Star Wars: Squadrons

Star Wars: Squadrons is somewhat anomalous for a AAA product. There are no microtransactions, and the scope is refreshingly focused on the underserved flight sim genre. It’s not dumbed down, either. This is a bona fide successor to the X-Wing series – the kind of game that fans buy specialized joysticks for just to get the most authentic experience. It edges close to the modern FPS design template, where the campaign is a highly scripted glorified tutorial for the multiplayer mode, but it always leaves just enough breathing room to stay outside of that realm. The multiplayer is still the focus, since the campaign has the usual Star Wars interquel problem of not being allowed to depict anything of actual importance. There’s not a lot of obvious tactile variety to the different combat loadouts, but there’s a depth and nuance to them (as well as to the movement mechanics) that makes for an extremely high skill ceiling.

The authenticity and intricacy of the presentation and controls are the strongest selling points. I don’t know why, but the ability to reroute power to various ship systems activates all of my brain’s sci-fi-loving neurons. I never used the cockpit view in Rogue Squadron despite how cool it was, because it limited your spatial awareness, and sure enough, the most difficult thing about Squadrons is not being able to tell where you’re being shot from. But it’s worth it, because translating the manipulation of complex machinery into elegantly weaving through interstellar debris is a glorious feeling. This is the case in both single-player and multiplayer, although the former is regularly interrupted by the endless chatter of boring and poorly-written characters. Apart from the MOBA-like Fleet Battle mode, there are only minor expansions to X-Wing gameplay, but it’s been over 20 years since the last game in that series. The technological leap alone justifies Squadrons’ existence.