The Star Wars universe is the hottest sci-fi franchise of all time, in total revenue and sheer amount of merchandising. Whenever a new Star Wars movie is announced, non-fans pretty much need to avoid going outside and going online, to not be bombarded with Star Wars fandom.
Everything from novels, comic books, video games, and many other forms of media have been given the Star Wars treatment. It’s hard not to imagine a Star Wars themed casino somewhere out there, with slot games like Starburst, which already have a vibrant space adventure theme, being given a Star Wars makeover.
So in this article, we’ll keep it short and simple, and highlight a few Star Wars themed (or inspired) browser games you can play right now.
Star Wars Combine
A browser-based MMO set in the Star Wars universe, SWC was ranked 88th in PC Gamer’s “Top 100 Games of All Time” (in their March 2012 issue). The game was developed entirely by Star Wars fans, with no official support from LucasArts, and has been running online for around 20 years.
What SWC lacks in modern 3D graphics, it makes up for in deep, community-based roleplay, and super-detailed simulation of the Star Wars universe. So if you favour an intensive roleplaying experience over graphics quality, Star Wars Combine is definitely worth a look.
Star Wars: Dark Forces
This classic DOS title, which is pretty much a Doom clone, was ported to browser using JavaScript. The game itself was originally created in 1995 by LucasArts, using a custom engine (Jedi game engine). So while theoretically, we can call it a Doom clone, SW:DF massively expanded on the first-person-shooter engine capabilities that were common at the time. In fact, SW:DF was one of the first FPS games to feature vertical aiming.
While the game feels dated today (it came out in 1995 afterall), it’s cool to go back in time and see how LucasArts was one of the innovators of the FPS genre.
Starmourn
Starmourn is a text-based MUD / MMO that heavily draws inspiration from numerous sci-fi sources, such as the Star Wars universe, the Foundation series by Asimov, Dune, and others. So while Starmourn isn’t actually set in the Star Wars universe, you’ll find a lot of nods to it, as well as the other sci-fi inspirations mentioned.
As a text-based MUD, the gameplay is incredibly deep and focused on immersive roleplay. There are currently 12 races and 5 classes to choose, and 4 player civilizations to join. The player civilizations serve as in-game communities and homebases, and because PvP is a large part of the game, you’ll find plenty of spaceship combat and city raiding.
Star Wars Rebels: Special Ops
This is a fun little action side-scroller, and it’s quite detailed. You choose from a number of characters, and complete various platformer-style stages. Each level has a different objective, such as collecting a specific number of crates, liberating captive rebels, and other missions.
As a side-scroller / platformer, there are numerous comparisons that can be made. First, the way each character plays a little differently is kind of similar to Super Mario Bros. 2. If you remember that classic game, you remember that Luigi could jump the highest, Princess Peach could float if you held the jump button, Mario had the best all-around stats, etc. SWR:SO is kind of the same, in fact the R2D2-inspired ‘Chopper’ character can float like Princess Peach.
Each character has a different attack as well, when you press the ‘Space’ button. The main character Ezra, for example, uses a melee lightsaber, while the R2D2 character can shoot lasers. So the further you get into the game, you can experiment with characters and play-styles.
Worth Mentioning
This list highlighted specific games worth checking out, but there are numerous websites that host a lot of Star Wars browser games all in one place. Most of them are casual games with a Star Wars theme. If that sounds agreeable, a great place to start would be Disney Star Wars.
