Unleash Your Imagination: Star Wars Deserves a 'What If' Game Like The Walking Dead: Destinies
Unleash your imagination with a Star Wars 'What If' game, inspired by the groundbreaking concept of The Walking Dead: Destinies Dive into uncharted territory and shape the destiny of iconic characters in a galaxy far, far away
Highlights
The rise of multiverse stories in mainstream entertainment has made the concept of "What If" stories more popular, leading to the possibility of a Star Wars What If game.
The Walking Dead: Destinies serves as a model for a potential Star Wars What If game, enabling players to modify the canon of the series and make alternative decisions during crucial moments.
While there have been past spin-offs centered around Star Wars What If scenarios, a Star Wars What If game holds true potential in offering limitless possibilities and delving into diverse outcomes within the expansive Star Wars universe.
"What If" stories have been a staple in the comic book industry for decades, starting with Marvel's What If? series in 1977 and DC's Elseworlds series in 1989. However, only recently have they gained popularity in the mainstream. With the rise of multiverse narratives in the entertainment industry, the What If concept has become more prevalent. It is only a matter of time before it becomes a significant aspect of the video game landscape, and Star Wars could lead the way.
The Star Wars timeline has experienced fluctuations in the past, but since Disney's acquisition in 2012, it has remained relatively consistent. While having a clear timeline of canon events is valuable for such a vast universe, it can also be entertaining to occasionally break from that canon and explore "What If" scenarios. With The Walking Dead: Destinies potentially providing a blueprint, the time may be ripe for a Star Wars What If game.
Star Wars Should Follow in The Walking Dead: Destinies' Footsteps
The Walking Dead: Destinies, scheduled for release on November 14, is a third-person shooter game where players assume the role of Rick Grimes and navigate through the first four seasons of the Walking Dead AMC show. Notably, Walking Dead: Destinies offers players the ability to change the established storyline. At critical junctures in the Walking Dead narrative, players can opt to follow the original canon or deviate, exploring alternative scenarios that involve the death of different characters and potentially leading to various alterations in subsequent story events.
This concept could serve as an intriguing basis for a Star Wars What If game. Similar to The Walking Dead: Destinies, fans would have the opportunity to experience the events of the Star Wars saga, or perhaps solely the original trilogy, and have the freedom to manipulate the canon timeline at pivotal moments. Each decision made by the players would have significant consequences on the unfolding story, akin to the choice-driven games produced by Quantic Dream and others.
The Star Wars universe has previously explored its own spin-off concept, known as What If, but there is room for improvement. In the early 2000s, Dark Horse published a series called Star Wars: Infinities, which presented a What If twist on the original Star Wars trilogy. Divided into three parts, each installment featured a different alteration to the story, leading to unconventional and often absurd outcomes. In Star Wars: Infinities' New Hope, Luke Skywalker fails to destroy the Death Star, resulting in Leia's transformation into a Sith and Yoda's dramatic crash into the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Empire Strikes Back portrays Luke's death on Hoth, with Leia stepping in to become a Jedi in his stead. Return of the Jedi takes a peculiar turn when C3PO simply topples over in Jabba's Palace, leading to Darth Vader's unexpected redemption and his adoption of a white version of his iconic attire.
Despite its shortcomings, Star Wars: Infinities' concept of a What If story within the Star Wars universe remains thoroughly thrilling. As the Star Wars franchise expands with an abundance of content, the possibilities for exploring alternate outcomes are truly limitless. A Star Wars What If game, for instance, could delve into scenarios such as Ahsoka remaining with the Jedi Order and fighting alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith. Another intriguing possibility would be to explore what could have happened if Kylo Ren spared Han Solo's life in The Force Awakens and instead embraced the light side. These ideas merely scratch the surface, showcasing the potential for captivating and unique narratives within the Star Wars universe.
