Summary:
Star Wars Republic Commando is a tactical first person shooter that takes place in the Star Wars universe. It was developed and published by LucasArts with a release date of February 28th, 2005. Since this game came out in the early 2000s, it is technically not considered Star Wars Canon however some of the characters that are featured in this game are. Republic Commando has the player control clone trooper RC-1138, or “Boss”, the leader of an elite clone trooper squad called Delta Squad.
This group is made up of four clone troopers. 38, like previously stated and three companions. RC-1262, “Scorch”, RC-1140, “Fixer” and RC-1207, “Sev”. Each one of the soldiers have a different personality, specialty and voice. Boss is the leader and the other 3 do whatever he says. Scorch is the comic relief. He is the demolitions expert and has some of the funniest voice lines in any Star Wars movie or game. Fixer is the logical one who excels with computers and technology. His favorite weapon is the vibroblade. And finally there is Sev. He is just a unit and will face any enemy without fear. His favorite weapon is the sniper and he is deadly with it.
Republic Commando covers the story of three missions that Delta Squad embark on. The game starts off with 38 receiving training as a clone cadet all the way up to when he is shipping off to their first battle. Delta Squad is thrown into Day 1 of the Clone Wars on the desert planet of Geonosis. The player starts off alone learning the controls and how the game works with tips. 38 slowly makes his way through wreckage until he meets up with 62, “Scorch”. Not too long after that, Fixer joins the party and then they finally meet up with their final squad member Sev.
Throughout their Geonosis campaign, they have to complete different tasks. This includes eliminating a VIP, destroying a droid factory and destroying a core ship. The next campaign that is covered is one that Delta Squad has to investigate an abandoned Republic Assault Ship Prosecutor. This is the first time the squad splits up for most of the mission. When they regroup, they must defend the ship from the Separatists and Trandoshans. The final campaign is the lovely forest covered world of Kashyyyk. Delta squad is part of an advance party to scout the planet before the main invasion of Kashyyyk happens, like we see in Revenge of the Sith. Throughout all missions, they receive orders from higher up from the clone Advisor.
Gameplay:
As previously stated, the player controls 38, or “Boss”. It is first-person and the game shows the player what it looks like inside a clone trooper helmet. The player hud shows shields and health on the bottom, squadmates’ health and situation and any current objective on the top. This type of game is different from a lot because it actually allows the player to control the squadmates. There are several actions to do that the player themselves can do, or assign another member of Delta Squad to do. Some of these assignments include sniper, anti-armor, grenade and turret positions for any type of engagement in battles. Demolitions and computer slicing for more administration and restructuring.
There are multiple weapons that are always with the player but can also be picked up throughout levels. The clone weapons that are always with the player are the DC-17 rifle, DC-17 sniper and anti-armor attachment, and a blaster pistol. All weapons besides the blaster pistol have limited ammunition so if the player runs out of ammo during a firefight, they either have to find more or rely on the weak, unlimited ammo pistol to take enemies out. Some additional weapons that are dropped by enemies are the wookie bowcaster, trandoshan slug shotgun, and concussion rifle. The player is also equipped with a melee weapon. The vibroblade which is usually a one-shot kill to weak enemies.
Along with assigning squadmates to positions, the player also has four commands. Search and Destroy is where the whole squad is on the offensive and seeks out enemies to destroy. Form up is a command where the clones form up around Boss. Defend position is usually called where they want to hold and defend a certain position. Last, return to formation makes any assigned squad member disembark from their current sniper, anti-armor demolition etc. position.
Each squad member does not “die”. They were enhanced with bacta and they just became incapacitated, including Boss, and squad members can revive each other. However, if all four members become incapacitated, then the game is over, and the player restarts from the last checkpoint. In certain missions where the squad splits up and the player is all alone, there is no revive.
Review:
Star Wars: Republic Commando is near and dear to my heart. I grew up playing this game almost weekly. The campaign does not take that long to complete and yes, it is kind of repetitive, but every time is something different. In order of campaigns, my favorite ones went, Assault Ship, Kashyyyk, and then Geonosis. I just enjoyed being solo for the majority of the mission and then I also really liked defending the ship from the droids. At times, I kind of wish the game wasn’t so linear and we could stray off paths a little bit. I loved the type of gameplay in how you can control your own squad. It creates uniqueness in every playthrough. Another great aspect that the game has is its multiplayer.
Unfortunately I wasn’t ever able to play it online, but I did play it with my brother and a couple friends here and there. It was just as fun. Yes, it was hard to not “screen peek” but the memories we made were unforgettable. The only problem I had with this game and the only reason why I couldn’t give it a 5 star was because it was too short. I really wish they expanded on more missions or made the missions a little bit longer. The nostalgia definitely holds up but playing through the levels now, I can just speed run them so fast.
I really wished they continued making Republic Commando games. This game leaves on such a huge cliffhanger that there could have been endless possibilities for future games. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will ever see a sequel which makes me sad. This was one of the best Star Wars games I have ever played and highly recommend it if you are a Star Wars nerd like me.
