem in the SW game franchise. 

The Story of Star Wars Squadrons

The game offers a campaign of 14 missions, where the perspective occasionally shifts from the New Republic to the Empire and vice versa. Most of the action takes place after the Return of the Jedi and the destruction of the second Death Star as the rebels try to destroy the remnants of the Empire and establish the Galactic Republic.

You follow the entire story through the eyes of two pilots with absolutely no personality, serving solely as a means by which the game feeds you the narrative. The pilots are under the command of Lindon Javes for the New Republic and Terisa Kerrill for the Empire, who represent the real central characters of the story. In addition to the ideological conflict regarding factions, the beginning of the game gives their rivalry a personal component.

Interactions also occur with other members of squadrons on both sides of the conflict. They will have plenty to say about current events, their motives for joining a given faction, and more during and between each mission. I would single out Imperial pilot Shena as enjoyable, whose first sentence explained an obvious question: "Dude, why are you wearing a half-burned helmet in the hangar?" The others are boring, but good voice acting and excellent visuals save them.

It all kind of falls flat

The story, in general, is merely functional and not particularly original. Its beginning may seem intriguing until you realize that we've seen cases of defection from the Imperial to the Rebel side several times, relatively recently. As in many EA games, the campaign often leaves the impression of a glorified tutorial, and just when you warm up after a few hours, it ends and forces you to switch to multiplayer.

Ultimately, even if the story were much more interesting, its greatest enemy would be that it's part of a flying game. It's challenging to personally understand the conflict when conflicted characters are never in direct interaction. All conversations within missions take place with static portraits of characters, making it extremely difficult to listen to or read in the heat of action, with or without subtitles. As a result, certain key moments in the story, instead of causing emotional euphoria, fall flat, and you might even miss them entirely.

The Gameplay of Star Wars Squadrons

Fortunately, the gameplay experience saves the average story, and the above subtitle summarizes it best. When it comes to Star Wars games under the EA banner, one thing that is hard to criticize is their audiovisual authenticity. Here, it is further emphasized since, except for a few cinematics, the entire game takes place in the first person, either in the cockpit or outside it. Electronic Arts could comfortably adopt Rocksteady's motto and modify it to "Be the pilot" because, from the first moment, you feel like you are experiencing the flying action from the movies, especially if you have your Xp-Panther Blush edition gaming headsets on.

I did it with a controller on the PlayStation 4, and I am happy to say that the flying experience was fantastic. In terms of elemental control, things are straightforward and responsive. The left analogue stick controls the ship's rotation along its longitudinal axis in addition to accelerating and decelerating, while the right stick determines the direction of movement. However, if everything were about that and pew-pew shooting, the tutorials wouldn't last until almost halfway through the campaign.

The complexity primarily comes in ships, where each of the eight available (four per faction) behaves differently in flight and has various, surprisingly numerous, diverse combat capabilities. For example, on the Imperial side, TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors are faster and more manoeuvrable ships whose combat capabilities and equipment focus on fighting similar, smaller aircraft. On the other hand, TIE Bomber and TIE Reaper have a more supportive role, where the former is used to attack capital ships. At the same time, the latter enhances the arsenal of its squadron while simultaneously disrupting the opponent.

The Combat

The combat system is so deep that half of the missions in the campaign serve as a tutorial.

Although ships never deviate from their primary roles, changing equipment such as primary weapons, engines, missile countermeasures, troop strength, shields, and so on is possible to adapt them to the player's playstyle. The system is quite profound because each piece of equipment has advantages and disadvantages, encouraging experimentation with different combinations.

It was like we were in a Shopping Channel commercial, but that's not all! During the game, you can determine how much energy you invest in different ship systems, such as engines, weapons, or shields, if they're New Republic ships, which can even determine whether their front or rear shields will be stronger. With the ability to drift and make sharp turns, this system makes players even more connected to the current gameplay and requires a specific skill to use in a timely. Although it may not seem as crucial as choosing weapons and other equipment, a player who skillfully uses all the above can overcome all opponents, even with a weaker loadout.

Allow me to paint you a picture. Imagine racing through a field of wreckage with 20% troop integrity while an opponent desperately tries to target you with missiles. As you exit the area, you release missile countermeasures that incidentally turn off the sensors of the opponent's ship, and you perform a quick drift, turning the hunter into prey. The game is full of tense and dynamic situations that provide tremendous satisfaction, especially in multiplayer. Of course, as in all flying games, despite the lock-on system, dogfights can sometimes devolve into frantic turning and searching for opponents, but not to the extent that it ruins the overall gaming experience.

Is the Multiplayer of Star Wars: Squadrons any good?

Squadrons' multiplayer features two modes and a few maps. Dogfight is a space team deathmatch, where each team of five players aims to eliminate all opponents. It's a more casual mode, allowing players to jump in, engage with other players, and try various weapon and equipment combinations.

On the other hand, Fleet Battles is a delightful multiplayer mode that requires high cooperation. This mode includes five players on each side in different roles, along with AI-controlled frigates, cruisers, and capital ships. Team coordination is crucial, and Squadrons introduces a ping system to mark targets, enhancing communication. The gameplay unfolds in multiple defence and attack phases to destroy the enemy's capital ship using everything learned in the campaign and Dogfight mode.

While it may not be a significant plus, it's worth mentioning that EA has learned from past mistakes regarding monetization. In contrast to Battlefront 2, Squadrons allows players to unlock almost all ship cosmetics relatively quickly with in-game currency earned through gameplay. Despite the potential for long-term multiplayer engagement, it's disappointing that the developer doesn't plan to enrich the game with additional similar content and modes, possibly confining Squadrons to a "short but sweet" Star Wars experience.

The Look and Feel

Regarding graphics, let me reiterate what I've mentioned several times: Star Wars: Squadrons looks fantastic. If you thought space was just a black void, worry not. Maps set in high-atmosphere planets, with nebulas in the background and monumental spacecraft firing iconic red and green lasers in all directions, will quickly dispel that notion. The cockpits are incredibly detailed, and even secondary aspects like characters' faces and animations look excellent. Just take a look at those screenshots!

Surprisingly, the game runs smoothly even on the old model of the PlayStation. However, minor bugs and sometimes extremely lengthy loading times tarnish the experience. Indeed, entering the main menu can take up to five minutes, which is quite embarrassing on the verge of releasing a console that should eliminate such issues.

How does the game sound? It's even better than it looks. Everything is exceptionally authentic, from music and voice acting to ship sounds and combat. Combined with the visuals, the audio immerses players in the Star Wars universe. Oh, and all the positive aspects of Squadrons, especially the audiovisual ones, are doubled if you plan to play the game in virtual reality. I've only played a few missions with PSVR, and the experience is unparalleled.

Squadrons deserve a spot on every list of VR games you must try, as the tension in battles reaches a new level, essentially turning the game into a Star Wars simulator. Please don't use it in multiplayer, where more agile, live opponents won't show mercy while you spin around, marvelling at all that authenticity. You should have our SPVR-SG sense controller grip kit while playing.

In Conclusion

Considering the anomaly of Microsoft Flight Simulator, flight games are a specific, albeit somewhat obscure, gaming niche. I would commend the decision to create such a game, especially when backed by EA, a company often shamelessly focused solely on profit, even to the detriment of its reputation.

This game has a slightly smaller budget, lacking long-term sustainability in terms of content outside the cockpit. Nevertheless, we have one of the best and unquestionably the best Star Wars flight games. If you're a fan of both and have a VR device at hand, feel free to add a few more points to this high score.

Star Wars: Squadrons has an ESRB rating of T for teens for violence and some mild language. But if your kid loves flying simulators and Star Wars, consider getting this one. And if you are looking for an altogether different experience, check out Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master.