Star Wars: Squadrons Review

There are a few fantasies that Star Wars fans dream of living out: to feel the force as a lightsaber-wielding Jedi, capture the galaxy’s most wanted as a cold and calculating bounty hunter, and, most of all, dogfight in the cockpit of an X-Wing . Star Wars: Squadrons fully embraces the latter, with some minor caveats. Offering a generous amount of content for its price, along with several different ways to experience the game, Squadrons sets itself apart from more recent Star Wars entries in EA’s catalog.

Squadrons, for all of its excellent gameplay mechanics and attention to oh-so-important Star Wars detail, struggles to decide how it wants to present itself to players. Squadrons offer two modes of play: with a standard controller (or keyboard/mouse, if you prefer) or in VR; each offering wildly different experiences. As soon as I began the campaign, it was obvious Squadrons was built to be a VR-first experience. From the stationary first-person perspective throughout the entirety of the game, to the point and click aspects of story bits throughout the campaign, it feels like a crime against the Empire if you don’t experience Squadrons in VR.

But when playing Squadrons in VR, the game really sings. Being able to actively look around the cockpit of your X-Wing or TIE Fighter is a surreal experience. It doubly enhances the gameplay since your perspective isn’t forced in one direction, allowing you to look around to get a better perspective of the battlefield. There were a number of times that I lost track of the TIE Fighter I was tailing, only to be able to peek behind me to regain targeting on my prey. Combined with the spectacular audio design, I felt so immersed in VR that I was calling out attack runs or certain targets to no one else in my room (other than my sleeping cat nearby). That sort of Star Wars immersion is what we’ve dreamed of since VR has been introduced, and Squadrons offers it in spades.

Outside of VR, Squadrons is often a frustrating space flight simulator. Previously mentioned, your perspective from the cockpit is locked to what you can see immediately in front of your ship. The field of view is often lacking and the experience often feels very claustrophobic. I noticed I often smacked into enemy ships outside of VR since the game doesn’t often give you a good sense of depth if you aren’t playing in VR. I also lost track of my targets more easily, since they’d fly by and I would drift around until I randomly found a new target. 

Squadrons balances fun and complexity in its gameplay exquisitely. Being able to control individual aspects of your ship’s power is daunting at first, but Squadrons breaks your ship into three easy components: Speed, Weapons, and Shields. The idea is to redirect power into one of these three components to prioritize their effectiveness, all with a simple toggle on the directional pad. Want to prioritize your speed so you can slip in and out of combat? Simply hit left on the directional pad. Want to prioritize shields to withstand more damage? Hit right on the directional pad. Of course, you can simply balance all three options by hitting down. 

This simplification of the power system management on your ship is key to Squadron’s fun factor, as you never spend too much time thinking about where you should prioritize your ship’s power. I spent much of my time alternating between speed and shields in an X-Wing, which fit my playstyle as an attack runner. Power management does get a bit more complicated when given the choice to balance your ship’s shields. Simply put, players are able to direct their shield system power to the front of their ship to thwart head-on attacks or they can divert shields to the rear of their ships when being tailed. It’s not as complicated in the heat of the moment, but does take some quick thinking in multiplayer battles.

Speaking of multiplayer, Squadrons has some really engaging modes. Fleet Battles are the highlight of the game, as they’re the big cinematic space battles we see in the films. In Fleet Battles, each team has the goal of destroying the opposing team’s Flagship. If you’re playing as the Rebel Alliance (or the New Republic, as the game takes place post-Return of the Jedi), your goal is to take down the enemy Star Destroyer; a feat that is both exhilarating and strategic. Players must target various components of the Star Destroyer to disable some of its systems. For example, destroying the Star Destroyer’s targeting system specifically will cause the battleship to be less accurate in hitting you or the other members of your squadron. I often found myself prioritizing certain parts of the Star Destroyer over others in quick moments of strategy, which often lent itself to that feeling of being a quick-thinking X-Wing pilot in a pivotal battle straight out of the films. 

There aren’t many issues I have with the multiplayer in Squadrons. Often, battles ended in a tie or, more often, in a devastating loss due to many of my random teammates not coordinating enough to destroy the enemy flagship. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast with team-based multiplayer games, but a call-out system without having to use your mic is a missing feature that I wish was in the game. 

All in all, Squadrons is a great encapsulation of what it feels like to be a star fighter in Star Wars, but only if you can experience it in VR. I find it hard to recommend if your only means of playing this game is on a standard monitor or TV, but an opportunity to play Squadrons in VR is an experience worth having. Doubly so if you’re able to play the game with a flight stick.