Summary
Star Wars: Huntersis the newest multiplayerStar Warsexperience, thrusting players into an arena shooter where matches play out in quick 4v4 bursts. Unlike a lot ofStar Warsmedia, the game doesn’t rely on familiar characters, filling out its roster with new additions of every sort. The locations, on the other hand, tend to be more familiar, with five of the six areas available at launch recreating iconic locations from the films. The other focuses on the planet created for the game’s primary setting, tossing something new into the mix.
Maps inStar Wars: Huntersaren’t as expansive or detailed as in something like theBattlefrontgames, with the bite-sized match format and arelease on mobile phones and Nintendo Switchrequiring some tighter spaces and cartoony graphics. All the same, they do feature some nice designs, and there’s already a good amount of visual variety packed into the current roster. Some prove more memorable than others, with better opportunities for interesting movement and impactful brawls, but nothing currently available in the game is a drag.
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6Vespaara Row
Lacks Clear Design
Vespaara Row is the newest addition to the lineup ofStar Wars: Huntersmaps, and it might unfortunately be the most unconvincing inclusion. The aesthetic of the location is cool, leaning into a neon urban area reminiscent of Coruscant’s nightlife or Nar Shaddaa. It’s also prone to setting up some high-intensity fights, with plenty of ducking in and out of small interiors in frantic games of cat and mouse.Set afterReturn of the Jedi,Star Wars: Huntersshows that some parts of the galaxy are thriving.
In terms of the overall concept, however,Vespaara Row doesn’t communicate its goals as well as other maps in the game. There’s no quickly discernible orientation to anything, and the peekaboo in and out of buildings can quickly get tiring depending on the character being played. It’s nice to have one map of this sort in the game, but it’s also a good thing that it’s a one-off, and the fact that the others are arranged a bit more neatly is something of a relief.
5Dune Sea Outpost
A Fairly Basic Map
Dune Sea Outpost isn’t a bad map, but it’s definitely possible to make the argument that it’s the least interesting one thatStar Wars Huntershas to offer, both from a standpoint of visual design and gameplay experience. Although Tatooine is an iconicStar Warsplanet for a reason,it’s been a bit overused at this point, and this is yet another example of pretty default Tatooine material. This particular outpost could certainly be a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but without interesting alien criminals popping up left and right (there’s still a bit of life!), it feels slightly empty.
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A lot of confrontations on Dune Sea Outpost tend to take place in the circular center of the map, where tanks can hold their ground in some valiant stands if they don’t end up getting flanked. There isn’t a ton of verticality in play, although jumping up on some of the lower platforms can be a great way to get out of melee range under pressure. Intense duels can also end up playing out in the hallways leading to this central point, which make for vaguely uninspired but effective combat arenas.
Those who prefer straightforward maps and a lack of devastating sniper spots could very well latch onto Dune Sea Outpost as a favorite, as it’s hard to complain about any one particular critical failing. As far as individual gimmicks go, however, otherStar Wars: Huntersarenas end up leaning into some more interesting concepts, leaving Dune Sea Outpost as one that’s always fun to fight on but easy to forget.
4Mos Espa Podrace
Focused Design Helps This Tatooine Map
The other Tatooine map inStar Wars: Huntersdoesn’t feel quite as commonplace as Dune Sea Outpost, but it still doesn’t rank among the most exciting to be found. Mos Espa Podrace draws on one ofThe Phantom Menace’s most dynamic set pieces, although it packs the combat into the urban area rather than the canyons where Anakin’s race largely takes place.Podracers do make occasional appearances, bursting through the center of the mapand killing any hunters foolish enough to stand in their way.
This particular gimmick doesn’t necessarily contribute a ton to the gameplay, and another one of the maps ends up deploying a similar idea in a slightly more interesting way. It’s a nice touch of flavor, however, which is an area where Mos Espa Podrace tends to do a bit better than Dune Sea Outpost in general. The varied architecture and junkyard litter of the map offer some notable sights, and some platforms running along the edge introduce a potentially dangerous drop.
What stands out most about Mos Espa Podrace is how good it is at funneling players toward the center without just being a hallway, making for even faster and more frequent central showdowns than on Dune Sea Outpost. After the more involving navigation of some of the otherStar Wars: Huntersmaps, getting Mos Espa Podrace in the rotation can feel like a nice change of pace. Tatooine can still be nice sometimes, and Mos Espa Podrace is a good reminder of how to use the setting well.
3Death Star Crossfire
Looks Great With Interesting Gameplay
Starting a match in Death Star Crossfire for the first time probably offers the coolest first impression of anyStar Wars: Huntersmap, with a downed X-Wing smoldering just outside the spawn. It’s this approach that makes the very familiar Death Star feel so exciting inStar Wars: Hunters, with the sense of destruction breaking up the polished gleam of Imperial construction in dynamic ways.The game might be built torun on fairly limited hardware, but despite the cartoon style, this map feels like it’s pushing things to their limits with its impressive visual design.
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In terms of gameplay,there are a lot of tight, reasonably complex rooms and pathways on Death Star Crossfire, evoking something similar to the fraught adventure through the Death Star inA New Hope. It also provides a lot of fun opportunities to drop in on fights from above, however, ensuring that tight duels could have their scales tipped at any moment. Although it feels in some ways like a map out of theBattlefrontgames, it’s definitely designed to maximize the short-burst intensity ofStar Wars: Hunters.
2Ewok Village
Greatest Verticality Of Any Map
Although the Ewok Village doesn’t feature any high-tech elements or fast-moving vehicles, it leans into its own potential in a way that might make it the most distinctStar Wars: Huntersmap. With towering trees crowded by raised platforms,it definitely does the most with verticality, which could be frustrating if it wasn’t so easy to move around it at high speeds.Star Wars: Hunterstends to litter maps with springboards so that even tanks can quickly ascend to higher areas, and Ewok Village is especially generous when it comes to these mobility options.
Equally great is the atmosphere, which taps into a side ofStar Warsthat none of the otherStar Wars: Huntersmaps do. Stepping away from the fray for a moment reveals some genuinely atmospheric sound design, implying a world of flora and fauna that perseveres amid the chaos.It can be hard to stay out of combat for long, however, with Ewok Village tending to set up a lot of aggressive chases, especially with the Trophy Chase gameplay mode where running after other characters is the whole point.
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The aesthetic of Ewok Village also translates well to its height-based gameplay, providing a healthy amount of visual clarity regardless of a player’s position. It may not be the most detailed map inStar Wars: Hunterswhen it comes to set decoration, but that ultimately makes sense for the gameplay experience, and the handcrafted style of everything that is there has a lot of charm to set it apart from the rest.
1Vandor Railyard
Coolest Gameplay Opportunities In Star Wars: Hunters
Vandor Railyard’s tie to theSolofilm might not be as immediately iconic as some of the other maps in the rotation, but there’s a lot going on here that’s cool. The snowy setting is a nice change-up from the other maps, and some wide open spaces and a good variety in the height of platforms adds a lot of variance to any engagement here. When capturing control points, nothing ends up feeling cramped, and there’s a lot of potential for memorable brawls that play out in different ways.
The coolest feature of Vandor Railyard is the train that runs through the map, which can provide a similar hazard to the podracers on Mos Espa but in a less one-note way. Positioned near the edge of the map, it cuts across a series of small platforms leading to helpful health and ultimate charge pickups. Both the train and the long drops that surround the pickups make nabbing them risky, and things can get really exciting if a duel starts in the area, providing the best setup in all ofStar Wars: Huntersfor environmental kills.
