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Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s 13th episode, “Infested,” was a tense one that makes a perfect argument for a co-op Star Wars horde shooter.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1, Episode 13, “Infested,” now streaming on Disney+.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch’s latest episode, “Infested,” follows the troopers as they try to steal a shipment of spice from a crime lord. The initial theft goes well, but a chase through a mine leads to the clones being attacked by bug-like aliens. The crew manages to get away, but the spice is lost and Wrecker has to go back into the tunnels to get the canisters back.
The concept of moving a team through a cave system searching for spice and fighting against hordes of monsters is perfect for a horde-style shooter. In horde shooters, players are usually in a small three-to-four person team against waves of AI opponents. The games differ from most shooters by having the opponents be individually weak but overwhelming because of the size of the waves. They also tend to be very objective-focused and rely on the teams working together to survive. Left 4 Dead almost perfected the style using zombies and gave players many of the tropes that have become common to the genre. Though the Star Wars universe may not have access to zombies as we know them, there are some options for horde-style enemies.
The enemy defines a horde-style shooter, but they don’t have to be zombies. Aliens: Fireteam Elite makes use of the xenomorph and their particular form of movement to keep players on their toes. It also made use of fans’ nostalgia for the franchise to keep players invested. A Star Wars horde-style shooter could do something similar, with missions that pit players against Rancors, Mynocks and any other number of alien monsters.
It doesn’t have to be all recognizable faces, though. While Star Wars has any number of famous creatures it could use as opponents, any great developer may look to create their own enemies. We saw something similar in The Mandalorian, where a race of spider-like creatures inhabited an ice world and swarmed on any who invaded its territory. These creatures not only fit within the universe, but they’re also a creation of the show, and the unfamiliarity only added to the scene’s tension. It would be interesting to see the more technologically advanced soldiers of the Star Wars universe battle against more primitive opponents that could still offer a threat.
Another aspect that needs to be perfected in any horde game are the objectives that players must complete. This isn’t only relegated to the objectives in the mission but also the ones that dictate each level. The plot from “Infested” is a perfect example of a situation that could be adapted into a level for a game.
Players would start with the spice and need to sneak through the caves to escape; however, a complication leads to the enemy horde waking up. The player would be forced to retreat to a safe space and then plan to retrieve the spice in a much more dangerous environment than it had been originally. The missions do not necessarily have to be connected so long as class progression is shared, allowing players to explore the Star Wars universe at their leisure.
Bad Batch is one of the new Star Wars shows aiming to expand upon the main universe and give players a chance to see other sides of their favorite franchise. With Disney aiming to choose new genres for its shows, it is the perfect time to start looking at other genres of the game as well. The potential is there for an exciting Horde shooter; it is just up to the right developer to put one together.
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