Ever since the 1970s, the Star Wars universe has provided countless stories for fans to further explore the galaxies far, far away. Between movies, books, television series’, and video games, Star Wars makes for a great universe in which to tell enthralling and emotional stories (with the added coolness of lightsabers and the Force).
While the video game world is less of a focal point for Star Wars, it has provided some incredible hits over the years. Knights of the Old Republic, The Force Unleashed, Empire At War, Jedi: Fallen Order, the Battlefront series, Star Wars Squadrons, and more are examples of how Star Wars can so perfectly fit into the world of video games across many different genres.
But there are specific characters and stories who deserve the video game treatment.
10 Star Wars: 1313
As important as the conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is within the Star Wars universe, the seedy underbelly of the crime world is just as interesting and not as often explored. Star Wars 1313 was a video game in development before LucasArts shut their doors. It was going to focus on a bounty hunter (potentially a young Boba Fett) as he descends to level 1313 of an underground city on the planet Coruscant.
Fans were upset to see this game cancelled due to the game being focused on Uncharted-style third-person cover shooting. But it was also going to be the first Star Wars content to have a mature rating. The developers said that the rating would allow them to explore more adult themes as opposed to including gratuitous violence and gore. Unfortunately, the game was scrapped; fans still hope that the game and its story can be resurrected in some form someday.
9 The Mandalorian
Whether it was the story, the gritty look, or the Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian has captured the hearts of people the world over. Two seasons in and the show has already expanded the Star Wars universe in many meaningful ways. Fans, old and new, are already begging for a third season.
What better way to capitalize on the craze than by creating a video game adaptation? If designed well, the game could focus on an escort mission-style setup between Mando and the Child with an emphasis on action and planning attacks. In the words of the Mandalorians: “This is the way.”
8 The Clone Wars
This time period in the series’ history really put the “wars” back in Star Wars. The Clone Wars was the three year period between Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith. A war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists raged. The television series of the same name focused on this time period and showed Anakin Skywalker’s gradual fall to the dark side.
His apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, has become a fan-favorite character. Having a grand adventure game where players take control of Ahsoka and see events from her perspective would be an exciting and grand experience. It would also provide a ton of emotional punches considering how the series (and Revenge of the Sith) ended.
7 Obi-Wan on Tattooine
With the barrage of television shows and movies that Disney has announced to be taking place in the Star Wars universe, fans have been dying to see the show based on Obi-Wan Kenobi. The show will see Ewan MacGregor returning as the iconic Jedi and will follow him as he lives on Tattooine in exile after Order 66 and the fall of the true Republic.
A quiet and understated survival game based on this stage of Obi-Wan’s life would be a very gripping and sobering experience. Players could have to use their lightsaber only in very limited instances due to the Jedi being marked as traitors and trying to keep a low profile because of it.
6 The Sequel Trilogy
The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker are very controversial entries in the Star Wars canon for many different reasons. But they still have their place in the series and huge positives exist in each one. These movies released at a time where not every high-budget movie series was getting a video game adaptation anymore.
However, seeing as how every other episodic film in the series featured some sort of game adaptation in their time with varying levels of quality, the sequel trilogy deserves a fair crack at fun game adaptations. If the focus remained on a straight-forward action experience with solid mechanics and an upgrade system, games based on these movies could be extremely fun.
5 Legends Of Luke Skywalker
It’s odd to think about how little Star Wars media actually includes Luke Skywalker as the main character. There were many great novels written in the 1980s and 1990s about what happened to Luke after Return Of The Jedi, but those were all made non-canon. While stories still exist of Luke’s adventures, a brand new game where people play as the iconic lightsaber-wielding Jedi would be a treat.
The Legends Of Luke Skywalker novel by Ken Liu follows the children from The Last Jedi being transported to the casino planet of Canto Bight and telling stories of Luke that may or not be true. This would give players the ability to play a variety of different scenarios involving Luke while also not having to worry about being in the canon of the series.
4 Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Admiral Thrawn was a huge fan-favorite character originally featured in a trilogy of novels written by Timothy Zahn. He also recently reappeared in Star Wars Rebels and a new set of canon novels also written by Zahn. Thrawn is known for his terrifying and near-psychic knowledge of military strategy. He gained these through studying cultures and their art as a guideline for how they craft attack strategies.
A real-time strategy game where players take control of Thrawn as he leads the Empire’s ships to victory would be incredibly fun. Playing Thrawn would immediately give players a huge overpowered edge on the competition.
3 Death Troopers
Joe Schreiber’s Death Troopers was an incredibly unique entry in the Star Wars universe. Horror is an often unexplored genre in Star Wars, but Death Troopers focuses on a group of characters who are stuck on a seemingly abandoned Star Destroyer. That is until they encounter dead stormtroopers who have been infected with a virus that turns them into zombies.
Adapting this story to a video game would be absolutely frightening with players either taking part in a full-on first-person horror game or in a team-based zombie survival game. It would be an unexpected direction for a Star Wars game to go in which is why it would be a perfect choice.
2 The Saga Of Darth Maul
Between the films, movies, and books, Darth Maul has had a long and grueling journey as he grew stronger with the dark side. Making his first appearance in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul was the most beloved character from that film. So beloved in fact, that he was rewritten to have survived his initial death in the film and made his return in the Clone Wars television show.
Letting players finally take control of the iconic character they’ve loved for so long and letting them wield the double-sided red lightsaber would be a dream come true. Plus, Darth Maul is voiced by Sam Witwer in the Clone Wars, so having him return for Maul’s video game adaptation would be a great return for Witwer to the Star Wars video game scene having voiced Starkiller in The Force Unleashed.
1 Max Rebo
If you don’t know who Max Rebo is, you are missing out on musical greatness. Max Rebo made his first appearance in Return Of The Jedi as part of the Max Rebo Band. They played music for the infamous Jaba The Hutt. In fact, Max Rebo really only ever played music for gangsters and criminals. What better premise for a video game could there be?
Just think of a rhythm game in the vein of Guitar Hero or PaRappa The Rapper where fans play as Max Rebo in amazing bumbling adventures. Or perhaps an all out musical adventure in the vein of Brutal Legend. Max Rebo is bound to have his day in the sun with Star Wars fans and a great game could finally give him the respect he deserves.
