Squadron 42: the first worldwide playtest, as told by those who were there

The event

What exactly was this day in Manchester?

The first worldwide playtest of Squadron 42, held at Cloud Imperium Games’ offices. 120 guests from around the world, including several content creators, played for about five hours.

What did the room look like?

Like a film set, according to Commander Fran. Guests came in through the motion capture room used since 2014, then a hangar door opened onto a hall plunged in darkness. Around sixty computers, a life-size F7C Hornet and an LED screen covering three quarters of the walls recreated the inside of a Bengal.

What machines did you play on?

Each guest had a station with their name on it, with a 27-inch 4K monitor and an RTX 5090. Every PC was recording the gameplay.

Who dropped by to see you?

Chris Roberts welcomed the guests, visibly moved to finally let players get their hands on the game. Midway through the session, Mark Hamill walked in to ask for first impressions. He said he had been waiting for this moment for more than ten years. The room answered: “so have we”.

Did everyone see the same thing?

No. Everyone progressed at their own pace, and some took their time. There is so much to look at that the five hours could easily have been ten to reach the same point.

Did you leave with a souvenir?

Content creators were given a cassette tape with four tracks from the soundtrack. Now they just need to find a cassette player.

The game, for newcomers

What is Squadron 42, and how does it relate to Star Citizen?

It is a single-player narrative campaign set in the Star Citizen universe and developed by the same studio. You play a UEE Navy recruit. For Commander Fran, the resemblance ends there: “It’s not Star Citizen, it’s a different game.”

What do you actually do?

The briefing promised single-seat ship combat, rescue missions, troop transport and logistics convoys. Add to that combat on foot and exploration. The game alternates intense shooting sequences with slower stretches where you walk and discover places.

How does the adventure begin?

With a prologue: the Vanduul attack above Vega II, experienced aboard the UEES Gauntlet, a Javelin-class destroyer. The player ends up in a turret facing the enemy fleet. Then come a stay in hospital, the end of pilot training, and a posting as lieutenant on the Idris UEES Stanton.

This prologue had already been shown. Has it changed?

Yes. The on-rails section has been shortened and the story has been altered, though the testers do not say how. The opening credits now roll during Admiral Bishop’s speech to the Senate. The first face-off with a Vanduul feels far less like a string of button prompts: fail to dodge his spear and you are impaled, game over.

Does the cast live up to its billing?

The testers praise very talented actors and top-quality voice work. Among others, they met Gillian Anderson as Captain MacLaren and Gary Oldman as Admiral Bishop. Cutscenes are plentiful and serve to settle the player into the universe.

Picture and sound

Is it as beautiful as people say?

This is the point everyone agrees on. The graphics are judged incomparable to Star Citizen’s, and Citizen Spooner calls it “the best looking game I’ve ever seen with my eyeballs”. Faces and facial animation have improved markedly since the 2024 demo.

And does it run properly?

In native 4K, at 60 frames per second most of the time, with no upscaling or frame generation. All of that on an RTX 5090: no report says how it fares on a more modest machine.

We hear a lot about Maelstrom. What is it?

It is the studio’s physical destruction system, and almost everything is subject to it, from environments down to character armour. Glass shatters, bits of armour fly off. On ships, it gives the impression of doing real damage.

What about the sound?

Sound effects are named among the biggest improvements since 2024. Geoff Zanelli’s music is described as “legendary”.

In the cockpit

What is flying like?

In the Gladius, the whole cockpit is physical: the pilot actually presses the buttons, with the animations to match. The interface is far more readable than before. Commander Fran describes sustained space combat.

Has quantum travel changed?

Completely. Quantum boost and quantum travel share a single button, with no charging time. During a jump, you have to dodge quantum “anomalies” to avoid damage and stabilise the bubble. In boost, you can manoeuvre freely, much like supercruise in Elite Dangerous.

On foot

Does ground combat hold up?

It is described as “insane”, and merciless. If you don’t finish off a downed enemy, his allies surround him to give cover while he is revived. They also shoot through destructible materials. A shot to a helmet can knock it off or crack the visor, and the air escapes.

Is it a hard game?

It offers three difficulty levels, set separately for shooting and for flight. Commander Fran, who played on the lowest setting to get as far as possible, speaks of a game that is “accessible, which doesn’t mean easy”. Others found the zero-gravity spacewalk very tough: miss your grip and you drift off into space until game over.

Does the game hold your hand?

No. There is no yellow paint to show the way: you have to find it yourself, and you can take the wrong path. The puzzles are judged interesting, far from filler.

What tools and mechanics did you discover?

Hacking is in, and the multitool has been completely redesigned, with four modes. Commander Fran also mentions searching for clues, fire, depressurisation, a new type of scan and shutting down a ship’s systems.

And when you die?

The death screen changes depending on how you died. The game has made sure you won’t get bored of it.

Between missions

What do you do when you’re not fighting?

You live aboard the Idris. The game regularly sets aside “free time” between missions, and your relationship with the crew evolves over the course of the adventure. All of them are voiced and follow their own routines.

How do you gear up before heading out?

The Idris armoury has been reworked. A selection screen replaces the old weapon-by-weapon handout: they are still handed to you in person, but faster.

Are there memorable places to visit?

The Morrow tour is far more beautiful than before. Shubin Station impresses with its density of characters and detail. Its workers are not fond of the Navy: they look you up and down and scoff as you pass.

Can a newcomer make sense of the universe?

The game helps. Every object you pick up opens a fully voiced Galactapedia entry.

Can you customise your character?

Yes. The entire cast is in the character creator’s pool of faces. So you could, in theory, give yourself the features of Mark Hamill’s character. You can also choose the colour of your armour.

State of the game and verdict

Did you run into bugs?

Yes, mostly comical ones: a meal sliding off its tray on its own, crew members turning up on the bridge of the Idris in their boxer shorts. One tester also saw a squadmate’s ship crash into a station, which soft-locked his game.

And crashes?

No crash to desktop was reported during the session.

Is the game ready for release?

Technically yes, according to the testers, but it could do with a little more polish. None of the reports mentions a release date.

How long is the adventure?

Impossible to say after five hours, which left Commander Fran “wanting more”. The testers do note that there is a way to finish the game in an hour and a half, without saying more.

Who is Squadron 42 for?

Not necessarily everyone. Those who like space, Star Citizen and narrative-driven games should be very happy. Commander Fran admits the game could remain a niche, but what he saw makes him sense a hit.

Any last word?

Commander Fran’s: “He held the line!”

Check out Hugo Lisoir’s immediate debrief with CaMaK :