On Oct. 2, Electronic Arts released its latest Star Wars game, “Star Wars Squadrons,” and it surprisingly works. An in-depth flight simulator in the Star Wars universe for only $40? Yes, please.
It is no secret that Electronic Arts has had a bad history when it comes to multiplayer games and the Star Wars license. After Disney bought Lucasfilm they licensed Star Wars to EA who quickly created the mediocre “Star Wars Battlefront.”
It lacked a single-player, only focused on the original movie trilogy and was lackluster. A couple of years later they released “Star Wars Battlefront II” which got people excited, but it was rife with controversy.
It focused on every Star Wars trilogy, had a single-player and was a lot of fun to play. However, it was filled to the brim with microtransactions. The player leveling system was tied to them and they helped fuel the fire for classifying loot boxes as gambling.
EA needed to earn back Star Wars fans and that they did. They fixed “Star Wars Battlefront II” and made it one of the best Star Wars multiplayer games. Zero microtransactions and enough content to distract you for hours.
They then released “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.” A single-player story-driven game that every Star Wars fan was asking for. Now with their most recent game, “Star Wars Squadrons” they have hit another home run.
The game puts you into the cockpit of eight different ships with their own unique set of abilities. You pilot these throughout an okay storyline and a fun-filled multiplayer mode.
The story is nothing special, but it is still a great addition. It is pretty easy to predict what happens, yet it is still fun to play and to listen to the banter of your squadron mates.
The story should take you around ten hours to complete and is very useful for learning the way the different ships fly. Once you play through the story it is time to jump into the multiplayer.
The multiplayer consists of two modes, Dog Fight and Fleet Battles. Dog Fight pits five players against five in a high stake’s shootout, the first team to 30 kills wins.
Fleet battles, on the other hand, are more strategic and involve multiple stages. It is still five versus five but with some additions. You must destroy the other team’s capital ships and then their flagship to win, while they try to destroy yours.
Communication and strategy are crucial here if you want to win. You must be ready to switch the ship you are flying to respond at a moments notice. Speaking of the ships, the eight different ships all serve a distinct purpose in the squadron.
There is the X-wing and TIE Fighter, the iconic ships of Star Wars. These are the fighter class; they move fast and shoot fast. They can take a beating and are the perfect choice for new players.
Then there is the Y-wing and TIE Bomber. These are the bombers of the squad and are very useful for taking out large ships as they can release a volley of bombs onto the unsuspecting. Just don’t let these fly by themselves as they are easy prey.
Then there is the A-wing and TIE Interceptor. These are the interceptors, and they move quickly, and quicker than the fighters. It does not take much to destroy them but not before they have decimated half your squad with their firepower.
Finally, there is the U-wing and TIE Reaper. These are the support ships, and they can take a lot of damage before they go down. They aren’t good at fighting, but they will resupply your team and get you ready for round two at a moment’s notice.
These eight ships, separated into four categories, make up the squad. You will need a nice mixture of these if you want to win in a fleet battle. In a dog fight, most of you will be rocking the TIE fighter and X-wing.
This game was made for fans of flight simulators or the space battles of Star Wars. It has high stakes action and will keep you on your toes. If you have never played a flight simulator before this isn’t too hard to grasp, but it is difficult to master.
For $40 this is a no-brainer for Star Wars fans. It will provide you with hours of entertainment, and there are so many cosmetics you can collect to trick out the ships to keep you playing.
Sadly, at the time of writing this, they have no plans for post-launch content. It would be a shame if they didn’t release any new content. This is a great Star Wars game that they could keep running for years.
This game is highly recommended even if they aren’t going to add new content. For the price tag, this game will provide you so much entertainment, and with friends, it is even better,
“Star Wars Squadrons” is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC with full crossplay between the platforms.