PlayStation has officially unveiled first gameplay footage from Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which brings George Lucas’ favorite sport – podracing – back with a vengeance. Galactic Race is effectively the Star Wars sequel everybody has been waiting for, because it feels like the spiritual successor to a classic 1999 video game that released alongside The Phantom Menace.
First gameplay footage for Galactic Racer has finally been released during PlayStation’s State of Play broadcast, and it promises high-adrenaline thrills as well as the return of multiple characters from The Phantom Menace – notably Anakin’s rivals Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros (the Phantom Menace podracer who exploded on the starting line.
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Star Wars: Galactic Racer is Everything Players Could Want
Although there have been some stumbles, Star Wars games have generally been strong over the last few years – especially the iconic Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor games. But Galactic Racer is a different kind of Star Wars game, one that George Lucas himself would love; he was always keen on racing, which is why podracing became such a big part of The Phantom Menace in the first place. The races will take place on many different planets across the Star Wars galaxy, including Rey’s homeworld Jakku.
Jakku had always been an inhospitable planet, but it became something of a junkyard in the aftermath of the Battle of Jakku, the final battle of the Galactic Civil War. The terrain there confirms reports that Galactic Racer was set sometime after the fall of the Empire, because the desert is littered with identifiable ships. There’s even an Imperial Star Destroyer; those were few and far between even on Jakku, meaning this race may well be taking place in Rey’s territory.
It will be fascinating to see which Star Wars characters appear in Galactic Racer. Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros are back; Quadinaros is more surprising, but his return isn’t going to be anywhere near as controversial as Palpatine’s. More interestingly, though, Han Solo is confirmed to have gotten into podracing during this time period, so it’s entirely possible players will wind up competing with the galaxy’s most (in)famous smuggler. Only time – and, perhaps, further trailers and footage – will reveal whether that’s the case.
For now, we can say for sure that this game is everything it needs to be; high-speed, adrenaline-fueled action, with all the thrills and spills that George Lucas always intended for podracing. Anakin Skywalker was a legend after the Boonta Eve, but now players will get their chance to see if they can be legends in their own right. The game is confirmed to release later this year, so hopefully we’ll get a fixed date soon.
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