Star Wars Squadrons Review: A Multiplayer Gem

Star Wars Squadrons creates a really fun multiplayer mode, but I wouldn’t grind out the campaign.

What Happens in Star Wars Squadrons?

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, or more specifically 4 years after the battle of Endor, our story begins.  We see the aftermath of the second Death Star being destroyed as the Empire strives to regain the power it lost and the rebellion, now the New Republic, tries to create its footing in this new world and establish itself as a power for good.

We are then introduced to Vanguard squadron which is overseen by Commander Javes, a former imperial pilot who defected. Your player joins Vanguard in their missions to defeat the remains of the Empire. On the other side, you will have another character who is part of Titan squadron, an imperial force trying to stop the New Republic from gaining any real control and to put the Empire back as the supreme power in the galaxy. 

So, it’s a battle for the control of the galaxy, as we have seen before, but with the twist of playing both sides set in a time not heavily explored.

Who Are The Characters in Star Wars Squadrons?

In the Star Wars Squadrons, you play as both an Imperial pilot as well as a New Republic pilot. Within this game, the pilot you play as is customizable at the beginning of the campaign. Overall, these pilots have characteristics based on the settings you set at the beginning of the campaign.

On the other hand, there are two main forces fighting in the campaign: Lindon Javes from the New Republic and Terisa Kerrill of the Empire. Before the events of the main campaign, these two pilots served under Imperial power until Lindon betrayed the Empire to join the New Republic. By the time of the main campaign, these two characters are the commanders of Vanguard Squadron, from the New Republic, and Titan Squadron, from the Empire. 

Star Wars Squadrons Review

Star Wars Squadrons was a very interesting game. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but the surprises weren’t all bad. For one, the story wasn’t as good as I expected. The game is built for the multiplayer modes, without a doubt, but the multiplayer modes are fantastic. Let’s start by breaking down the single-player mode.

The campaign is a good way to introduce yourself to both the controls and inner workings of each individual ship. It allows for a more controlled environment, as well as some more challenging missions, to wrap your mind around the lack of a true y-axis. This is a cool part of the game, as it is super easy to forget which way is up, and then you spend half the mission flying around “upside down”.

The storyline behind the campaign is bland and feels almost pointless until the end of the game. The final missions for both the Empire and the New Republic are fantastic, and they bring an unsatisfying campaign mode to a relatively smooth close. That being said, I don’t want to take away from the individual missions themselves. They are all unique and challenging in their own way, and the individuality of each ship shows the lengths that Motive Studios went to in order to give that feeling of being in a cockpit in a galaxy far, far away.

The multiplayer is superb. With a couple of different types of modes to play, the developers have created a fun environment where you can experience a much more challenging fight than the campaign. The customizations available to your ships is a nice touch as well. It is within this mode that you really get to feel the details put into the development of each ship.

The speed and difficulty are both ramped up and as a result, the difference in speed or power between a Y-wing and an X-wing becomes apparent. While I spent more time on the campaign than I did the multiplayer, it felt like a mode where you could sit down and spend more than a few hours zooming around destroying flagships and tie fighters.

I love the visual aspects of this game. Every individual mission is filled with incredible visual detail. From the shadows in your windows, to the different interiors of different ships, I was super impressed by the amount of work Motive Studios put into that side of this game. 

This game wasn’t anything special on the campaign side and in all honesty, if you are looking to get a game purely for a strong story, I would skip this one. Jedi: Fallen Order provides a much better story within the Star Wars universe. But if you are looking for a game unlike any other, with unparalleled flying dynamics and visual effects in space, I would pick this one up. The campaign is good enough to get away with, and the multiplier makes it worth your time.