Why Star Wars: Squadrons May Be the Game-Changer Fans Have Been Waiting For

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ve probably been hearing a lot of chatter about EA’s upcoming Star Wars: Squadrons game. In fact, plenty of fans think it’s going to deliver authentic Star Wars excitement in a way that The Rise of Skywalker never could.

Why, though, is excitement so high for this game? Star Wars space combat is cool and all, but EA already offers plenty of it through Battlefront 2.

If you don’t understand the hype for this game, then “much to learn, you still have.” Fortunately, we stole EA’s secret plans so you could learn why Star Wars: Squadrons is the game-changer fans have been looking for.

Star Wars: Squadrons — Return of the Space Sim

For older gamers, Star Wars: Squadrons looks like something they haven’t seen in a long time. And for younger games, it may be something they have never seen. We’re talking, of course, about a genuine space sim!

There are plenty of modern games that let you fly spacecraft. These range from No Man’s Sky to EA’s own Battlefront 2. But all of these games are designed to play more like an arcade game. You can fly and you can shoot, and there’s not much to it beyond that.

However, the ’90s were full of genuine space simulations. Games like Wing Commander showed us how cool it could be to manage a complex space fighter. Later, X-Wing and TIE Fighter would elevate the space sim to an art form. Star Wars: Squadrons looks to continue that legacy.

Star Wars: Squadrons — Official Gameplay Trailer

There are a ton of Star Wars games out there. Some are good, like Knights of the Old Republic. And some are so bad we try to forget them (like the Masters of Teras Kasi fighting game on Playstation).

However, Star Wars gaming arguably never got better than 1994’s Star Wars: TIE Fighter. This was the space sim sequel to 1993’s Star Wars: X-Wing, and it had a bit of everything. There were multiple story-driven campaigns that incorporated (and added to) Star Wars mythology, all wrapped in gameplay that made it feel like you were actually flying various crafts for the Empire.

While we only know so much about Star Wars: Squadrons, official gameplay trailer footage looks a lot like the old X-Wing and TIE Fighter titles. And in terms of gaming, that means Star Wars is definitely moving in the right direction.