Star Warsmay have its darker moments, but the franchise is more known for its dramatic lightsaber duels and epic space battles than gritty-ground level combat. Even the massive ground battles ofStar Wars: Battlefronttend to be a relatively clean and bloodless affair.
However, a recent mod for the tactical FPSSquadattempts to change this. The game’sGalactic Contentionmod transforms the modern military shooter into a darker and grittier version ofStar Wars: Battlefront.
RELATED:New Fortnite Leak Suggests Darth Vader from Star Wars Could Be Coming to the Game
YouTuber WARFVRE posted two videos of the mod, showcasing first-person combat from the perspective ofaStar Warsprequel-era Clone Trooperand a Gungan warrior. TheStar Wars: Battlefront-inspired mod boasts 15 maps, 15 factions, 25 types of vehicles, and over 150 unit types. Players can download it from the Steam workshop and then jump into massive 50 vs. 50Star Warsbattles. The main shortcoming seems to be the hefty 30GB download, which is more than half the size of the vanilla game.
WhileGalactic Contentionmay lack some of the finer bits of polish, it’s still impressive looking and highly detailed. The transition from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective also makes for a more intimate and immersive experience. If nothing else, it certainly ratchets up the tension and lets players really get into the headspace of the low-level foot soldiers filling out the background ofStar Wars’many large battles. Cade Onder from the website ComicBook comparedGalactic Contentionto the filmRogue One: A Star Wars Story, which offered a closer look at the grittier side of theStar Warsuniverse. This mod comes the closest to transferring that atmosphere tosomething resemblingStar Wars: Battlefront.
For those who haven’t heard of it,Squadis a 2020tactical first-person shooterdeveloped by Offworld Industries. The game lets players choose between 7 factions, including various modern militaries and insurgent groups. Each faction has a unique arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and other equipment, and the game emphasizes tactics and coordination within large groups of players.Squadcurrently goes for $50 onSteamand enjoys “Very Positive” user reviews on that platform.
TheGalactic Contentionmod is similarly well-received, with a 5-star rating on the Steam Workshop. Though perhaps not impossible, it seems unlikely thatthe nextStar Wars: Battlefrontgamewill resemble this mod. However, Electronic Arts doesn’t have exclusive rights to publishStar Warsgames anymore. This could open the possibility of more experimental games in the future, andSquad’sGalactic Contentionmod provides an interesting proof of concept.
Squadis available on PC.
MORE:How Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 Can Improve Cal Kestis’ Character
