Review – Star Wars Squadrons
With thanks to the folks at EA, today I’m covering the goings-on of a galaxy far far away, with a title that released not quite so long ago. Here you can find our full video and extended written review, along with a common sense parent’s guide, for the new space flight sim Star Wars Squadrons.As usual get in touch with the video just here, or keep on reading for a more detailed look at the galaxy’s newest hope.
The Basics
As most of you will know I am a lover of all things Sci-fi and definitely everything Star Wars (with the notable exception of a certain christmas special). Because of this, I’ve been looking forward to the release of Star Wars Squadrons for some time, and I’m really glad to report that I haven’t been disappointed with this one.
Star Wars Squadrons brings the frantic multiplayer which I expected, backed by a solid campaign mode and a decent narrative which I didn’t. While it seems to be in place mostly in order to teach players how to survive in multiplayer, the single player campaign provides an all new story, set shortly after the Battle of Endor, and the destruction of the second Death Star.
The campaign will see you take flight in various starships, on the side of both the New Republic and the Galactic Empire. Cockpits are varied and look great, much like the different locations you’ll be flying through. In addition, the title is also one which works with the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. There aren’t a huge number that it will work with and it’s great to see more titles which support the available technology.
Whether you’re playing on controller or HOTAS, you’ll need to spend some time remapping the controls and tweaking the sensitivity to suit you, but once you have it down (and you can check out my recommended mapping just below) you should have a great time.
Parent’s Eye View
Star Wars Squadrons is rated by PEGI at 12 and above, and by the ESRB at T for Teen. There is a little language in the title, but much like the film franchise it is fairly mild and also infrequent. There’s also a considerable amount of violence in here, however with the action generally happening at a relatively large distance, and with exploding starships and no blood or gore, it is one which I’m going to be letting the Micro-Bandits get hands on with.
Star Wars Squadrons does have two internal currencies which you’ll use to purchase cosmetics and ship upgrades with in game. Importantly however, there is no option to purchase these using real world currency, and you’ll have to earn them in game by raising your pilot’s level and completing challenges. At the time of writing there are no micro-transactions in the title at all.
Accessibility
I’m giving Star Wars Squadrons an accessibility rating of Moderate. This is a strong multiplayer title which would normally be very easy to pick up and put down. However, I’ve marked this up a little from Casual simple because you will need to spend some time tweaking and practising before you can provide decent online competition.
The Run Down
Visuals – Great: There are some little niggles from time to time and it must be said that the visuals aren’t entirely flawless. However within the main gameplay and most of the cutscenes the visuals are pretty solid. Up close flyovers feel good when up against larger enemy ships, and I love the care which has been put into styling the various cockpits.
Audio – Great: The audio within the title has been good, and of course entirely in keeping with the franchise. The soundtrack themes and sound effects work really well together, constantly reminding you of exactly which sci-fi universe you’re in
Narrative – Good: The campaign is decent but not quite great. There seems to be a little disjointed chat which I’ve felt slowed down access to the campaign, and while it is a decent new story I’d have liked to see a little more here to give it a great mark
Replay – Great: The multiplayer is where Star Wars Squadrons really shines, and with a decent range of ships and unlocks as you level up and complete challenges there’s a fair amount for completionists to get done. Bonus points for zero Microtransactions
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The Verdict
Overall the Pixel Bandits Simply Red Standing By Level for Star Wars Squadrons is Grab It . This one is a great title, and playing with a HOTAS here on Xbox One, it’s one which has made me feel like a kid again. I’ve really enjoyed the story, and even though I’m still on the poor end of good the multiplayer has me too. It’s not quite in the budget section, but with a cheaper price point than most EA titles, great gameplay and a star wars hook, this is definitely one to grab if you have any interest in the sci-fi area of the flight sim genre
Pick It Up
If This one has tickled your gaming tastebuds, you can grab it on;
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