Star Wars: What Rogue Squadron Would Be Like On Switch (& Why It’s Past Time)

As Star Wars fans digest the season finale of The Mandalorian and prepare for the enormous slate of other Disney+ shows recently announced, one part of the franchise is making an especially big resurgence: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. In the gaming realm, EA’s recent Star Wars: Squadrons gave players the feeling of piloting a New Republic or Imperial aircraft with first-person immersion. In 2023, the franchise will come to movie theaters with the Rogue Squadron movie, but in the meantime, the series’ classic N64 video game should return on the Nintendo Switch.

It makes sense that space battles between X-Wings and TIE Fighters, and the stories of Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles and others, are front and center at such a pivotal time for Star Wars. Those battles make for some of the best action in the films, and they represent the essence of Star Wars‘ boundless exploration of galaxies far, far away. Thus, it’s an ideal time to bring back the Nintendo 64 game that deepened the lore of the series’ interstellar combat, 1998’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, on the Switch.

Rogue Squadron is one of the titles, if not the title, that elevated Star Wars in the video game realm. Two years after Shadows of the Empire helped launch the Nintendo 64 in 1996, Rogue Squadron was released to subdued expectations, in part because it coincided with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It ended up shattering those expectations commercially, ranking second only behind that frequent choice for best game of all-time in sales during the 1998 holiday season, according to The NPD Group (via IGN). Reviews were positive, with many noting how it expounded upon the potential of the opening Hoth level of Shadows of the Empire.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron Could Be Even Better On Nintendo Switch

However, calling Rogue Squadron merely an extension of Shadows of the Empire‘s Hoth is doing it a great disservice. It took the heart of Star Wars action and turned it into a replete action game with a compelling story to boot. Without any ground battles, the thrill of piloting a Rebel spacecraft in Rogue Squadron is undiluted. Yet it never grows repetitive, with each level presenting a new challenge. Naturally, the game was followed by two acclaimed sequels in 2001 and 2003. There were also plans for an Empire-centered spinoff, tentatively called Dark Squadron, which was ultimately scrapped.

In addition to being a Nintendo-console classic of enduring popularity, Rogue Squadron needs to be on the Switch because of how much its control scheme would benefit. The tight, immersive gameplay would only be amplified by the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers. Liberated from the clunky contours of the Nintendo 64 controller and its thumb-shredding joystick, flying and shooting would feel much smoother. Optional motion detection could allow the player to angle their fighter up or down and side to side.

It isn’t unprecedented to have a beloved LucasArts Star Wars classic on the Switch. The 2002 shooter Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was ported onto the console in September 2019, as well as the PlayStation 4. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, meanwhile, hasn’t had any ports since its initial release on N64 and Windows 22 years ago. Especially given the lack of a formal installment in the series since Rebel Strike in 2003, it’s high time new generations of gamers get a chance to appreciate what the 1998 original delivered – and still delivers.

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