Star Wars Squadrons Review: Gameplay, Campaign and Multiplayer Impressions

Sheathing the lightsabers and forgoing the wicked powers of the Force to strictly dial in on space combat is a bold move for a Star Wars video game in 2020.  

Yet that's exactly what developer Motive Studios does with the release of Star Wars: Squadrons, a space-combat game set in comfortable skin with a solo campaign and a multiplayer experience. 

Nailing down the niche well isn't an easy feat, which would explain why there haven't been many of these types of releases over the years. But if the immersion is done well enough and gameplay properly straddles the line of simulation and arcade, players will soon forget goodies like lightsabers aren't a part of the experience. 

And Squadrons is ambitious in making sure it achieves these important feats of balance—without the Force. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Squadrons arrives near the end of a console generation, and with it comes one of the better, immersive Star Wars experiences out there. 

Graphically speaking, the game oozes quality as it whisks players to a variety of different, memorable settings. Whether it's ship graveyards or staggering planets hovering over the background of a battlefield and beyond, it's almost safari-like in how it tours notable spots in a beloved fictional universe. 

Not to get too cliche and say what everyone else is probably going to say, but here goes: This just feels like being in the Star Wars universe.

There aren't many holes to poke in the game visually while in a ship. Lasers fly all over the place, jets flare and other ships look great. That same logic applies outside of the ships, too. Those fleeting moments feature great-looking character models with strong lip-sync work, and the environments, while disinteresting at times, look good. 

There is even some superb presentation wrapped in some odd gameplay. On-foot sequences in the story mode permit the player to engage in some really fun, well-performed conversations with squadmates. They're in-depth looks at a broad range of characters with splendid voice acting almost reminiscent of a Mass Effect conversation, sans the ability for the player to respond. 

But...players fill the silent protagonist role in these exchanges, and they can't actually walk through the hangar or corridors or other areas. Both analog sticks just control the player's head: Looking at a hangar door or squadmate off in the distance and hitting a button will make the player go through the door or start a conversation, respectively. 

The silent protagonist thing is funny and a little perplexing because one of the first things the game asks players to do upon first startup is pick from a bevy of voice options while customizing appearance. It's not the end of the world, but players are merely a participant in the game's events, not the driving force. 

One can't discuss the presentation without mentioning the amazing sound design. Characters are all superbly performed, and there's a nice Star Wars score in the background. Radio cut-ins are performed well, too. All the classic sounds fans of the movie franchise have come to love from the library of space battles are here, ranging from the sound of laser fire and lightspeed jumps to the distinct engine whines of different fighters. 

The decision to make things first-person only is a little jarring at first. Why go through the trouble of crafting these amazing, if not historic pieces of Star Wars lore just to lock players in a cockpit?

The answer is immersion, of course. 

Ships have a simple gameplay loop, as players have to juggle whether to prioritize movements, lasers or shields or just keep things balanced. If you flick the balance over to speed when trying to zoom back around and boost off in another direction, you'll become harder to hit. In range of a target? Flick to lasers. And so on. It becomes a fun minigame within a game atop the actual controls, and it is so intuitive it almost becomes second nature. 

That all takes place in each ship's uniquely crafted cockpit, not a video game HUD. Power diversion is on the left, ammo is on the right—and more. The smooth integration of game systems into the ships is as smooth as it gets and furthers the immersion. 

Dogfighting in the various setpieces at its most basic is a blast. There aren't droves of innovation in that sense—zip after some enemies, lock on to one after a set amount of time, fire some missiles and hope they don't have a way to counteract it. Expand that broadly, mix in some other ships and away players go. 

On one hand, the game doesn't feel like it often captures a really good sense of speed. But on the other, zipping in close over much bigger ships or having a close call with a base's buildings is legitimately a hair-raising affair.

And that's the big catch; this sort of gameplay won't be unfamiliar to players with experience in these sorts of games. But the level designs are so smooth and packed with little nooks and crannies with debris or otherwise that it doesn't often feature those boring slogs of fights out in the open, in which repetition sets in quickly. 

A.I. doesn't always seem amazing, though, with allies sometimes ramming into each other for noticeable damage or even adversaries just catapulting into a fiery mess after colliding with an inanimate object. To be fair, this could be a measure of realism, so it's a wash. 

For what it aims to accomplish, filling a niche in a massive fictional universe, Squadrons is an admirable feat thanks to the smooth blend of gameplay and presentation.  

Story, Multiplayer and More

As hinted, Squadrons has players along for the ride in a typical Star Wars romp.

Thanks to some early shenanigans, there's an emotional, interesting vibe from the beginning, with the Republic's Lindon Javes and the Empire's Terisa Kerrill in the lead roles. 

The story works through the expected paces, though it respects the player and doesn't have a ton of scripted events or even quick-time events (QTEs, shudder). Perhaps most interesting is the way the side characters can take over the spotlight. They're genuinely interesting in some cases, and it means actually caring for what they have to say when they cut in on the radio mid-fight. 

The creators sure lean into the Star Wars license fully to avoid repetition. Mission variety is a plus, in large part because escort missions will have some varied wrinkles, and accomplishing feats in the open space battles will enable progression for boarding parties or otherwise. 

There are massive setpieces that serve as playgrounds for these ideas, and it all combines for a strong, not-too-repetitive, sub-10 hour experience. 

One could probably argue the campaign just feels like one big tutorial that gets progressively more complicated and difficult as players near the conclusion, all with the aim of funneling players into the multiplayer mode. 

And is that really a bad thing? 

The game has a story to tell and gameplay mechanics to reveal at the same time, and once that story gets told, all that's left is taking things online for a multiplayer experience aimed at letting players continue to enjoy the mechanics they've come to like. 

It's certainly a modern offering, though the absence of a battle pass or additional currencies is noticeable—and welcome. Unless this changes post-launch at some point, it's a subtle flex by the developers, who appear to know the gameplay is just so good that it alone will keep players coming back. 

And that's true, with the only really modern thing about the multiplayer suite being daily challenges and operation challenges that unlock unique rewards. 

As expected, multiplayer is quite a bit more difficult than the campaign. Human enemies are just faster and more unpredictable, so there is a learning curve. 

The two game modes also fall into the expected category. One is just a deathmatch-styled mode. The other, and breakout star, is Fleet Battles. It's a strategic throwdown between—wait for it—fleets of ships. The first team to destroy enough enemy ships gets to advance on the enemy, beginning to take down cruisers and eventually the opponent's capital ship while enemies get thrown on the defensive. 

Fleet Battles really shows off how much depth the game provides. Players can just hop into one of the faster ships and zip around the battlefield. But with options like heavier, slower damage-dealing ships or even a healer-class ship that focuses on keeping teammates alive, and customization of weapons that can sort players into roles, it becomes apparent a well-coordinated and balanced team could wipe the floor with a team doing the opposite. 

Swapping out roles on the fly becomes a viable option. Players getting pummeled might want to get into faster ships to counteract enemy fighters. Those closing in on winning the game might want to suit up in a bomber to inflict as much damage as possible. 

To say the potential here is massive would be an understatement. As the player base improves, it's easy to see dedicated squadrons of players linking up often, making callouts like they would in an FPS and zeroing in on targets one at a time. But putting that idea into this game could mean a really unexpected bit of immersion in the Star Wars universe some might not have seen coming. 

There is a small bit of customization, like paint for the outside of the ship and figures that go on the dashboards. These are unlockable through a fair amount of time as a player progresses. But again, it's not like players are close enough to others often enough to show off these unlocks—this is all about the gameplay being the solo driver of players returning for more. 

One of the first things the game does is show players a robust suite of accessibility options. That's part of a strong overall options set that lets players play how they want and at a variety of different difficulties. Call it a capper on an impressive, all-around experience, even if it feels like a limited set of modes and features at face value. 

Conclusion

It's a bit funny that a game like Squadrons, which strictly takes place in space, does a better job than most Star Wars games ever when it comes to immersing players in that universe. 

It's an impressive accomplishment for Motive Studios, which has told an interesting tale while blurring the lines between gameplay and production values. There's a fun gameplay loop that is good to pick up and play, but it has the skill-ceiling coordination and tactical elements teams will seek out on the multiplayer side. 

While it's a little weird to classify a game carrying a license as big as Star Wars as an underdog or surprise, that's exactly what Squadrons is—a blindside of a release that's so strong in what it sets out to do it might be a mainstay on Game of the Year lists.