Review: Star Wars: Squadrons – Gamersnet.nl

It is, of course, every Star Wars fan’s wet dream. We had a taste of it during the VR mission in Star Wars Battlefront and now there is actually a full game devoted to dogfights in X-Wings, TIE Fighters, Y-Wing bombers and TIE Intersceptors. Star Wars Squadrons is the child of Motive Studios, which have few games behind their name. Be that as it may, Squadrons offers fans of the series a very entertaining story and while the game isn’t as hardcore as old simulation games like X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, it still offers enough depth to make you feel like a real space pilot, both in Vanguard Squadron and Titan Squadron.

Star Wars Squadron has been played with PlayStation VR

Other times

Actually, the story of Squadrons takes us to other times, when it was very normal in games to switch perspectives. So you get to work with two different pilots, where you get both the New Republic and the Imperial side of the story. Moreover, the time in which the game takes place is very refreshing. Just like The Mandalorian, we’re after Episode 6: Return of the Jedi; the second Death Star has already been destroyed and the Empire is desperately trying to stay in power. After all, the New Republic has already been formed and is chasing the last Imps in the universe.

Nerd Alert!
Welcome to the Nerd Alert section, in which we present you extra facts and tidbits that are actually too nerdy for normal readers. We will not tell anyone you read this!

Rae Sloane:
This lady is one of the great leaders of the current Empire. She played a major role in the Aftermath trilogy, a book series set after Return of the Jedi, where the remaining Imperials must find a new direction after the disappearance of Palpatine and Darth Vader. The Battle of Jakuu plays a major role in this series and in The Force Awakens you are the result of it, with legions of spaceships that have crashed on the planet and Rey trying to find valuables in these iron carcasses.

Hera Syndulla
Hera starred in Star Wars: Rebels, the cartoon set between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode 4: A New Hope. Rebels was created to show the beginnings of the Rebellion in a world still heavily controlled by the Empire. Her ship The Ghost was briefly featured in the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One and now we know for sure she survived all these battles as she will be giving you missions in Squadrons.

Choices, choices

The gameplay in Squadron is by no means the same as the easy arcade missions in Battlefront 2. It is of course not a simulation, but options have been added that give everything a little more depth. First of all, it is possible to equip your space bolide with different types of weapons. In addition, the X-Wing is the most all-round choice and with the Y-Wing you can also use many types of bombs. Second, you need to think strategically about dividing your energy. You can choose to give your weapons, engines or shields extra power. Extra strong shields come at the expense of your weapons and speed, of course, but can prove to be a life-saving choice in the heat of battle. The choice of weapons and the distribution of energy make the game just a bit more challenging and strategic than you might expect.

The story in Squadrons is well put together. Of course it never gains weight when the movies have that, but it shouldn’t be in a video game either. What you do get is a story with love in it, with characters who already have a face in other media and nice nods to comic books, short stories and cartoons. This is not only visible in the story, also in multiplayer you can equip your flying machine with color schemes, logos and items that can often be traced back to other Star Wars projects in canon. Speaking of multiplayer; we are talking about a relatively cheap game that hyperspacetes over the counter for four bucks. The story will take you about eight hours and the rest of the gameplay time will have to be found in multiplayer.

Fleet Battles

There are two variants you can get started with. First of all, there is Dogfights, a 5v5 deathmatch variant in space. There are six different folders in which you can get started and for the simple cracking this is a great mode. Still, the game’s flagship is Fleet Battles mode. In these levels you will have to go through different phases, in order to eventually destroy a huge spaceship, or you can customize TIE-fighter, bomer, interceptor and reaper with unlockable cosmetic treats, it remains great to show your skills in your favorite flying machine.

According to Electronic Arts, about 15% of the players play the game in Virtual Reality. This makes sense because VR is expensive, but it is an absolute shame. This game can only be played in first person and that is grist to the mill for VR players. In fact, if you play the game in VR, you have a big advantage over people who experience the game on television. You can literally look around and so it is easier to follow opponents, even if they are flying above or next to you, for example. I am lucky to have a VR headset, because that makes the game much cooler. You are REALLY IN AN X-WING!

Conclusion

Star Wars Squadrons has become a solid game that does not come off too easily. For four bucks you get a story that is very faithful to the source material and introduces well-known characters from other media within video games. The eight different spaceships that you will be manning all have their own face and they can also be adjusted cosmetically if you play the game more often. There will be no paid DLC for the game and what you see is what you get. The two multiplayer modes are well put together, but with this game you have absolutely no fat RPG where you can unlock hundreds of hours of content. And you don’t have to, because if you want to get away from the real world for a while and shoot some games, Star Wars Squadrons is a great way to do that. Especially in VR!

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