Turn based RPGs tend to be hit or miss for me, even acclaimed ones. This one won me right over though, having a lot of shared DNA with my favourites in the genre. With an endearing story full of loveable characters, a lot of humour, a lot of heart and some truly out of left field twists, and a turn based combat model with a clever twist that keeps you active and thinking through every encounter, this had my engagement from start to finish, even barring a couple hiccups (like it’s really abrupt ending which leaves a number of plot points unresolved).

Special thanks to my friend who was a backer and gave me his extra Switch code.

A well made RPG with accessible systems, lots of customization and role playing options. Your companions all excel at certain roles, so you have to think about who you want to bring and which bases you want covered. I also like how it deliberately puts you in these overmatched checkmate scenarios, forcing you to explore the environment and your skillset, think outside the box, puzzle-solve to win.

More importantly though, this has absolutely become one of my favourite Star Wars adventures outside of the original trilogy. Like the Clone Wars series, it feels like a response to problems with the prequels, as if it takes a lot of the ideas that those films tease us with and said “how do we make this brilliant?” I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Dave Filoni drew a large influence from what Bioware has made here. Every character, every world, every group or faction, is detailed, motivated and wonderfully fleshed out. The writing, the chemistry, the interactions between these characters are charming and full of wit, exploring dialogue options with even the most seemingly insignificant NPCs was one of my favourite things to do. And the themes of the cyclical nature of conflict and the idea that no one is beyond redemption, are all very touching and powerful and true to the Star Wars movies.

As far as what I didn’t like, it’s a little janky, the AI can be pretty stupid at times. It wasn’t gamebreaking, but it did screw me over a couple times, particularly once on the final level when I was heavily outnumbered by sith, needed all hands on deck, then this fucking braindead AI decides to run to the other side of the map to dick around with some turret leaving me and my other companion to get slaughtered while I try to get him back. The final boss is also complete fucking horseshit, I only ended up beating him through cheese tactics.

All in all though, this game is a must play if you’re a Star Wars fan.