Spawning multiple books, comics, board games, card games, spin-offs, TV series, and core films, theStar Warsfranchise is a cultural behemoth. The globally beloved series already has a number of excellent games under its belt, like the singleplayerStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand thegold standard of MMORPGsStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.However, fans of the franchise were surprised by the announcement that came earlier this year of three new titles, as EA teams up with Respawn Entertainment to make newStar Warsprojects. These three new titles will be the eagerly anticipatedStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2,anFPS, and a strategy game.
While the latter two projects are as yet unnamed and details are scarce regarding their development, speculation of what they might look and play like has been rife among the gaming community. There have been a number ofStar Warsstrategy games, each of varying quality and popularity. When it comes to well-received strategy games, Respawn and the newly-formed Bit Reactor couldn’t go far wrong by using the excellentXCOMseries as a template. While players wait for more details on the upcoming releases, they can look back on what made theXCOMtitles so great, and see if the newStar Warsstrategy game could make use of their features.
RELATED:All the Upcoming Star Wars Game Projects Confirmed to be in Development
The Setting And Important Details
What theXCOMseries did so well, particularly in the later games, was to reimagine classic RTS elements and provide a fresh take on them. When the series was later rebooted withentries likeXCOM: Enemy UnknownandXCOM 2,the games still felt authentic to the franchise and genre. However, they offered new and exciting aspects to the gameplay that impressed players and critics alike. Gameplay was streamlined and simplified, but the games as a whole still felt enjoyably complex and required a very considered and methodical approach.
With the responsibility of running a base combined with the top-down, turn-based combat of engaging in missions with a team of troopers, theXCOMgames provided the overview-style of an RTS with the thrill and pace of more action-focused excursions. The upcomingStar Warsgame would do well to incorporate a similar structure, giving players multiple aspects to focus on and engage with.
The inclusion of both of these forms of gameplay adds something extra to the standard RTS formula and gives players a taste of different game modes. For aStar Warsgame this could also work perfectly, with gamers having to manage the resources and structure of their base alongside more exciting missions. TheStar Warsfranchise is already set up for that, with multiple factions having bases of operations in previous films and games like theRebel Alliance base on Endor. With many factions to choose from within theStar Warscanon that could operate out of bases which players could work to expand throughout the game, the story possibilities are fairly endless.
The story setting ofXCOM 2could be particularly useful for aStar Warsstrategy game. Set 20 years after its predecessorXCOM: Enemy Unknown,XCOM 2follows the fortunes of humanityafter its defeat at the hands of its alien adversary. As opposed to the ally and resource-rich version that players encounter in the previous game,XCOM 2shows a much different form of humanity – leaderless, fractured, and operating in an alien-occupied environment. Playing as a rag-tag group of rebels against a more powerful foe is a familiar state of affairs in theStar Warsuniverse, and could offer an interesting option for the setting of the new strategy game.
The newStar Warsstrategy game could either show the well-known struggle of the Rebel Alliance against the mighty and misguided Empire. Players would build up Rebel bases in remote locations away from the reach of the Empire, all while trying to take over planets to regain galactic control. Or alternatively, the strategy game could offer gamers the chance to play as a crumbling Empire after their defeat at the hands ofLuke, Leia, Han, and their allies.
This would provide the same dynamic of a smaller, fractured force against a more powerful antagonistic one, but would add something a little more unexpected to the traditional good vs. badStar Warsformula. Of course, the strategy game could choose to go in a completely different direction and allow players to use more underused elements and utilize less human-focused factions as well.
RELATED:Rumor: Star Wars Eclipse Is Taking Inspiration From The Last of Us
Difficulty And Dynamics
The most popular strategy games offer players enough of a challenge that it feels like there are actual high stakes and carefully considered tactics that need to be employed, while still making gameplay accessible.TheXCOMseriesusually handles this balance well, with straightforward mechanics that still need careful thought and planning. Running a base requires a strategy, and the scarcity of resources has a big impact. Making mistakes during missions can lead to the permanent deaths of squad members, and can feel emotionally resonant as well as strategically important. Decisions have consequences, and gamers can’t just breeze through the game without taking a more measured approach.
The laterXCOMgames also had a competent AI that rarely made mistakes, adding to the difficulty as well as the believability of the world. Venturing out with the four to six-person squads for battles and the exploration of areas felt risky as well as rewarding, and the tactically complex and highly challenging combat situations were addictive and enjoyable.
The feature where players couldn’t technically ‘see’ the enemy forces if their troops couldn’t made mapping areas and positioning their combatants vitally important. By reducing the predictability of the campaign and the areas,XCOM 2improved upon previousXCOMtitlesand made it so that players couldn’t rely on established tactics and prescribed methods of handling progression to succeed. The procedurally generated maps were competently designed and distinct, and the randomness provided a consistent challenge alongside the core gameplay.
In addition to using theXCOMseries for ideas on how to structure theStar Warsstrategy game, Respawn and Bit Reactor would be able to elevate the title with several other elements. A challenging AI is an easy way to ensure that gameplay is adaptive and requires careful planning to progress — key elements for titles in the strategy genre. The setting ofXCOM 2in particular offers up some interesting story tangents for the upcoming game to explore, and the mix of base management and more up close and personal trooper control provides players with a multitude of different aspects and approaches to progress through the game.
Whilelittle is known about theStar Warsstrategy gameat this moment, more will no doubt be revealed in the coming months as development gets underway.
