Jason Savio

Sequels rarely surpass their predecessor, but the follow up to 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront does exactly that. The Star Wars Battlefront of two years ago was no joke — it brought the fun and excitement you would expect of a game that takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. It was, however, a tunnel-vision effort, with the majority of the gameplay focused on tedious and repetitive online multiplayer maps and challenges. With Battlefront II, we have a much more fully immersive and realized Star Wars experience that offers the familiar while introducing a new and exciting narrative to the story’s canon.

You don’t need Jedi powers to see that the biggest difference with this addition to the series is the newly added campaign mode that showcases a whole new story that gels with the films. Picking up moments after the end of Return of the Jedi, Battlefront II explores more of the fresh storytelling ground that takes place between the final film in George Lucas’ original trilogy and the sequel trilogy currently in theaters. Playing as Iden Versio, leader of the Empire’s special operations team, Inferno Squad, you’re tasked with carrying out a secret mission. The best part about this is we get to see the fallout of Episode VI from the Empire’s perspective, as its commanders scramble to figure out how to respond to the Emperor’s demise and the destruction of the second Death Star.

As Versio, you get to infiltrate Rebel ships and have hallway shootouts in classic Star Wars-style, in between piloting your tie-fighter and blowing x-wings out of the sky. New worlds are waiting for you to explore, sometimes as Versio and sometimes as someone you already know very well.

The controls are relatively easy to control, and you can seamlessly switch between first-person and third-person viewpoints. Collecting cards in-game that allow you to choose characters’ abilities and strengths come in handy, especially in the other modes the game has to offer.

Despite the added campaign mode, online multiplayer is still a very large component of Battlefront II, including Heroes vs. Villains mode — in which two teams of four battle it out — and Starfighter Assault (basically the former but in space).

Arcade mode is a standout. You can choose to play the solo option that places you in battle scenarios from all the different eras of Star Wars, usually in a race against time as you try to take out a set number of enemies. No characters are off limits, so be ready to finally embrace the dark side as Darth Maul and wipe out a slew of Republic clones. On the flip side, you may also get stuck playing as a droid from the prequel trilogy.

Star Wars Battlefront II is a big step in the right direction for the franchise. While at times it still feels like it’s not fully sure of what it wants to be, it does an exceptional job of paying tribute to classic characters and places while also expanding the universe.

For more information, visit ea.com/games/starwars/battlefront/battlefront-2.