OUR FAVOURITES

Game essentials: Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes

We take a closer look at the App Store’s must-play games.

Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes

Team Building & Strategy RPG

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The Empire has returned, and it’s up to you to lead the fight against them in Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes.

With its tense, tactical turn-based combat, this engrossing role-playing game is a lovingly crafted celebration of Star Wars that every fan will enjoy.

Galaxy of Heroes is loosely based on Dejarik, the chess-like holographic game played on the Millennium Falcon. But this is a much more advanced version.

Instead of virtual monsters battling it out on a board, this transports you to various planets within the Star Wars universe. From Tatooine to Hoth, the back streets of Coruscant to the Death Star shuttle bay: wherever you go, you’ll find groups of villains that are up to no good.

Sign up to a guild and you’ll take part in huge online battles.

Each mission comprises three battles in which you and your opponent take turns to attack one another. Beat them all and the spoils will ensure you can equip your party with better gear, using training droids you can boost individual characters, preparing them for tougher challenges ahead.

Characters begin with a standard attack and a single special move based on their natural strengths. You’ll unlock more of these over time. Chewbacca, for example, is like a tank, which means he can take a beating. Using his Wookiee roar, you can focus your enemies’ attention on him, helping you keep weaker allies alive until your cloaked consular can fix them up with his Jedi healing skills.

It’s not just on-the-ground battles – later on in the game you can do battle in space.

You’ll face off against Tusken Raiders and stormtroopers, generals and Geonosians, and plenty of other fan favourites. They take the challenge up a notch on Hard mode, which is where you’ll obtain shards to unlock new characters, including the series’ biggest heroes.

There’s a galaxy’s worth of game here. Once you’ve finished quests for the Rebellion, you can turn to the dark side for a new campaign as the villains. Meanwhile, Cantina Battles let you assemble a fantasy all-star Jedi/Sith line-up – even if it is a bit strange seeing Rey and Count Dooku fighting alongside one another.

That’s typical of a game that’s stuffed with fan service: from John Williams’ instantly recognisable scores to the authentic blaster sounds and even George Lucas’ beloved wipe transitions. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes’ enduring popularity is proof, if you will, that the Darth Maul is in the details.