A fresh slice of Star Wars: Squadrons gameplay has been revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live, this time diving into the single player with snippets of gameplay and narration from the team at EA Motive. Star Wars: Squadrons is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 2nd October 2020, with full support for PSVR, Steam VR and Oculus Rift VR through the entire game.
This mission shown comes from early in the Imperial side of the campaign, as you go behind enemy lines in an attempt to extract Agent Thorn. There’s blowing up defence turrets, escorting transports, and all the kinds of things you might expect from a Star Wars space dogfighter.
The story is set after the Battle of Endor and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. You’ll jump back and forth between the the two sides as the New Republic rises and the Empire fights for survival, able to create and customise your own character on both sides. You’ll join the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron and the Empire’s Titan Squadron, made up of original characters, though there will be some cameos from familiar faces as well.
There’s a lot in common with the classic X-Wing and Tie Fighter games, between missions as well, with classically styled briefings and interactions with others in your squad. Of course, all of that is now rendered in modern graphics and looks fantastic.
There’s eight ships in the game – a fighter, interceptor, support and bomber for both sides – each having a specific role in battle. You can unlock and customise them  with over 50 components to alter your ship’s loadout, and just having a cute bobble head in the cockpit.
Previously revealed about the 5v5 multiplayer, there’s a few different modes. Dogfight is your traditional deathmatch mode, but Fleet Battles are the signature mode. These are multi-stage battles, playable in both PvP and PvE, where you first fight to win the dogfight in the centre of the map before attacking or defending the capital ships, and finally taking it to the flagship to destroy or defend key components and win the battle. You’ll be battling around a mixture of familiar and new locations as well, with battles around the gas giant Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan.
