It's been a long time since there was an aerial combat game like Star Wars: Squadrons released for consoles. The last biggest one might have been Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike for the GameCube in 2003. Even though some games have featured aerial combat, like Star Wars Battlefront, they are different beasts all together.

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This is all to say fans have been dying for that X-Wing and TIE Fighter experience for almost two decades now. Was the wait worth it? Reviews and popular opinion seem to point to yes, although there are a few things maybe some gamers might like cleared up before starting. There's a few tips in here as well.

10 Limited Customization

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

Star Wars: Squadrons, unlike most recent games in this series, features customizable characters although the options are limited. There are ten faces to choose from and gender is pretty much assigned from the get-go. Even the voices can be ambiguous as traditional male voices could be used on a female character and vice versa. The other option comes with the names which are randomly generated although through a limited selection.

9 Two Pilots, One Story

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

Players will actually get to make two characters: one good and one bad. There is no choice between which campaign and character to follow.

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The story will be randomly split between the New Republic and what remains of the Empire. It will basically switch out after every two missions for either side.

8 The Timeline

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

The game opens up with both characters just starting their piloting career during the first movie in the original trilogy. After an event the timeline will then jump four years ahead after the Empire’s defeat on Endor. It is basically Star Wars Episode 6.5 similar to how Star Wars Battlefront II’s story was. The big difference here is that the focus is on air combat.

7 First-Person Only

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

Speaking of the ship combat, it is different than what was featured in either of the two newer Star Wars Battlefront games. That is to say this entire game only has a first-person perspective from the cockpit. There is a big reason why this is the case beyond trying to immerse players in the shoes of an ace pilot. So if one can’t handle the exhilaration and limited scope and prefers a third-person perspective instead, this may not be a game worth picking up.

6 PSVR Support

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

The cockpit only viewpoint was probably settled on after the team decided to support PSVR on the PS4. It makes a lot of sense outside of combat too like players can only tap on characters to automatically walk to them at home base. This brings down the nausea factor of movement in VR. It should be known that this even works for multiplayer and it really is something to behold.

5 Turn On Subtitles

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

There is a split between gamers whether or not subtitles should be left on or turned off in most games. Usually it is recommend to turn them off to make conversations less distracting. However, as good as the conversations can be in this game, there is a lot of pausing between sentences which makes it feel odd, almost as if Tetsuya Nomura from Kingdom Hearts directed these scenes. That’s why subtitles are recommended to be left on in order to read ahead and skip the awkward setup.

4 Before Multiplayer

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

Again, unlike Star Wars Battlefront, there are much more complicated controls to the air combat. Playing through the campaign is recommended first because it will go through various advanced maneuvers from drifting to converting power supplies for certain situations. With the cockpit view and actual heavy reliance on every button in one’s ship, Star Wars: Squadrons really does feel immersive. The more one learns in the campaign, the better they will be in multiplayer is the gist of this tip.

3 Repair Droid All The Way

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

Every ship one can pilot in the game can also be customized with load outs. The various configurations and actual ships are all up to the player’s preference.

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However, there is one piece of advice that carries through to all ships that have it. Always get the repair droid. This will make survival in both the campaign and in multiplayer easier if that wasn’t already obvious.

2 Test Out Every Ship

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

As it was just mentioned, every side has a plethora of ships to test out. The campaign will set up story scenarios on when these ships would be useful. The Y-Wing, for example, is great for delivering massive payloads of bombs. The best ships overall on both sides are the X-Wing and Tie Fighters as they are well balanced for almost every situation.

1 Team Tactics

A gameplay screenshot Star Wars Squadrons

In the campaign, it may be tempting to be a lone wolf: take out every ship on their own and all that. However, don’t forget about team tactics. Assigning a big warship to another teammate is so easy to setup plus it will be better for gaining medals. This story isn’t about the player. The name of the game is Star Wars: Squadrons so look out for one’s squad, give them a hand and in turn have them give you a hand back.

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