Star Wars: Squadrons is a space combat game set in the Star Wars universe developed by Motive Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 2, 2020. The game features both multiplayer game modes and a single-player campaign. Set after Return of the Jedi, the campaign alternates between the New Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Galactic Empire's Titan Squadron, both of which become involved with the Republic's Project Starhawk; Vanguard Squadron wants to ensure its completion, while Titan Squadron attempts to destroy it.

The game received generally positive reviews upon release, gaining praise for its immersive gameplay and multiplayer component, yet faced some criticism over its lack of content and weak story.

Gameplay

Star Wars: Squadrons is a space combat game, played from a first-person perspective. Players take control of starfighters from either the Galactic Empire and the New Republic navy. In these ships, they can utilise the movement of power between the ship's functions of weaponry, shields and engines to defeat their opponents in combat. Imperial starfighters do not have shields, resulting in other additions to their class so that the two teams would be balanced. As players earn more experience, they can unlock new weapons, shields, upgrades and various cosmetic items for the pilot and their ship. Players can check the ship's status, shields and powers by viewing the instruments in the ship's cockpit.

Gameplay is class-based, with both the New Republic and the Empire having four starfighter classes that the player can choose from: Fighter (TIE Fighter for the Empire and X-Wing for the Republic), Interceptor (TIE Interceptor and A-Wing), Bomber (TIE Bomber and Y-Wing), and Support (TIE Reaper and U-Wing).
Modes

The game features two multiplayer modes, and a single-player mode:

Story - Set after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star, the story alternates between two customizable pilots from the New Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Empire's Titan Squadron.
Dogfight - Up to 10 players are split into two groups of pilots against each other. The mode resembles Team Deathmatch.
Fleet Battles - Two teams of up to 5 players compete to destroy each other's Capital Ships.

Plot

Following the destruction of Alderaan, Darth Vader orders all Imperial forces to hunt down any refugees who escaped the planet's destruction. Captain Lindon Javes of the Imperial Navy is tasked by Admiral Rae Sloane to lead Helix Squadron in finding and eliminating a convoy of refugees at Fostar Haven. Despite locating the convoy, Javes turns on his wingmen and disables their ships to protect the refugees. The convoy sends a distress signal to the Rebel Alliance, who dispatches Echo Squadron to assist in the convoy’s escape. After the battle, Javes defects to the Alliance, offering his knowledge of Imperial Fleet protocols to earn their trust.

Four years later, after the Alliance's victory in the Battle of Endor, the newly promoted Commander Javes assumes command of the New Republic cruiser Temperance and its elite fighter squadron, Vanguard Squadron. Assigned to the secret project known as Starhawk, the squadron undertakes missions to ensure Project Starhawk’s completion. It is later revealed that the project is a massive battleship constructed from stolen Star Destroyers and has a powerful tractor beam.

Meanwhile, Imperial Captain Terisa Kerill, Javes' former protégé and wingman, is eager to take vengeance on him for his betrayal and is assigned to put an end to Project Starhawk before its completion. She assigns her own elite fighter squadron, Titan Squadron, to hinder the New Republic’s progress to complete the Starhawk. While Titan Squadron's initial operations are a success, an impulsive Kerill is baited into a trap by Javes which nearly destroys her Star Destroyer, the Overseer. Unwilling to let Javes go, Kerill has her ship resupplied with powerful warheads to damage the Starhawk.

An Imperial assault at the Nadiri Dockyards badly damages the Starhawk, although it manages to escape destruction. In an attempt to defend what’s left of the battleship, Javes personally takes command of Anvil Squadron but is later shot down and presumed dead. The Starhawk itself becomes damaged beyond repair by Titan Squadron, although Vanguard Squadron, now led by General Hera Syndulla, make a last stand and use the remains of Starhawk to destroy an Imperial fleet by ramming it into an unstable moon. The plan is a success and, with the help of a surviving Javes, Vanguard Squadron manages to escape the destructive blast. Both Titan and Vanguard Squadrons are commended for their actions, with the New Republic planning to construct more Starhawk battleships while the Empire makes plans to regain control of the galaxy.

---- Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Squadrons