After more than fifty hours in STAR WARS: Squadrons, here’s my deep dive into this space-fighter game by MOTIVE and published by Electronic Arts. I approached it with my usual focus on accuracy and challenge. Therefore, there’s plenty to say about how it measures up to others—and what still needs fixing.
Overall Impressions
Star Wars: Squadrons mixes easy-to-pick-up arcade action with the depth of a flight sim. It delivers the excitement of cockpit dogfights through tight thruster control, shield use, and powerful laser shots. The immersive first-person view stays true to the Star Wars saga. Ship handling feels real, and the 4v4 team-based multiplayer rewards working together. The short but focused single-player campaign keeps the spotlight on aerial combat while telling a true-to-Star-Wars story. It still holds its own next to games like Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen.
However, the game isn’t without bumps. PC launch problems—requiring registry edits since 2024—are still a headache. The short campaign may leave skilled pilots wanting more. Updates after launch have been uneven, especially for fixing hardware issues. Even so, Squadrons has eye-catching visuals and sharp dogfight gameplay. For players ready to deal with its technical quirks, it offers some of the most real and thrilling starfighter battles you can find.
Gameplay Mechanics
Squadrons shines with its power management system. Pilots must balance energy between engines, shields, and weapons in real time. On higher difficulties, especially with a HOTAS setup, every decision matters. For example, you may boost shields under heavy fire or gun the engines for a daring escape. While HOTAS delivers the most authentic control, gamepads work well. In addition, turning off the HUD boosts immersion, forcing you to rely on instruments and visual cues.
On the other hand, not all mechanics take flight. Enemy AI can focus too much on one target, creating repetitive combat loops. Multiplayer sometimes suffers from hit-registration problems. Furthermore, PC players still face the same registry-edit workaround to get past the splash screen. Even so, the game’s blend of tactical depth and pulse-pounding action rewards skill and awareness over pure trigger-pulling.
Story and Characters
The campaign alternates between an Imperial veteran and a New Republic rookie. As a result, it creates balanced stakes on both sides of the conflict. The story is straightforward but tightly paced, with no filler missions. Meanwhile, memorable squadmates like Vult Skerris and Commander Sloane bring personality and weight. Promotion, loss, and betrayal add emotional depth to each sortie.
What makes the story work is its authenticity to Star Wars lore. Mission briefings and holo-comms build the world, making each battle feel connected to the larger galaxy. The tone stays serious, favoring tension over humor. While some may want deeper character arcs, the campaign’s emotional beats—such as losing a wingman or watching a flagship fall—hit hard.
Visuals and Graphics
Squadrons captures the grandeur of space combat with sweeping starfields, glowing suns, and grounded debris. Cockpits brim with flickering lights, working gauges, and immersive sounds. Ship models stay true to the films, showing detailed textures and battle damage. In addition, real-time lighting casts shadows over Star Destroyers. Laser fire, engine trails, and shield flares make every dogfight spectacular.
Yet, the visuals aren’t perfect. Large fleet battles can cause frame rate dips. Some space stations and capital ships feel static once disabled. Nevertheless, Squadrons delivers cinematic authenticity and clarity that keep each battle exciting.
Sound and Music
The sound design anchors you in the cockpit. Every hum, roar, and blast feels cinematic. In particular, X-wing engines thrum, TIE Interceptors scream, and weapons crack with impact. A John Williams–inspired score swells with mission beats. Likewise, voice acting is strong, and squad chatter builds camaraderie while giving tactical cues.
Still, minor issues remain. For instance, radio lines can repeat in long multiplayer sessions. Some maps have sound occlusion quirks. Even so, the blend of archival effects, reactive music, and strong voice work makes the soundscape one of Squadrons’ best features.
Difficulty and Replayability
Squadrons is not for casual drifting. Higher settings demand mastery of each ship’s handling and smart use of blind spots. The campaign lasts eight to ten hours for skilled pilots. After that, multiplayer takes over. Consequently, ranked matches, weekly challenges, and cosmetic unlocks drive replay value.
Players praise the skill-driven combat, where persistence pays off. Many recommend the single-player during deep sales, while full-price buyers get the most from multiplayer. In addition, custom challenges, team dogfights, and fleet battles add variety for competitive players.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Squadrons is a polished, immersive dogfighting sim with a few technical rough edges. The combat loop is gripping, the presentation is pure Star Wars, and the multiplayer keeps you coming back. Therefore, for flight sim fans—or anyone dreaming of movie-style starfighter duels—it’s a strong recommendation.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Trivia & Behind the Scenes
Motive enhanced Star Wars: Squadrons’ immersion by bringing in former Battlefront II audio engineers to fine-tune cockpit sound design, making every switch and system hum feel authentic. Furthermore, using MotionBuilder technology, the team delivered lifelike pilot body animations, grounding each button press and control adjustment in realism. A late 2021 VR mode update further deepened the experience, though PC VR players still report the need for performance optimizations to achieve smooth gameplay.
Final Take: STAR WARS: Squadrons is a must-play for dedicated sim pilots and a strong recommendation for anyone seeking a genuine tie-in to the Star Wars dogfight legacy—just be prepared to troubleshoot launch issues and invest in some fierce multiplayer dog days.
