Star Wars games have been almost as varied as the films over the years, with titles like Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi: Fallen Order taking players across wide swaths of the galaxy. These games have also allowed players to explore different eras of Star Wars, but it seems the prequel era in particular has always gotten the shorter end of the stick compared to the more nostalgic original trilogy. Few recent games have put a true focus on the time period when it comes to any kind of narrative experience, and with the action of the Clone Wars, it seems like a missed opportunity with a lot of potential.
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The Clone Wars’ Gaming Legacy
With how many recent, story-based Star Wars games have been focused on the time after the Clone Wars, it’s a wonder to think that the era used to get a lot of attention from video game developers. Back when the prequel era was first taking shape, games like Republic Commando and the original Battlefront 2 made the Clone Wars their focus, putting players in control of Clone Troopers or creating battlefields rife with Jedi. While some games were made purely to piggyback off the hype of the prequel films, the vast majority of them nevertheless provided memorable experiences that many fans still go back to.
It’s no secret at this point that the prequel films didn’t exactly land with fans the way Lucasfilm had hoped, and once the era was wrapped up, it seemed the amount of video games around the era began to dwindle as well. Once EA got its hands on the exclusive rights to create Star Wars games, a greater focus was placed on the original trilogy in order to cash in on nostalgia. The only major Clone Wars content to come from EA has been in its version of Star Wars Battlefront 2, only after fans complained of its absence in 2015’s reboot, and there have been no plans to create any new game centered on the Clone Wars since.
Envisioning An Open World Clone Wars Game
It may be disappointing for some fans that EA has been so unwilling to dive deeper into the Clone Wars with its games, but there could be some hope in the impending end of EA’s exclusivity contract. Quantic Dream’s Star Wars project has been confirmed to be taking place during the new High Republic era, but there’s still no official story details on Ubisoft’s open world Star Wars game. The game may not turn out to be set during the Clone Wars whenever it’s finally revealed, but it could still provide some ideas for how an open world Clone Wars game might function.
One of the primary aspects of the Clone Wars is that it’s taking place all across the galaxy, from populated planets to largely desolate worlds. This opens up an excellent opportunity for exploration, which would translate well to a story about a Jedi making their way through the galaxy, stopping Separatist invasions and foiling various evil plots. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order already allowed players to explore various Star Wars planets in a Metroidvania-inspired style, and an open world Clone Wars game could expand on that to give gamers an amount of adventurous freedom that has never been seen in Star Wars games before.
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Envisioning A Linear Clone Wars Game
The open world genre has become increasingly popular over the last decade, but there is still some benefit to telling a deliberate, linear story that takes players through one narrative. This format is one that Star Wars games are already most familiar with, as games like The Force Unleashed have been able to give gamers interactive stories similar to the films. When approaching a Clone Wars game, a linear approach could work like The Clone Wars television series, even telling a similarly intimate story about the foot soldiers that fought in the conflict.
While Republic Commando told the story of an elite group of Clone Troopers going through the early part of the Clone Wars, a different game could provide a story that instead has players work up towards that elite status. The Clone Wars series did this with some characters, introducing Clone Troopers that were new to the war and its challenges, and then as seasons progressed, fans got to see them become some of the best soldiers in the Republic. If a new game put players into the role of a Clone Trooper fresh out of Kamino, mixed with some satisfying shooter gameplay, it could make for one of the most compelling Star Wars games in a long time.
The future of Star Wars gaming has started to look very bright over the last year. The news of projects like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and Knights of the Old Republic Remake have given fans things to look forward to in the years to come, and games like the one Ubisoft is developing only add to the anticipation for the future. EA may have neglected the Clone Wars over its long tenure with the Star Wars license, but hopefully now that more studios will be able to get in on the action very soon, the time period will slowly get more and more representation in the gaming space.
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