N
othing is quite so true to the spirit of
Star Wars than pinching things from
the past. This latest entry in EA’s
oeuvre is a firstperson starfighter simulator
that casts an eye back to the ’90s heyday of
the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series, and centres
on the giddy delight of being thrust into a
dogfight – illuminated by distinctive green
and red lasers that streak across the cockpit,
soundtracked by angry squeals from Imperial
TIE fighters on your six. More importantly, it
echoes a past when what you bought was what
you got. So yes, this feels like a reaction to
Battlefront II’s troubled launch.
It’s focused and intricate in a way that Star
Wars games haven’t been for a while, and that
starts with the ships you pilot. Step into the
cockpit of one of the eight on offer and you’re
presented with an array of retrofuturistic
buttons and faux-CRT screens that instantly
evoke a sense of nostalgia, but these visual
flourishes are more than childhood memory-
bait. For instance, in your pilot’s peripheral
vision is a power management system similar
to the ones found in the X-Wing games of old,
which shifts the focus of your craft’s
capabilities, letting you min-max your
thrusters and lasers.Our first taste of the impact they offer
comes in Dogfights, a 5v5 team deathmatch
that gleefully serves up instant gratification.
We plump for a nimble TIE fighter, and it’s
immediately noticeable how a ship will rocket
across a map when you put everything into
the thrusters, and lumber when you max out
your weapons. Knowing when to shift power
becomes second nature quickly, and more
abilities, such as boosting in faster vehicles,
are present as well, so there’s a need to engage
meaningfully with the controls rather than
just hop in and blast away. These early matches
give us hope that it’ll be a playground for
battles of wits, even if some of our early
rounds see plenty of chases where Yakety Sax
would make a more appropriate soundtrack
choice than The Imperial March.
Still, it’s all useful practice for the game’s
other multiplayer mode, Fleet Battles. In it,
two teams of five (as well as plenty of AI craft
that make for fine ion cannon fodder) attempt
to destroy their oppositions’ capital ships.There are distinct phases of play, where you’ll
be told to attack your enemies’ ship – be it
a Star Destroyer or MC 75 – or defend your
own. The strategy behind the game’s systems
becomes more overt here as well. If you think
you can potter up to a capital ship, hurl
a missile into a thermal exhaust port and get
a medal, you’ll be greeted with a dismissive
volley of lasers. Instead, it requires teamwork,
flagging human opponents to your team,
knowing when to play the objective and when
to change your craft for the situation.
When our team is struggling, we swap into
a U-Wing, a support class, and focus on
resupplying teammates, which keeps them
in the fight for longer. It might not offer the
same immediate thrill as slaloming through
the fight in the X-wing, but then we can hop
back into that role when it’s our turn to
attack. There’s a strong whiff of hero shooter
to how it all works, which is why it’s too soonto tell if Squadrons has the legs (or, rather,
wings) to keep us invested for the long haul.
But considering the potential satisfaction
of mastering how each ship handles, as well
as the implications for an evolving meta as
favoured strategies are formed and countered,
the early signs are encouraging.
It’s away from the action where the biggest
surprise comes, however: Star Wars: Squadrons
won’t feature any form of microtransactions.
It’s a remarkably restrained move, especially
as your progression through the game is tied
into unlocking components that can alter
your ship’s abilities, alongside the usual array
of cosmetics for you to drape over your pilot
and craft. It’s laudable, although how long the
goodwill generated will last will be dependent
on how much time we’ll need to invest to earn
items. Still, this anachronistic streak, and
a reduced price point at launch, positions
this as the most endearing EA Star Wars
game yet, where the reward for your time is
the joy of mastering the starfighter, rather
than a costly Jar-Jar Binks decal. QWedge
your bets
While Star Wars:
Squadrons’ focus may
be on multiplayer
dogfights, it also
promises a
singleplayer story in
which you step into
the overalls of your
own created
characters for both
the Empire and
Rebels. The main
narrative picks up
after the events of
Return Of The Jedi;
the dual perspective
offers Motive another
chance to explore
what it means to be
on the side of Star
Wars’ space fascists,
something it never
quite managed to do
with Iden Versio in
Battlefront II’s story.
At the very least, we
can expect nostalgia-
tickling cameos from
the expanded
universe, with Holby
City’s finest fighter
pilot Wedge Antilles
popping up in the
trailer, alongside
Admiral Ackbar in
the short prologue
that we play.There’s a need to engage
meaningfully with the controls
rather than just blast awaySTAR WARS:
SQUADRONSHY
PE