A classic Star Wars video game with a cult following is getting new life when it comes to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Star Wars: Republic Commando arrives on PlayStation 4 and Switch on April 6.
The prequel-era game is also available on PS5 through backwards compatibility. The shooter game was originally released for PC and Xbox in 2005 and is currently available on Steam.
The fan-favorite game’s rerelease is also an HD remaster with a price tag of just $14.99.
Republic Commando features the elite Delta Squad of clone troopers tasked with taking on the most dangerous missions for the Republic during the Clone Wars. As a player, you’re inside the helmet of squad leader RC-1138, a.k.a. Boss, wielding a bunch of different Star Wars weapons and issuing commands to your elite trooper teammates on missions across the galaxy.
To commemorate the news of the rerelease, StarWars.com spoke with Lucasfilm Games executive producer Matt Fillbrandt, who worked on the original game and the newly remastered version, about why Republic Commando is considered one of the best Star Wars video games:
"I think Republic Commando connected with fans because it was the first time they got a look at a story from a clone trooper’s perspective, literally from within the helmet, and it went deeper into the special operations side of the Star Wars military. That hadn’t been done before and it wasn’t shy about trying to project more of a gritty edge."
Being set during the Clone Wars, Republic Commando takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The missions see Delta Squad traveling to familiar places like Geonosis and Kashyyyk. The game even begins by dropping you on the front lines at the Battle of Geonosis, the start of the Clone Wars seen in Episode II.
Fillbrandt said in the game, “the squad is your weapon.” As Delta Squad’s leader, you’ll give your team commands to take out certain targets and heal each other during battle. And, each member of your squad has a unique personality that further immerses you in the Clone Wars timeline.
"The goal was to bring together influences from tactical military shooters and other shooters, that were popular around that time, trying to capture the feeling of coordination of a co-op experience within that genre. Those types of games tended to be pretty hardcore and lethal, so another goal was to make it more accessible for a broad Star Wars gamer audience. Those influences contributed to the idea of the player having some tactical control of a squad of commandos that wasn’t overly complex."
Though the game was released 16 years ago, Delta Squad characters are still part of the Star Wars canon and even made a short appearance in a season three episode of The Clone Wars animated series.
Check out some gameplay of Republic Commando from Aspyr Media, who is handling the rerelease:
Star Wars: Republic Commando arrives on PS4 and Switch on April 6. You can preorder the Switch version here.
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