Like most Star Wars titles of the time, Republic Commando is now part of other great games from Star Wars Legends. While the split between Legends and Cannon was a practical way to clean up Star Wars storytelling to be more accessible to general audiences and new fans, it also meant that a lot of great Star Wars material was left by the wayside. The upside is that now, with more and more Star Wars games being announced, games like Respawn’s new FPS have a lot of material, both new and old, to tap into.
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The Bad Batch
One of the most obvious groups of characters that Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars FPS could focus on is the Bad Batch. Originally introduced during the Clone Wars era in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, the Bad Batch is a group of Clone Troopers with preferential traits that separate them from their near-identical brothers. While some of the Bad Batch seems to be based on materials around Clone Commandos from Star Wars Legends, the new Star Wars FPS would be a great opportunity to explore the group’s history.
The Bad Batch show on Disney+ is currently exploring the life of the Clone troopers following the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the Empire, but their early days as a team could be expanded on. Given the Bad Batch’s expertise and critical presence in several significant battles during the Clone Wars, the team as the focus of a Star Wars FPS could be a great mechanism to fill out more of the lore for one of the galaxy’s most divisive times.
On top of this, focusing on the Bad Batch in a new Star Wars FPS could be a great way to pay homage to Star Wars Republic Commando and other related Star Wars Legends material. The game could pull on the squad-style gameplay using new technology and hardware to tell an enthralling story, while also polishing and building on the mechanics that were present in the past.
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The Mandalorians
Obvious contenders and fan favorites for a Star Wars FPS are also Din Djarin from The Mandalorian, and Star Wars icon Boba Fett. Both have been the subject of video game rumors in the past, with recent footage of Star Wars 1313 showing off what could’ve been for a video game that centers on Boba Fett. While the hopes for Star Wars 1313 might be dead, both Mandalorian bounty hunters could be great in a Star Wars FPS.
The first-person viewpoint, while limiting, would offer players a simulation of what it would be like to be a Mandalorian bounty hunter; equipped with a Beskar forged helmet, durable jetpack, and all. This type of game would also work great with Titanfall mechanics that could be worked into a Star Wars FPS, finding a delicate balance in the game’s mobility. The environment would in turn become a critical part of how the game is played, rather than just a setting for its story, helping add another layer of depth to the already expansive Star Wars universe.
While some aspects of an FPS centered on Mandalorian bounty hunters might sound like an experience that could benefit from VR, introducing a Star Wars FPS that’s focused on one of these two legendary characters could be a better first step. This would give Respawn’s upcoming Star Wars FPS a buffer before integrating full VR support, a tactic that’s been used in the past as other games consider whether their stories would benefit from VR. Overall, Din Djarin and Boba Fett might be two of the best options for the upcoming Star Wars FPS, both because of how recognizable they are but also because of how unique gameplay could feel with their characters.
Cad Bane
Cade Bane is another bounty hunter with a respectable career that the new Star Wars FPS could focus on. While not as recognizable as the likes of Din Djarin or Boba Fett, this is also what could make him a premier choice for a new game. He learned much of the trade under the tutelage of Jango Fett, Boba Fett’s father, and has a successful career through the Clone Wars and into the Imperial era. The middling years of his extensive career have been fairly well cataloged in Star Wars media, but there’s still a lot that could be covered as he comes up in the underbelly of Star Wars’ galaxy.
His training under Jango Fett could be a great way to push the game’s story forward, while also tying in other iconic characters that fans would recognize. While Cad Bane’s more high-profile missions and bounties wouldn’t be the most viable options for the game given how often he seemed to run into the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano other parts of the bounty hunter’s life could still work. They’d be a great way to teach Star Wars fans about the vast criminal underworld that connected many of the galaxy’s planets through the eyes of an active community member.
Given that Cad Bane also had a connection to the influential Hutt clan and was no stranger to jobs that were downright villainous his role as the main character in the upcoming Star Wars FPS could be a great way to explore the galaxy from a different perspective as well. Much of the material in canon video games follows characters that are often good, or at worst on the path to redemption, such as Iden Versio from Star Wars Battlefront 2, but Cad Bane is not either. His affinity for violence and darker approach to life could make him a compelling character to play while also providing a solid juxtaposition to Cal Kestis’ journey in the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order series.
Respawn Entertainment is currently developing a Star Wars FPS game.
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