Released: April 2021
Rating: T (Blood and Violence)
*Disclaimer: Star Wars: Republic Commando review code was provided by Aspyr for the purposes of this review. That being said, all opinions expressed in this review are entirely that of the author.
While it may not be as widely recognised as some of its older Star Wars video game siblings, Star Wars: Republic Commando was one of LucasArts’ finest forays into the much-beloved universe. A game that put you in the boots of the leader of an elite Clone squad, Republic Commando combined cutting-edge first-person-shooter mechanics reminiscent of Halo with the tactical squad mechanics of Rainbow Six to deliver a truly unique and genuinely quite innovative Star Wars experience.
Since its original release on Xbox and PC back in 2005, Republic Commando fans have clamoured for a sequel. Unfortunately, with LucasArts’ demise in 2013, it seemed as though all hope was lost. And while there may still be no news regarding a sequel, fans can now relive their Delta Squad glory days from the comfort of their Nintendo Switch (and PS4) thanks to Aspyr’s newly released remaster.
But how well does Republic Commando hold up in 2021? The age of tactical shooters is long gone and Star Wars games don’t hold the same critical expectation they had in the mid-2000s. Form up on me and I’ll break down exactly where Republic Commando still shines, and where it’s unfortunately lost its lustre.
Revisiting One Of LucasArts’ Best
Before talking about Aspyr’s remaster, I should explain the key elements that made Republic Commando such a classic 16 years ago, and it all starts with the first cutscene.
The introductory cutscene does a great job of concisely delivering all of the information you need to know for the rest of the game. You’re a Clone Commando, in charge of a four-man squad of elite Clones, and you’ve been bred to be the best. This cutscene essentially summarises the entire game’s attitude towards story; you’ll know only what you need to know, and it’ll be delivered directly to you via voice-over. But this is far from a criticism. The fast-paced nature of the game’s story delivery only reinforces the game’s unrelenting pace. From the second your boots hit that Geonosis sand, it’s a non-stop journey through some of Star Wars‘ most exciting video game set pieces.
The first set of missions may be the best the game has to offer. As a tutorial, the very first level does a near-perfect job of introducing core mechanics and setting up key characters all while providing an intense and exciting setting to blast your way through. While this first level may not blow anyone’s minds in 2021, its core gameplay and atmosphere is still enough to keep you thoroughly engaged from the get-go—and that’s essentially true for the majority of the game. The shooter mechanics are also fairly standard for a modern console shooter, you won’t find any nuanced character development, and the technical limitations of 2005 are very evident with regards to visual fidelity and some enemy character models. However none of that seems to matter in the moment, when blaster fire is raining down on you from a group of Battle Droids and you’re frantically ordering your squad to take up sniping positions.
That’s where this game really shines, even when looking at it through a 2021 lens: the squad mechanics. Quality tactical squad shooters are few and far between nowadays, so Republic Commando‘s squad mechanics feel like a breath of fresh air. The mechanics are simple, but effective; you have three squadmates at your disposal, each with somewhat distinct character quirks. When you enter a new room you’re often greeted with a multitude of waist-high walls, each of which can be used by one of your squad members to get a tactical advantage over your enemy. With just a few button presses you’re able to set up sniper positions to get the drop on some incoming Battle Droids, get one of your team to cover you in a turret, or single out a target for all of your Clone brothers to fire on. Each encounter is made exciting and genuinely unique through these simple mechanics.
When the game takes away those squad mechanics after the first set of missions, that’s where the game’s cracks start to appear. As mentioned earlier, the shooter mechanics themselves are absolutely fine, but they aren’t enough on their own to keep modern players invested. In missions where you’re forced to go solo, the game can feel like a bit of a drag. The difficulty (which we’ll talk about in a second) becomes almost unbearable due to the lack of squad revives, and the gameplay feels as stale as you’d expect from any other licenced FPS released in the mid-2000s. Thankfully, these missions take only around an hour to complete and, in the end, it inadvertently makes you appreciate the simple squad mechanics even more.
Republic Commando is a deceptively hard game. Where other Star Wars games are focused on expressing a fun, space-faring adventure that can be enjoyed on different levels by a variety of audiences, Republic Commando is focused on bringing you frustration—sometimes quite a lot of frustration. Some sections of Republic Commando can feel a little too trial and error. The amount of enemies rushing you and their high damage output can lead to some cheap-feeling deaths, especially because you and your squadmates’ health pools seem so low. Paired with Republic Commando‘s vague save system and you can have yourself one very frustrating afternoon. While Republic Commando does have an autosave feature, it tends to only save around every 15-20 minutes. As you’ll probably be dying quite a bit, that autosave won’t get you very far. That’s where Republic Commando‘s “quick save paradox” rears its head. Republic Commando lets you quick save instantly with just a press of a button. If your willpower is as low as mine, then this can very quickly lead to you save-scumming your way through the hardest parts of the game. While this can make your experience more enjoyable, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was cheating, in a way. Republic Commando‘s occasional high-difficulty does make encounters feel even more intense, though. Nothing quite matches the feeling of scraping your way to victory after an hour of trying out a multitude of different tactics and finally finding the perfect one.
There is one element of Republic Commando that is consistently excellent regardless of mission type or game age, and that’s its atmosphere. Every inch of this game’s design screams Star Wars. The sound effects across the board are incredible, managing to give blaster weapons a realistic punch whilst still retaining that iconic Star Wars “pew” that is immediately recognisable. Similarly, the use of John Williams’ now-classic score and the game’s own OST is extremely effective, coming in at the perfect moments to heighten the tension and bombastic action of the gameplay. Each member of Delta Squad has some unique melee mechanics that are always cool to see, and the over-the-top, exaggerated dialogue from each character carries a uniquely Star Wars sense of charm. So, no matter how rudimentary the gameplay mechanics can seem, Republic Commando‘s atmosphere is a masterfully crafted. A constant nostalgic reminder that truly sets this game apart from other licenced FPS games of the time.
A (Slightly) Disappointing Remaster
It’s a shame, then, that Aspyr’s Switch port of Republic Commando doesn’t offer the best experience of this classic. The game’s framerate is by far the worst aspect of this port. Framerate dips are a constant throughout the game. No matter how few enemies are on-screen, or what environment you’re travelling through, the game seemingly cannot handle a steady framerate for longer than a minute or so. While you do eventually get used to it, and the framerate dip doesn’t make the game unplayable, it isn’t exactly what you want from a port of a 16-year-old game.
With that being said, the graphics of Aspyr’s Republic Commando hold up surprisingly well. The character models of the Commandos themselves look sleek and the environments retain that definitive Star Wars look and feel. The same can be said of most of the port’s other technical aspects. The game’s audio is crisp and clear, the decent use of lighting from the original is still evident, and the load times have been significantly improved (taking only around five seconds on average). The game’s controls have also been carefully mapped to the Switch’s Joy-Cons, allowing for the re-mapping of buttons for extra accessibility. Although, I did encounter a minor bug where my Squad Commands stopped working after I re-mapped a few buttons.
The stellar squad mechanics of Republic Commando are somewhat overshadowed in this port by some occasional AI difficulties. During my playthrough, I frequently encountered bugs where my squadmates would get stuck on a wall or refuse to follow me until I re-loaded the game. A few times, my squadmates would also refuse to shoot any enemies that were not directly in front of them when in cover. It does break your immersion a bit when you watch your “Elite” soldier teammate just stare directly at a Super Battle Droid while it repeatedly smacks them in the face. I played Republic Commando on Xbox One about two years ago and I don’t remember facing any of these issues.
Despite the technical issues and framerate faults that this port has, my enjoyment of the game still can’t be denied. There’s still something magical and indescribable for me when I play a game like this on my Switch. I’ve been playing Republic Commando on and off for the past ten years or so, and the fact that I can now play it on-the-go is still a novel concept to me. Though, I do completely understand why others may be sick of the novelty by now and, for them, this simply won’t be the best way to play this otherwise extremely unique and enjoyable game.
A Surprisingly Refreshing Dash Down Memory Lane
While it may have its fair share of issues, Republic Commando on the Switch is still just as engaging and thrilling as it once was. Thanks to some stellar audio design, atmosphere, and some truly unique squad mechanics, Republic Commando holds up surprisingly well, even when compared to modern-day shooters.
Here’s hoping that we get to see a Knights of the Old Republic remaster soon…
Final Verdict: 7/10
Words by: Cameron Swan
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