AsStar Warscontinues to see increasing success with its latest gaming entries, the franchise has yet to directly tackle the horror genre, meaning it’s about time thatDeath Troopersreceives its gaming debut. Despite a wealth of potential for creating scary stories, neither the films, shows nor games have directly tackled horror as a core focus. On the other hand, though,Star Warsnovels have readily dipped into horror, such as theStar Wars: Galaxy of Fearseries which gave readers books likeGhost of the JediandThe Doomsday Ship.However, as these were aimed at a younger audience, a better horror novel to adapt isDeath Troopers.
Not to be confused with the in-universe elite stormtroopers of the same name,Death Troopersis a quintessential zombie story combined with theStar Warslore and aesthetic. Written and developed in conjunction withaStar Wars: Galaxiesupdate, the novel takes inspiration from other horror classics likeThe ShiningandAlienaccording to its author Joe Schreiber. The story and the concepts it introduced were so popular for its time that its influence is still felt today, with other games likeStar Wars: Commanderadding zombified stormtroopers.With its ideal malleability for the gaming format, it needs to be aStar Warshorror game.
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The Perfect Horror Game Within Death Troopers
Like many stories and video games involving zombies, the cause is a virus codenamed “Blackwing” which initially appears to kill its victims before transitioning to zombification. It bears similar hallmarks to theResident Evilseries where artificially created viruses are developed by evil organizations and used to create functional super soldiers, even down to details such as an enhanced healing capacity after death. The story leans heavily into itsAlienroots and could even be compared toDead Spacewhere a ragtag group of immune survivors attempts to escape the prison barge “Purge” while avoiding hordes of the undead crawling through the ship.
Between the comparisons toResident Evil,Dead Space, or even thesuccessful and critically acclaimedAlien: Isolation, it’s not difficult to envision how aDeath Troopersgame could take shape. Perhaps takingIsolation’sfirst-person perspective and mechanics while paralleling its dedication to replicating the retro visuals of the original films,Death Trooperscould task players with the simple objective of escaping the Purge alive, avoiding or incapacitating undead stormtroopers while saving other survivors where possible. Ultimately it would deliver a very distinctiveStar Warsexperience beyond the usual RPGs, action-adventures, and FPS games.
Death Trooperscould even look toDead Spaceor the upcomingThe Callisto Protocolfor a framework of how the game might look, feel, and tell its story. Sharing the sci-fi design principles as well as the near-human monsters,Death Trooperscould immediately learn from the lessons these games provide to inform its story structure and character development. While the novel has interesting characters and subplots worth exploring, the game itself might need to take some creative liberties to successfully adapt it. For example, while the novel shows the Purge’s crew initially dying, the game might skip this to throw the player right into the action.
Star Wars and Death Troopers Can Work Together
ThoughStar Warshas always played it fast and loose with its games' place in canon, such asThe Force Unleashedand Starkiller’s departure from canon,Death Troopersoccupies a unique position that is not only ideal for a game adaptation but also for the overallStar Warslore. Set roughly a year prior to the events ofA New Hope, the story itself doesn’t interfere with either the original trilogy and can distance itself from both the prequel and sequel trilogies. Should the adaptation adhere to the originalDeath Troopers’story, then it will need to walk a fine line between ensuring continuity and adding its own flair.
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This wouldn’t be the game’s only benefit, as the novel itself features fan-favoritesHan Solo and Chewbacca, who try to escape the Purge along with other survivors. Including such significant characters that tie directly to the main films is a golden opportunity to draw in an audience through pop culture recognition. Doing so bears risks, as not only would they reduce the game’s stakes, as the pair are certain to survive for continuity’s sake, but it could also leave the game vulnerable to criticism if it gets the characterization wrong of these beloved characters.
Adding Diversity To Star Wars Games
Supposing that aDeath Troopersadaptation successfully finds a balance between its homage to the classicStar Warsera and a modern interpretation of its unique story, the game could add some much-needed diversity to theStar Warsroster. ManyStar Warsgames have focused on providing an action-adventure experience that fits with the traditional model of current games. This is understandable, given thatStar Warsis one giant space operaof good versus bad, but as of late the franchise has demonstrated it is capable of expanding its scope which has been celebrated by fans.
A horror entry is therefore not only long overdue but also eagerly welcomed. Fans have already seen very similar stories repeatedly depicted that invariably focus on the Jedi or the Sith, something which has left a vacuum that alternative forms and genres of content could fill. For instance,Star Wars: Eclipseis possibly an early indication of a new approach to storytelling in the franchise that focuses more on its narrative and less on its gameplay. Meanwhile, on Disney Plus,Star Wars: Andor’ssuccess proves fans want darker storiesfrom the franchise.
Ultimately, aDeath Troopersgame remains a distant idea in a galaxy far, far away. It would require the right game developer and ideal approach, but also it would need Disney’s and Lucasarts' approval for the adaptation. However, the possibility still lives on, especially whenDeath Trooperswields an impressive amount of potential that, in the right hands, could be an excellent horror experience under theStar Warsbanner.Star Warsand horror fans alike can only hold out hope though as the franchise focuses on itsupcomingStar Wars: Jedisequelamong its many other projects.
