A long time ago in a games industry far, far away, a team of LucasArts developers were making a multiplayer first-person shooter called Star Wars: First Assault. Slated to release on console in summer 2013, it was set in the original Star Wars era with Stormtroopers, Rebels, objective modes, team deathmatch, and maps on Tatooine and Bespin. It was also a stealth Star Wars: Battlefront revival project, pitched well before the EA DICE reboot. The devs envisaged a second game in 2014, offering vehicles and larger maps, followed by a full-blown official new Battlefront in 2015, complete with a singleplayer campaign and space dogfights.
According to some sources I spoke to at the time, the First Assault beta was only $10,000 in certification fees away from launching on Xbox Live in late 2012. But then, Disney blew up LucasArts like Alderaan and cancelled a swathe of Star Wars games, including the once-feted Star Wars 1313. First Assault never got its beta. Until now, sort of. A team of Battlefront modders including iamashaymin have finally gotten an ancient, leaked First Assault build working on a PC server. Many Bothans died to bring us this information.
I never had the opportunity to play the beta while reporting on First Assault as a fresh-faced OXM editor, but I did hear quite a lot from insiders about core features. It would have been very Call of Dutiful in places, with a choice of loadouts and secondary gadgets such as terrain-denying repulsors and frontal portable energy shields. The weapons ranged from concussion rifles with nasty knockback to good old blasters, all apparently supporting ADS. It had a streak system, too, with points spent on turrets and airstrikes.
Unlike in COD, however, you’d respawn in waves, determined by the arrival of a dropship. While riding the dropship, you could shoot at enemies below, and you’d have to flee back to the launchpad for exfil after losing an objective-based match. Kind of like in Titanfall, yes.
I doubt you’re mesmerised by this combination of influences, 13 years on, but I hope you’ll share my high opinion of the game’s authentically Star Warrish, scraped and lived-in art direction. Look at that Tatooine map, with its cracked and stained domes, a bubblewrap skyline broken by that obelisk of an AA turret. Look at those pitted, sand-caked Stormtrooper helmets. I’d have loved to see this team’s work on other Star Wars locales. I imagine Bespin was a lot sheenier.
Fancy a go? You can learn more on the project’s Discord.
