If the hero-shooter format is something that Respawn uses for its Star Wars FPS title, it’s likely to take a step away from the gameplay shown for Star Wars Hunters. This would be great for the title and allow it to be molded into a game that’s built off of the studio’s strengths when it comes to combat and gameplay. The Titanfall series and Apex Legends both have a solid fanbase thanks to their rewarding combat in a sea of FPS games that don’t always feel far removed from one another, which should benefit the new Star Wars FPS title compared to prior attempts.
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A Star Wars Hero-Shooter
Using Apex Legends as a reference point, a dedicated Star Wars hero-shooter could do a lot that helps it stand out from the Battlefront series. A battle royale title feels feasible given the history of gladiatorial combat and bounty hunters in the galaxy, but it might not be the most efficient way to introduce a new Star Wars shooter. While it could take advantage of characters like Boba Fett, Din Djarin from The Mandalorian, and Cad Bane, it might also struggle to stand on its own if players come to view it as a Star Wars re-skin of Apex Legends.
By taking a more refined approach, a hero-shooter could have a lot to offer that stands out amid the upcoming Star Wars game projects. The large-scale combat of the Battlefront series can be incredible, but limiting team sizes to a smaller number of players could combat a sense of being overwhelmed while benefiting a hero-shooter approach. Injecting strict objective-based game modes would mean that a team aspect could remain, with players having to choose characters based on how they complement one another.
Hero-focused gameplay with smaller teams would also allow players to flex some of their favorite Star Wars characters rather than the more traditional modes used in the Battlefront series. This would fall more in line with shooters like Overwatch and Valorant, but using decades of characters that Star Wars already has at its disposal. With the varied abilities of different characters, there would be nothing that inherently limits which favorites could appear.
Force healing has become more prominent in Star Wars media, but is still a skill that not every Jedi uses. While Rey and Grogu have both used it, it’s not seen among classic Jedi offerings, creating distinctions between newer Jedi and others such as Mace Windu. Similarly, the skills and tools used by the galaxy’s most infamous bounty hunters vary wildly. While their overall mobility would be key to their characters, the diverse nature of bounty hunters means gameplay would be unique between each of them, even if there’s a surplus of characters like Fennec Shand and Bossk to choose from.
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Smaller Maps and Teams
Adjusting map size alongside player count could also be a great way to help Respawn’s new Star Wars FPS make a strong first impression. The Battlefront series has long been what many Star Wars fans look to when they think about the franchise as a shooter, but that doesn’t mean different approaches aren’t possible. Scaling things down in a way that focuses on smaller teams and maps could feel a lot better than just a new spin on what Battlefront has already done.
Even if there’s no Battlefront 3 on the way, a new Star Wars FPS could focus on teams that don’t get bigger than five or six. With smaller teams and maps, balancing could focus around gameplay that has players battling solo or in small team fights. A way to look at this is through the firefights that happen in games like Rainbow Six Siege, where rounds can be decided by a play or two instead of in large, drawn-out battles.
Through this approach, character or class builds could also have more prominence. A greater impact could be felt based on what skills are being used, and maneuvering through smaller map spaces means being able to guess an opponent’s next move more readily. While smaller teams and maps might be a hard sell for some, it could build on the memories that fans have of Legends-era Star Wars games.
Titles like Star Wars: Republic Commando stand out to this day because they took an approach that players saw as unique. While copying and pasting Republic Commando isn’t an avenue that will work, using its smaller interactions and squads for inspiration could help Respawn’s Star Wars FPS take a new approach. Both from a multiplayer and storytelling perspective, an FPS that’s scaled-down could be more intimate and challenging, while offering something that fans may be missing from Star Wars games at the moment.
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