Star Wars: Republic Commando

The main takeaway from Star Wars: Republic Commando's rerelease is that this game is a great addition to Switch in spite of its flaws. Even players who don't consider themselves Star Wars fans will find a lot to like in this sci-fi war story. The squad gameplay was ahead of its time and still excels today alongside the excellent AI. The most obvious element that's aged about this game is its graphics, and that annoyance fades quickly once the lasers start flying. Republic Commando was one of the best Star Wars games of its time when it arrived in 2005, and despite over 16 years passing since then, it remains a captivating and engaging title in 2021.

Republic Commando’s brilliant gameplay and compelling story more than make up for the dated visuals, although the Switch version might not be the definitive experience.

Obviously, given my lack of familiarity with Star Wars, you may want to take my words with a grain or two of salt. (For all I know, this could be a total affront to the Star Wars canon that still has people mad a decade and a half later.) But as a first-person shooter, it works. It may feel like a time capsule from the mid ‘00s at times, but it’s a solid enough game that it’s pretty fun to play.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is one of the single greatest Star Wars games ever made. While that largely holds true on Switch, it is unfortunate that it doesn’t really provide a definitive experience. At best you get a higher resolution but with pared back visuals and rough performance, it's somewhat difficult to justify outside of handheld mode against the original version. It is a shame that simply loading the original Xbox version disc into a Xbox Series X produces a better remaster than this official remaster. This is still an excellent game, and the Switch version doesn’t take that away, but issues present here significantly dull what ought to be a gleaming jewel.

The Jedi Knight games remain the best Star Wars games on the Nintendo Switch, but if you keep your expectations low and take Republic Commando for what it is, you can certainly have fun with this imperfect sci-fi shooter. [Issue #53 – July/August 2021, p. 21]

Disappointing performance issues and an overall dated design make it a harder sell for new players, but Republic Commando’s unique, exhilarating Star Wars campaign is still a ton of fun in 2021, and one that nostalgic fans will get a kick out of alongside the Bad Batch animated series.

Republic Commando reforms Delta Squad as a worthy tactical shooter on the Nintendo Switch, despite performance bugs which hinder an influential piece of Star Wars media.

This is a rough port of an excellent game, and while you can still enjoy it in this form, it’s probably the absolute worst way to do so.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a slower-paced, more strategic first-person shooter that is somehow more about unit positioning and character banter than it is about blasting through enemies. There’s still plenty of action to be found, but it’s really the crew who carry this Star Wars adventure to an overall enjoyable experience. I’d say that makes it a story well told packed for a new generation of gamers.

The Force is still quite strong in this one... despite the lack of the “WOW Effect” of the original game.

Star Wars: Republic Commando has aged surprisingly well and proves to be a ton of fun to revisit in this admittedly rather basic Switch port. The squad system here is still supremely satisfying to get to grips with, the HUD elements are slick, and there's plenty of atmospheric fun to be had as you blast your way through the three campaign stories on offer. Yes, there's no doubt the level design is archaic, there's no great variety in enemies, the visuals have had only the most basic of touch-ups and it's a real shame the multiplayer has been completely excised. Overall, though, this is still a welcome return for one of the very best Star Wars video game offerings.

Star Wars: Republic Commando on Switch is the worst way to play an outstanding and incredibly likeable game.

I walked away from Star Wars: Republic Commando glad that I had played it, but wishing that I’d done so on another console. This Nintendo Switch port simply doesn’t feel finished, which is a big shame considering how well Aspyr has done on pretty much every other Star Wars port. If you’re willing to look past that then there’s a fun, if dated, game here that shows a side of Star Wars that’s rarely focused on in games.

In the end, Republic Commando Remastered doesn't do anything to drastically change the experience of playing the original game. And to that end, its shortcomings have only become more apparent with time--tactical shooters have evolved to offer more satisfying experiences with choice and consequence--so you likely won't find much replayability here. But it's still entertaining all things considered.