Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to settle in for the long wait. With Episode VII now in theaters, we’re left to wonder what the world of Star Wars has in store for us in the next installment. In the meantime, we hope that Disney and Lucasfilm adjust their approach to the gaming world. In recent years, we’ve seen only a few worthwhile Star Wars game releases, and that’s disappointing, because the franchise has a long history of excellent game adaptations. What exactly are we hoping for? Here are 10 games that could easily emerge from the stories, characters, settings, and ideas introduced in The Force Awakens.
Perhaps this goes without saying, but all of the suggestions below involve significant spoilers from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you’ve somehow managed to not go see the movie yet, stay away!
Star Wars: Maz Kanata’s Pirates
There’s much more than meets the eye to the diminutive pirate den mother, Maz Kanata. We learn from Han Solo that she’s been a major player in the smuggler and pirate world for centuries, and the potential for the character is amplified when we learn of her Force-sensitive nature. We’d love an episodic narrative game that explores Maz’s burgeoning pirate haven, in which we witness her life at various points prior to when we meet her in the new movie. Was she around when the Sith first went underground centuries ago? What side did she take in the Clone Wars? How did she avoid the purge of Jedi and Force-users during the reign of Palpatine? Why does she like Chewbacca so much? And how in the world did she retrieve Luke’s lightsaber from the depths of Cloud City? Colorful characters abound in the brief scene from the movie in Maz’s castle, and we’d love to learn more about them and others that have crossed her path over the many years of her life.
Star Wars: Black One
We know a little bit about Poe Dameron, the charismatic squadron commander of the Resistance’s Starfighter corps, but there’s so much more that we could glean from a dedicated game titled after his unique X-Wing, Black One. Modeled after classic flight combat games like X-Wing and Rogue Squadron, Black One follows Poe as he becomes disillusioned with the New Republic Defense Fleet, and then his subsequent rise through the ranks of the Resistance. Early skirmishes with the First Order could help further establish the ace pilot’s credentials. And this dedicated game could go on to tell the story of how Poe returns from Jakku before leading the Resistance’s defense of Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana.
Star Wars: Falcon Repair
Not every Star Wars game needs to be a massive triple-A affair. How about a dedicated mobile game about repairing and retrofitting the old Falcon? The new movie revels in scenes in which Rey and Han Solo work together to keep the old girl running, and it would be fun to get in on that action. Connect circuits, tear out condensers, and hotwire hyperdrives under tight time constraints. Each little spatial reasoning and color matching puzzle could be tied to a story event, like an impending Star Destroyer attack, or the arrival of a Guavian Death Gang squad.
Star Wars: Rathtar
Those coiled balls of muscle and tentacle make for terrifying foes, but wouldn’t it be fun to control one in action? In an odd (and likely violent) mishmash of Octodad and Katamari Damacy, players control a rampaging Rathtar as it rolls its way through prey. Points are gained by rolling up ever more tasty morsels for the ravenous beast, and every level could start out as you break free from confinement to satisfy your hunger. Maybe we can get a glimpse of the Trillia Massacre we hear about in the film.
Star Wars: The First Order
We know that after the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial remnant was forced to sign on to a new Galactic Concordance, leaving them weak as they limped away into the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. Next thing the Galaxy knows, they’re blowing up Hosnian Prime with their new superweapon, Starkiller Base. Let’s have a strategy game that reveals the uphill battle of the First Order as it tries to recreate itself. What alien civilizations did it conquer out there in the far reaches of space? Where did it find the resources it needed to craft new Star Destroyers? How did the new Stormtrooper program take root? Let us control the rise of the First Order, and relish in the power of the Dark Side.
Next Page: Live the life of a stormtrooper, and eke out survival on Jakku in the shoes of Star Wars' new heroine
Star Wars: Kylo Ren’s Rage
Kylo Ren is a barely controlled ball of anger and resentment – a tired toddler on a tantrum with a lightsaber in hand. The First Order’s janitorial staff is all too familiar with his room-destroying tendencies. Let’s play a lighthearted touch-interface game that puts the destruction in our hands. Loosely modeled after games like Fruit Ninja, the game has multiple levels filled with computer consoles, recently evacuated interrogation chairs, and other expensive military equipment. We proceed to slash and swipe our way to thoroughly devastated surroundings. Whatever you do, don’t slash the burned Darth Vader mask when it flies across the screen!
Star Wars: Eravana
After losing the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo and Chewbacca end up piloting a huge freighter called the Eravana. While we don’t know too much about the bulky ship, it’s a fair bet that it doesn’t have the crazy speed and derring-do of the Falcon. But it could still be fun to play a game all about illicit deals, buying and selling goods across the galaxy, and maximizing profits. Previous games have set the precedent for this kind of fun, in everything from the now-ancient Taipan!, to Wing Commander: Privateer in the 1990s, and on through more modern games like Eve Online. Add in the ability to talk your way out of tight spots with Kanjiklub, or take on dangerous biological creature shipments for extra money, and a dedicated Eravana game could be great fun.
Star Wars: Stormtroooper
We learn in Episode VII that Finn has had a rough life before Poe renames him and whisks him off into a life of adventure with the Resistance. But what of the frightening indoctrination and training process that leads to this new breed of Stormtroopers? Giving a nod to fun games like Dark Forces and Republic Commando, Star Wars: Stormtrooper could be a shooter in which you rise through the ranks of the First Order’s soldier elite. Face off against the enemies of Supreme Leader Snoke, and help to establish the First Order as a new power in the galaxy. Allow players to customize and build their own unique Stormtrooper, taking on those cool new Riot Control Batons for close quarters fighting, or donning the specialized gear of a flametrooper. Maybe you even have some fateful run-ins with the as-yet mysterious Knights of Ren. And while we’re at it, have the whole game narrated (and commanded by) the character most woefully underused in the movie: Captain Phasma.
Star Wars: Scavenger
Rey’s arrival on Jakku is one of the big mysteries of the new movie, and we don’t expect we’ll have an answer to what happened there until Episode VIII rolls around. But that shouldn’t stop a potentially great game about Rey’s time scavenging on Jakku. Games like Don’t Starve and SteamWorld Dig have established that it can be a lot of fun to dig through a lonely world and try to eke out survival. How cool would it be to do the same, except you’re controlling Rey as she delves into fallen AT-ATs and the towering hulks of Star Destroyers? Rey is a fantastic new central character in the Star Wars mythos, and a video game about her lonely time as a scrounger before her rise into heroism could be great fun.
Star Wars: Starkiller Base
It might be a lighthearted take ala Kingdom of Keflings, Fallout Shelter, or Tiny Tower (or its Star Wars cousin, Tiny Death Star), or maybe it’s a more serious simulation in the line of Populous or SimCity. Any way you cut it, there’s something thrilling about establishing your own little ant farm of workers and slowly building a base of operations. Starkiller Base is an entire planet rebuilt as a weapon, and it would be a blast to be the administrator in charge of putting it all together. It’s all well and good that weapon control is progressing nicely, but why aren’t the trash compactors working on level 3? As the base gets closer to operating status, your successes are noticed by the Supreme Leader, and then the pressure is really on.
Would you want to play any of our suggestions? And how about you? What games do you think should arise out of The Force Awakens? Share your thoughts in the comments below.