The Problem Nobody Wants To Admit About Star Wars Games

A Different Kind Of Star Wars Game

Of course, games must entertain, and action and combat games probably are the best way to ensure that units fly off shelves as if pulled by the Force itself into the outstretched hands of kids in Darth Vader masks all over the galaxy. But surely, in the gaming climate the way it is at present, with smaller, more narrative-driven titles like What Became of Edith Finch, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and - mainly - the TellTale games, now is the time for a game which brings us the TRUE Jedi experience.

Lightsaber stowed very firmly away beneath their robes, the player would accept missions from the Jedi council and travel the galaxy, exploring myriad weird and wonderful planets, talking to the inhabitants, and talking their way through conflicts to find resolutions and maintain peace and justice, lightsaber never having left their belt. Between missions, the player could either return to the Jedi temple to level up by studying and meditating, engaging in some lightsaber training if the player so chose. Alternatively, the player could simply choose to continue on their travels across the galaxy, meeting new species, studying and learning along the way in their journey from Padawan to Master.

In fact, the imminent arrival of the Star Wars: High Republic multimedia initiative marks the perfect opportunity to do this, with books and comics offering a fresh new look at the Jedi at the height of their influence, studying the ways of the Force and resolving conflict across the galaxy, quite apart from the days of Skywalker and Sidious (though a young and spritely Yoda acts as connective tissue between the two periods). A complex, narrative-driven tie-in title harnessing the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X could be something truly special.