The Best Star Wars Horror Story Gets Turned Into Fan Game
People love zombie apocalypse narratives; they’re a fantastic form of escapism that transports us to a world that is drastically different from our own, where everyday rules don’t apply. That’s why such movies and video games sell well: they’re thrilling and engaging in a way that more mundane settings simply can’t match. Fans of the Star Wars franchise just received a zombie game of their own; however, unlike the rest of the franchise, which is family-friendly, Deathtroopers definitely isn’t a gaming experience for the whole family.
Based On The Classic Novel
Deathtroopers sees the players take on the role of a Stormtrooper, trying to survive aboard the Star Destroyer while infected and waiting around every corner of the spaceship. Players have nothing but their trusty blaster to take out the hostile Stormtroopers that jump out, and an encounter with Darth Vader is expected at one point. However, the nature of that encounter remains to be seen; we’re going to assume that even a zombified Darth Vader might be too much for a single Stormtrooper to take on alone.
A Different Take On Star Wars
This really sounds like an interesting game, but there are some things about Deathtroopers we’d like to clarify. The game is an unofficial, fan-made project that isn’t linked to Disney or Lucasfilm in any way—hence the gory bits. The game is developed by Stefano Cignani V3, who has published their Star Wars horror on Itch.io, and while we’ve seen plenty of horror games set aboard a spaceship, like the iconic Dead Space series, Alien: Isolation or System Shock 2, Deathtroopers is particularly disturbing because the blood and gore contrast well with the Stormtroopers white armor.
There’s A Sequel
Additionally, if one Deathtroopers game wasn’t enough, the developer also made a sequel titled Deathtrooper 2 – The Outpost. According to those who played both games, the sequel is set on Endor and features gameplay similar to the original. The letdown here is that we don’t get to see infected, living-dead Ewoks trying to shred the player to pieces; instead, the B.J. Blazkowicz of Stormtroopers face off against the infected Scout Troopers.
The Long Wait For Great Star Wars Games
Deathtroopers might be the perfect pastime for those waiting on Ubisoft to deliver the promised Star Wars Outlaws later this year—scheduled for August 30, 2024—though, judging by the track record the recent Star Wars games had, it might be the most innovative release we had since the original Knights of the Old Republic. That might be a massive exaggeration on our end since there are some great Star Wars games out there, but they are few and far apart.
Still Waiting For The KOTR Remake
Apart from the aforementioned Star Wars Outlaws, there are a few Star Wars games in various stages of development, such as Star Wars: Hunters, Respawn’s Star Wars strategy game, Star Wars: Eclipse, Knights of the Old Republic remake, and a Star Wars game made by the legendary godmother of gaming herself, Amy Hennig. Deathtroopers is currently available on Itch.io, though we’d like to see LucasGames employ the talented developer—we need more free thinkers working on previously established narratives. A set of fresh eyes can rarely hurt.
