Star Wars: Squadrons

 PlayStation 4
Star Wars: Squadrons Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 393 Ratings

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  • Summary: Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience Star Wars: Squadrons. Buckle up and feel the adrenaline of first-person multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron. Pilots who enlist will step into the cockpits of starfighters from both the New Republic andMaster the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience Star Wars: Squadrons. Buckle up and feel the adrenaline of first-person multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron. Pilots who enlist will step into the cockpits of starfighters from both the New Republic and Imperial fleets and fight in strategic 5 vs. 5 space battles. Modify your starfighter and adjust the composition of your squadron to suit varying playstyles and crush the opposition. Pilots will triumph as a team and complete tactical objectives across known and never-before-seen battlefields, including the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan.

    Take control of starfighters such as the X-wing and TIE fighter. Customize loadouts and cosmetics, divert power between weapons, shields, and engines, while immersing yourself in the cockpit. In addition, players will have the option to play the entirety of the game in virtual reality on PSVR and PC!

    Learn what it means to be a pilot in a thrilling Star Wars single-player story set after the events of Return of the Jedi. Seen from alternating perspectives between two factions, iconic and emerging leaders on both sides are battling for the galaxy. The New Republic fights for freedom. The Empire demands order. We need you to join the galaxy's finest.    … Expand
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Star Wars: Squadrons – “Hunted” Cinematic Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Guardian
    Oct 7, 2020
    100
    I’ve been waiting 23 years for a game to come along and take the crown for the best Star Wars flight sim from X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, and have had to endure guff like 2001’s Starfighter in the meantime. Well, it’s finally here. This is now the high watermark for interactive Star Wars experiences.
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 7, 2020
    85
    With some unexpectedly complex and challenging controls, Star Wars: Squadrons is not the sort of game that you jump into and play casually. Squadrons is a surprisingly deep flight sim-style space battler that benefits from all of the sights and sounds of the Star Wars universe. While fun played on TVs, Squadrons really comes to life in VR, despite some resolution issues. This is simply the best Star Wars space battle game ever produced, and is a dream come true for fans.
  3. Easy Allies
    Oct 5, 2020
    80
    While Squadrons may not be the most ambitious in scope, it does a great job of making you feel like a pilot in the Star Wars universe. Soaring through space and blasting ships is a lot of fun, and its implementation of VR is so good it feels mandatory now for future Star Wars flight games. More variety would go a long way, but at least it comes in a little cheaper at $40. Squadrons is easily one of the best Star Wars games to support VR, and it’s a solid choice all around.
  4. Critical Hit
    Oct 7, 2020
    80
    Star Wars: Squadrons certainly has a few issues. Its enjoyable campaign has some dull moments outside of the cockpit and the multiplayer, as stupendously thrilling as it is, is a bit too barebones at the moment. But it's also the most fun and immersive Star Wars flight sim experience we've ever had thanks to its immaculate gameplay and incredibly polished production.
  5. Trusted Reviews
    Oct 20, 2020
    80
    Star Wars: Squadrons is the dogfighting experience in the iconic sci-fi universe we've been waiting for, and the game is supremely passionate about making this something that genre veterans and hesitant newcomers can enjoy with minimal obstacles.
  6. Wccftech
    Oct 6, 2020
    75
    Star Wars: Squadrons is a mostly-successful throwback offering impressive sights, intense action, and the opportunity for fun multiplayer throwdowns. Some mechanical quirks, a couple irritating missions, and a lack of depth holds Squadrons back from being a true bullseye, but those who have missed blasting TIE Fighters should find the game worth the ride.
  7. Push Square
    Oct 5, 2020
    60
    Star Wars: Squadrons has its heart in the right place and a comprehensive, in-depth set of flight mechanics go a long way towards realising that childhood dream of piloting an X-Wing. It achieves the vision in some ways, but in others, the package lacks excitement and content. While excellent PSVR support will be enough for some, a boring story and inadequate multiplayer modes leave a lot to be desired.

See all 52 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 182
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 182
  3. Negative: 59 out of 182
  1. Millenibill
    Oct 5, 2020
    10
    Definitely the spiritual successor to the x-wing series. The nostalgia is as really as the fun. I've played a lot of Elite and this has almostDefinitely the spiritual successor to the x-wing series. The nostalgia is as really as the fun. I've played a lot of Elite and this has almost everything I was missing from that game. Don't listen to the bigots who are review bombing this for lgbtq or racial reasons... At $40 this is a steal. I'm hoping that they keep this game updated and current for years to come.… Expand
  2. Tohtori_Jamba
    Oct 17, 2020
    10
    ...I don't usually play flight games and my expectations for this one was already low to begin with due to it being EA game, but I cautiously...I don't usually play flight games and my expectations for this one was already low to begin with due to it being EA game, but I cautiously bought it because I was desperate for good VR game.

    After playing a bit story and then jumping to multiplayer, I was blown away, both literally as my ship exploded and by the fact that it's really good game. This game will keep me occupied for long time.    … Expand
  4. JazGalaxy
    Oct 3, 2020
    9
    Squadrons is a phenomenal GAME. It’s “old school”, which means it’s better than pretty much anything EA has put out in the past 20 years. ThisSquadrons is a phenomenal GAME. It’s “old school”, which means it’s better than pretty much anything EA has put out in the past 20 years. This is a GAME about dogfighting spaceships. Period. If you are good, you win. If you are bad, you lose. There are a TON of people this game is not for. It’s not for people who care more about their copilots sex lives than they do flying spaceships. It’s not a game for people who care more about outfitting their pilot than they do shooting down the enemy. It’s not for people who’s want a Star Wars movie. (Those already exist.)

    This game is for people who want a serious (but lighthearted) game with deep technical detail. This is a game that you can play, sans any story, alone or with friends in any time increment you like. You can be in the game and fighting within minutes. You can tweak almost every option of the game to your liking. It’s what PC games used to be like before the consolization for the masses. It’s a worthy sequel to x-wing and Tie Fighter.

    This game is the best thing EA has done in decades. It’s going to be a lot of people’s favorite game ever and many peoples “it would be better if it made these changes that would make it an entirely different game” game.

    EA needs to do more of this and less of everything else. Stop trying to be all things to all people.    … Expand
  5. CatsPawDigital
    Oct 5, 2020
    7
    When my copy arrived from Amazon I was expecting- no, I tell a lie, I was HOPING for rogue squadron in VR. That would have been amazing.When my copy arrived from Amazon I was expecting- no, I tell a lie, I was HOPING for rogue squadron in VR. That would have been amazing. Alas, that's not quite what I received. Now don't get me wrong, ANYTHING that puts me in both an X-wing and TIE Interceptor cockpit in VR is going to be of immense interest to me.

    BUT.

    Anything that REEKS of identity politics to this extent in addition to the nonsense that is the game's story is a huge turn-off. But before I go off on a tangent -and let me add that I found that while they made me uncomfortable I could pretty much ignore the presence of such politics for the sheer joy of being in a starfighter cockpit with a joystick in my hand- let's get some hard numbers.

    SOUND: Star Wars has always had great audio (sound and music). At least, if you can forget that sound waves don't travel through space so you cannot, for instance, hear an alarm on a star destroyer simply by flying close to it. But since this is an issue with practically every science fiction movie or game ever made I think we can safely ignore it. Sound gets a 2.

    GRAPHICS: It was kind of a shock going from a Vive Cosmos to Playstation VR. This isn't so much a fault of the game as hardware limitation. That said, while it was often difficult to tell what exactly I was shooting at at range, the cockpit interiors looked amazing, especially the the Reaper and U-wing. Though this probably belongs in another category, major props for the display functionality. While you don't have the functionality of, say, the No Man's Sky cockpit controls the instruments are not mere decoration but actually useful. Not to the extent that you could fly and fight by them but far more functional than I would have expected. Since the only graphic issues I had were a product of the limitation of VR hardware, we have a 2 here as well.

    STORY: Here we begin to run into trouble. Identity politics and box-checking aside, the story is ridiculous. Without giving too much away, the story revolves mostly around a New Republic superweapon. And a pretty silly one at that. It would have made much more sense, as one of the in-game characters points out, to simply build another Death Star. And let me talk about the level design for a moment. The mission environments are great- nothing wrong with them. EXCEPT for how the story uses them. So.. WHY, exactly, would a huge ship fly THROUGH a debris field instead of simply going around? For cover, maybe. Makes sense. But why would a fleet that knows that ship's destination follow behind with (metaphorically) "please ambush me" painted in huge letters on each ship's hull? And... it gets sillier from there. When you add the identity politics back into the mix... I'm sorry, I've gotta give this a 0. If you're playing this game for the flying you can sort of shove both the story and the politics to one side of your brain and try to ignore it but unless you're a blind idiot it's *still* going to bother you at least a *little*.

    CONTROLS: I had a few issues here but most of that went away when I downloaded the update and plugged in my joystick. All in all, I didn't really have any issues here. There is somewhat of a learning curve and I often found myself flying into objects- which I invariably bounced off of instead of crashing for some reason. Everything worked, but I couldn't help harboring a nagging feeling that there could have been some tweaks and improvements. 1.

    EXECUTION: Everything worked and looked pretty doing it. The mechanic that allows the player to divert shield power fore and aft was an especially pleasing surprise, as this is something that x-wings at least could do in the canon (ie, not Disney) movies. My biggest issue here is that in spite of how much fun I had playing the game (and ignoring the story and trying to ignore the politics) the intent seems to be online play. Each side (NR and IMP) gets exactly 4 ships, each of which fills a specific role balanced for online play. And that's it. Where are the B-wings? What about E-wings? Maybe a TIE Phantom would be nice. Even a Z95 or K-wing. One of the things I liked about Rogue Squadron was the off-the-shelf variety of unlockable ships, and we don't see that here. And NO, it is NOT okay to sell extra ships later as DLC. This was my biggest disappointment of the game. This isn't a deal-breaker because, hey, VR. But a 1 is the best I can give here.

    PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Word limit so this will be short. The crap story, apparently box-checking politics and lack of variety in ships takes a heavy toll here. But it's VR and that in this context counts for a lot. In spite of those negatives, I still enjoyed the game. these cancel each other out. +1.

    Total score: 7. -2 if you can't ignore the awful story or identity politics.    … Expand
  6. BoostOrDie
    Nov 4, 2020
    5
    It is not what i expected. Quite dull cosmosim. Al you do it chase the bloody target. When you aqure it in view you have 2-3 seconds to shootIt is not what i expected. Quite dull cosmosim. Al you do it chase the bloody target. When you aqure it in view you have 2-3 seconds to shoot then he flyes pass you (behind you) you start searching again, get target in view and 2-3 sec for shooting then everytnig repeats and this is over and over and over again...… Expand
  7. jonny330
    Oct 11, 2020
    3
    I just wanted Starfighter Assault from BF2 fleshed out to a full game. Not forced first person super-serious flight sim.
  8. Selway
    Jan 9, 2022
    0
    I really love this genre. But after this game, I sincerely hope that developers will never make games again. It's horrible. Everything is bad.I really love this genre. But after this game, I sincerely hope that developers will never make games again. It's horrible. Everything is bad. Broken gameplay after 1.5 years. Disgusting storyline. It is better not to do the company at all if you do it this way.… Expand

See all 182 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best PS4 Game of 2020
30
#30 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020