In 2026, gamers will return to the Clone Wars in the upcoming tactics game Star Wars Zero Company. The first Disney-era Star Wars game set entirely during the Clone Wars, Star Wars Zero Company will have players command the titular Zero Company, through the eyes of former Republic officer Hawks, as the elite squad conducts covert missions in the shadows of galactic battlefronts. While Zero Company will likely introduce a unique perspective on the Clone Wars, Lucasfilm Games should strive to release a direct counterpart to the game that depicts the more famous and chaotic galactic battles. However, instead of playing similarly to DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront titles, the game should take inspiration from Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2.
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The Potential Gameplay of a Helldivers 2-Like Clone Wars Game
Released in early 2024, Helldivers 2’s intense third-person combat, reminiscent of Halo’s ODSTs and Starship Troopers, has enthralled millions of PlayStation 5 and PC players worldwide. Featuring gameplay akin to Gears of War, Helldivers 2 lets up to four players deploy on various planets where they must fight against hordes of insect-like Terminids, robotic Automatons, and the technologically advanced squid-like Squ'ith, otherwise known as the Illuminate. While most gameplay scenarios are hectic, boots-on-the-ground, third-person shooter combat, players are occasionally able to operate vehicles like the Warthog-like M-102 Fast Recon Vehicle and the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit. Players can additionally deploy ordinance from space, via the use of Stratagems, such as an Orbital Laser.
The Clone Wars feature some of the most chaotic-yet-evenly-matched battles seen in the entirety of the modern Star Wars canon, and a developer could translate some of them into experiences that are similar to Helldivers 2 in their intensity. Instead of playing as Helldivers, gamers could embody elite Clone Commandos or ARC Troopers, as both types of Clone Trooper have been known to set out on dangerous missions, similar to Helldivers. Like Helldivers, the Commandos or ARC Troopers could call in orbital or air support from nearby Acclamator or Venator-class Star Destroyers. In terms of vehicles, players could have Republic gunships and carriers deploy AT-RTs, AT-TEs, AT-APs, and TX-130 Saber-class fighter tanks that are similar to Helldivers 2's FRV and other vehicles.
There are several mods for Helldivers 2 that replace features and enemies with Star Wars assets, such as one mod that replaces Automatons with Separatist Battle Droids.
Possible Settings of a Helldivers 2-Like Clone Wars Game
The Clone Wars was a galaxy-wide, three-year-long conflict encompassing dozens of battles within, and orbiting, numerous Republic, Separatist, and neutral worlds. Most of these battles featured Jedi-led legions of Clones fighting armies of Battle Droids, but a few did have Clones fighting living beings, including Geonosians, Mandalorians, Umbarans, and Zygerrians. While many of these battles have been depicted in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and in several books and comics, Lucasfilm could allow a developer to create new, chaotic battlefronts for gamers to playthrough in this hypothetical Helldivers 2-like game. However, there are still a handful of preexisting battles that would make for perfect settings for intense Helldivers 2-like missions.
Among the best possible settings for a Helldivers 2-inspired Star Wars game are the First and Second Battles of Geonosis. These battles were some of the Clone Wars' most deadly, with thousands of Clones and Geonosians, and over 200 Jedi, perishing in the First Battle of Geonosis alone. With Geonosians being insectoids with their own technology, and Geonosians Queens having the ability to control living beings and corpses with worms, Geonosis could prove to be an intense setting for a Helldivers 2-inspired Star Wars game. Similarly, the Umbaran Campaign proved to be one of the most treacherous battlefronts seen in the entire war due to the Umbaran’s deadly wildlife, guerrilla tactics, and advanced technology like their Impeding Assault Tanks. The Umbarans could serve similar roles to the Illuminate.
The Potential Story of a Helldivers 2-Inspired Clone Wars Game
Helldivers 2 doesn’t feature a concrete single-player campaign but instead has an overarching narrative that is told through environmental storytelling and is impacted by players’ interaction with the game and its many updates. However, a Helldivers 2-inspired Clone Wars game could have a single and cooperative canon campaign as well as a live-service multiplayer component that supports the narrative of Star Wars Zero Company and other Star Wars stories. For example, this game could set up Zero Company’s Luco Bronc’s opposition to Clones by having players wipe out most of his Umbaran comrades following Umbara’s defection to the Separatists. This game’s story could further follow the journey of this particular squad of Clones through the Clone Wars, potentially becoming pivotal heroes in a climatic battle against Separatists.
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy, Tactical, Sci-Fi
