4/5 ★ – JimboHarman's review of Star Wars: Republic Commando.

“A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one” -Sheev Palpatine The gameplay was surprisingly strategic, it sort of reminds me of Halo but that’s likely because it’s a first person shooter set in space with dated graphics- which isn’t criticism by the way, I think the older graphics hold a certain charm. It’s an innovative fusion of the first person shooter and real-time strategy genres with the base gameplay being that of a fairly standard FPS of its time with added strategy elements in the way you command Delta Squad, usually having to rely on AI to complete missions is a bit of a turn off for me because of how unpredictable they can be but I was pleasantly surprised with the AI team here. I genuinely came to value Delta Squad, managing them effectively can be the difference between life and death and the added strategy that brought to the table really hits home that feeling of being part of an elite squad. I also liked how the game would strip your team from you at points for a bit of added challenge, you genuinely feel naked without your boys and having you drop them off one by one in the final mission until it’s just you was a genius design choice in ramping up that tension as you progress. The level design is very focused and varied, I never got lost but I never felt like the game had me on rails which is a good balance to strike. This game has a level of spectacle akin to the Uncharted series with each mission throwing these impossible odds at you, for example during the climax of the Ghost Ship segment you and your squad have to defend the ship against a huge force of battle droids, it almost feels like the “survive” segment from Halo Reach with the way it’s just 4 men against an army, the segment culminates in you getting in a republic tank and holding off the droids which was awesome. The game is also quite challenging which really sells the impossibility of the odds, often before a segment I’d think “how the hell am I going to manage this” then I’d somehow do it. This along with how much I came to value the squad by my side came a long way in immersing me into my role as 38, or ‘Boss’. It’s sort of cliched to say, but I really did feel like the leader of Delta Squad. Despite the fact there are only three missions, there is a hell of a lot of variety within them. You’re often fighting different enemies and finding new weapons while the game throws new challenges your way. The first segment on Geonosis alone has you going from the desert battlefield to the droid factory, then under a time limit you’ve got to escape that factory before it blows up. The very next mission contrasts the high energy battlefield by being far more atmospheric, having you explore the ghost ship separated from your team in order to figure out why the ship has gone dark. All of this is complimented beautifully by a fantastic soundtrack, mixing original music with some of John Williams’ classics from the Skywalker Saga. My biggest complaint about the game is that one time, one of my squad mates just didn’t follow us so I had to backtrack about 100 meters to find him, apart from that the AI was absolutely fine but that was a really annoying glitch. The difficulty can sometimes feel unfair with some beginner traps that feel flat out unavoidable on a first playthrough. The campaign chronicles the experiences of an elite batch of Clones named Delta Squad throughout the Clone Wars, going all the way from the Battle of Geonosis at the very beginning of the war to the Separatist’s invasion of Kashyyyk shortly before Order 66. You get to control Delta Squad during their first meeting, a mission about a year into the War and a mission near to the end and I like the way the dialogue reflects how they’ve grown closer with one and other throughout the conflict, having given each other nicknames and for what it’s worth, I enjoyed their banter. I heard and saw some things I never expected I’d experience in an official Star Wars product like one of your squad mates eluding to having some important codes hidden up his arse and seeing bloody, dismembered Clone corpses littering the hallways of the Ghost Ship- don’t get me wrong though, the story is no masterpiece, there are some pretty interesting themes but for the most part It’s plot focused with no character development beyond the squad bonding throughout the war however I’d argue that for a game like this, that isn’t important for the overall experience to hold together. The game aims to put you in the shoes of the leader of an elite and professional squad of clones and I think in that, it succeeds with flying colours. ———-—————SPOILERS BELLOW———————— I really liked that bittersweet ending, throughout the game there is this idea that the Jedi have taken all the glory during the clone wars whilst the Clones are neck deep in shit, doing all the work and fighting all the battles- you see this in the first mission as Delta Squad undertake a mission of extreme importance with no hope of recognition or reward while the Jedi fight the less important battles elsewhere on Geonosis, the Jedi will be recognised for their service while no one will ever know Delta Squad were even there. The ending further reflects this when during the final mission, you are forced to abandon a clone brother of yours under orders from Master Yoda himself, again showing the imbalance of power and value between the Jedi and the Clones, ultimately the clones, even including Delta Squad, are seen as expendable. “Duty must come before brotherhood”. I do like these themes but they could’ve used some more focus, despite this Star Wars: Republic Commando is a truly unique and immersive experience with gameplay worth the price of admission alone. Now where’s my sequel?