The galaxy far, far away, has been the inspiration for games set within its universe since 1982 whenStar Wars Episode 5:The Empire Strikes Backinspired an Atari 2600 title of the same name.Star Wars’verynature of being a fantasy adventure set in space was a perfect fit for the new (at the time) medium, and since that game’s release there has rarely been a year that has gone by without a newStar Warsgame. With over a hundred titles however, it seems strange that one particular era, the Clone Wars, has gone relatively untouched.
Even when players don’t take into account all theLEGOStar Warsgames, the franchise has had adaptations in the medium since the golden era of gaming. Many, like the popular MMOStar Wars: The Old Republicand 1994’sStar Wars: TIE Fighter,are considered to be among the greatest games of all time. The series' countless canon worlds, races, and warring factions serve as a nearly infinite source of material for game studios to make a new adventure for fans. Yet the Clone Wars, the basis for the franchise’s most enduring animated property, has been notably lacking in games set during its main conflict.
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The Final Days of the Jedi Order
Outside the versions made to go along with both theStar Wars Episode 3:Attack of the Clonesfilm and later the animated TV series.The Clone Warshave been largely underrepresented in games. This era is by far one of the more interesting in the series, covering the lead-up to the Empire taking power, the personal history of Darth Vader, and what life as a Jedi was like right up until the knights were nearly exterminated. Depictions of this period have given context to what life was like before Palpatine’s reign over the galaxy and show the battles against the Sith faction of force-users. And then of course there are the clones themselves.
The Book of Boba Fetthad the chance, but did little to cover the psychology of being an artificial being, or of being part of a large set of duplicates made for the purpose of war. A game with a clone as the main character could explore the inner thoughts of the greatest army the galaxy has ever seen. Fans have already seen some introspection from characters like Rex in theStar Wars: TheClone Warsand its spin-offsRebelsand Disney+‘sThe Bad Batch.But a game that puts players in the armor of a clone could give fans new insight into being one soldier in an army of brothers.
Star Warsrelated media is coming out with new material nearly constantly. FromAndor,to the bookThe Princess and the Scoundrel,one thing fans of the franchise have never been wanting for is more of the universe to delve into. But while the upcomingStar Wars Jedi: Survivorwill cover the aftermath of Order 66, fans will still be left without a true Clone Wars game.
Most games with content that is set in the Clone Wars era are either direct adaptations, only use the franchise as set-dressing, or were merely made to be playable episodes ofStar Wars:The Clone Wars.There has yet to be a game in the vast history of the series that has been focused on life and war asa Clone for the Republic. Hopefully, that will change going forward, as this era ofStar Wars’ extensive history is begging to be explored further in the medium of video games.
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