The Star Wars franchise has always been built on its vast range of characters. Whether it's household names like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, or a more obscure Clone Trooper that was in two episodes of The Clone Wars, Star Wars fans have had no shortage of characters to cling to over the years. Star Wars video games are responsible for a handful of these fan-favorite faces, and the upcoming Star Wars: Hunters looks like it's going to contribute a host of new characters for fans to build an attachment to.
Star Wars: Hunters just revealed its first cinematic trailer, and the game already looks like it's going to have one of the most colorful casts of characters in a Star Wars game. Of the nine that have been announced for the arena fighter, some include a Wookie that uses the arms of a droid as a weapon, one Jawa standing on the shoulders of another Jawa like children in a trench coat, and a droid that's programmed to believe it's a Jedi. The creativity of these fighters is unparalleled compared to many other Star Wars creations, and it would be a missed opportunity if they were kept within the confines of Hunters.
Building The Lore Of Star Wars: Hunters
The premise of Star Wars: Hunters is certainly unique from many other Star Wars video games. The game takes place on a sporting planet with massive arenas that emulate other planets throughout the Star Wars galaxy. Based on the cinematic trailer, the fighters seem to be competing of their own volition, instead of actively rebelling against fighting for the entertainment of others. Star Wars is known to build up its lore with all kinds of comic books, novels, and television shows, and some kind of supplemental material on Hunters could really help players get more invested in its diverse cast. With how much effort has been put into their designs, they deserve some kind of attention greater than short cinematics.
Giving Star Wars: Hunters An Edge
The inspirations behind Star Wars: Hunters' cast of characters are a little too obvious to ignore. In the wake of popular hero shooters like Overwatch and Valorant, Hunters has built its own ensemble of fighters with unique abilities and personality traits with a Star Wars coat of paint. Its similarity to well-established games could give Hunters some difficulty at launch, but if the game invests in its characters, it could have an advantage. Many Star Wars fans love getting into the lore of smaller characters, and if more casual fans see Hunters' creative cast outside of the game, it could give them a reason to seek it out.
Setting A Precedent For All Of Star Wars
The creativity of Star Wars: Hunters is something that has rarely been seen from the franchise before. While there have been moments where Star Wars goes in a direction that fans don't expect, one singular piece of media has never taken as many risks as Hunters appears to be. If Hunters' characters receive support outside of the game, it could be very encouraging for other creatives that want to do something new with Star Wars. Disney is starting to show that it's willing to take certain risks with the upcoming Star Wars: Visions, so that same attitude should be extended to video games.
Star Wars: Hunters has been mostly dormant up to this point, so it's encouraging to see that the game is starting to take shape. There may not be any gameplay that's been officially revealed just yet, but meeting the cast of fighters through Hunters' first cinematic trailer made for an exciting introduction. Time will tell if this new direction for Star Wars gaming pays off in the way Lucasfilm Games and fans are hoping.
Star Wars: Hunters is set to release in 2022 for Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS devices.