Star Wars: Squadron is EA’s next venture into the Star Wars universe. While the gameplay trailer for this new title is just around the corner, there are enough hints with current promotional teasers that prep us on what to expect.
Moving away from the force, Star Wars: Squadron hones in on another fan-favorite aspect of the franchise, the starfighters. While fans can expect to pilot their favorite empire or rebellion starcraft, it would not be surprising to possibly see a few familiar faces from other entries in the franchise.
The new promotional trailer for Star Wars: Squadron showcases in-engine footage that shows some breathtaking views and hints at the storyline the campaign will follow. The majority of the dogfights allude to players fighting alongside the ruins of Star Destroyers and numerous iconic ships. There also depictions of damaged ships returning to their landing bay, which would be nice to see some sort of repair mechanic in-game if players fly back to their base. A scene showcasing a rebel pilot dodging an enemy missile by going through an asteroid field could possibly allude to environmental hazards across maps that can give players an edge in battle if used correctly.
Fans will be pleased to hear that the game will have a single-player experience that will follow an original story set “after the events of Return of the Jedi, during the final days of the Empire.” Interestingly, players will play through multiple perspectives from the Empire and the New Republic. Whether or not this entry will be canon has not been revealed, but cameos from characters like Wedge Antilles and Hera Syndulla are more than welcome. In terms of multiplayer, players can expect to take control of a pilot from the New Republic or Empire, and take on various 5 vs 5 modes.
To address the elephant in the room, there will be no microtransactions in Star Wars: Squadrons. Whether this will be only on launch or throughout the longevity of this title is yet to be seen, but hopefully, it is the latter. Developers of the game have commented saying that all customizable items in the game will be unlocked through player progression and are “gameplay exclusive.” The teaser showed various pilots with unique decals on their helmets or uniforms, as well as different alien races. Players won’t have to just play humanoid characters. Players will also be happy to hear that the full experience will be available to all October 2, 2020, for only $40.
While fans have every reason to be cautious of a new Star Wars title being published by EA, hopefully, this new entry can make up for the launch of Battlefront II. Let’s not forget about Jedi Fallen Order which showed EA was capable of easing back on the microtransactions and letting developers release a fully contained experience. Until gameplay is shown we really have to cross our fingers for deep-space combat, and not a watered-down experience. It will be interesting to see if Star Wars: Squadrons can appeal to general Star Wars fans and fans of flight combat sim games, in terms of the controls. While we shouldn’t expect to see players busting out their flight sticks for this game, it would be nice to see more complex gameplay than the streamlined approach in other Star Wars games.
NEXT: 5 Reasons Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Is the Best Lightsaber Game (&5 Reasons It’s Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast)
