WhenStar Wars Eclipsewas first revealed at the Game Awards 2021, it made a huge impression on viewers. Not only was it an addition to one of the biggest and most beloved multimedia franchises of all time, but the visuals were a stunning testament to Lucasfilm Games and Quantic Dream’s capabilities.Star Wars Eclipsemay have no release date in sight and barely any details revealed to date, but this hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about what the story will focus on, what alien races will appear, and what settings will be included in the upcoming action-adventure game.
Set during the High Republic era,Star Wars Eclipsewill feature a multiple-character narrative, and each member of the cast of playable characters will have their own motivations, morality, and personality for players to explore. The multiple characters will offer branching storylines that can intersect and influence each other through player choice, similar to previous Quantic Dream titles. However, there’s one aspect of the footage shown ofStar Wars Eclipseso far that has set fans theorizing, and that is the identity of the mysterious drummers in the Game Awards trailer. Some fans think they may be the mysterious and yet-to-be-seen Grysk – a nomadic alien species in theStar Warsextended universe.
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Who Are The Grysk
One ofStar Wars' many sentient species, the Grysk are a warlike group that lived in the Unknown Regions – a dangerous area of the galaxy beyond the Outer Rim. This area has remained largely a mystery throughout galactic history, with little of it explored and tales of its inhabitants reaching almost mythic proportions. The Grysk are almost as mysterious as their origins, and not much is known about this alien species. Their most memorable description comes from Grand Admiral Thrawn during the Grysk’sappearance in Timothy Zahn’sStar Wars: Thrawn Alliances.
Described as a warlike species, Thrawn defines them as “terrifying warriors, overwhelming their opponents by sheer numbers and ferocity.” They controlled an empire known as the Grysk Hegemony and were able to probe into others' minds in order to find their deepest desires and fears in order to control them and turn them into ‘client species’ that do their bidding. The Grysk were involved in several conflicts, including one with Thrawn’s own people, the Chiss.During the Clone Wars, the Grysk maintained constant surveillance on the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, eventually supplying Count Dooku with information on a material resistant to lightsabers.
Why Fans Think The Grysk Feature In Star Wars Eclipse
While no actual gameplay was shown in thecinematic reveal trailer forStar Wars Eclipse, the visuals were enough to get fans talking. Some familiar settings and characters like Yoda could be glimpsed throughout the footage, but there were other aspects that fans did not immediately recognize. One of the most mysterious elements ofStar Wars Eclipse’s trailer was the alien drummers that featured throughout, scoring the tense footage and providing some of the most striking visuals of all. Some fans have speculated that these are in fact the Grysk, as the ritualistic drumming could be a technique to psyche them up for war – fitting for a warmongering species.
There are also some other possible links between the Grysk and this High Republic era that would explain their presence in the game. In Zahn’sStar Wars: Thrawn: Alliances, the Grysk use gravity well generators against enemy ships to pull them out of hyperspace and prevent their escape or use of ‘hit and run’ tactics. In Justina Ireland’sStar Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, scientist Chancey Yarrow is about to develop her own version of a stable gravity well generator, tying the two together. Of course, this feels like a tenuous connection, and many may think it is not strong enough to argue a case for the unnamed drummers and the Grysk being one and the same.
The drummers don’t appear to match the limited physical descriptions that are available for the Grysk, either, as they are described as having “deep-set eyes, angled brow ridges, wide shoulders, and a tapered skull.” While this isn’t a million miles away from the drumming aliens, it doesn’t make a definitive connection between them and the Grysk. It is just as likely that these grey-skinned beings could be an entirely new and never-before-seen species, keeping withStar Wars Eclipse’s attempts to create a different storyfrom what players might have already seen before.
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What Is Known About Star Wars: Eclipse So Far
Following on from Quantic Dreams' previous titles, player choice inStar Wars Eclipsewill have far-reaching consequences and affect multiple arcs and character narratives as the stories intertwine. With brand-new locations and characters,Star Wars Eclipsewill hopefully offer something uniqueto the tried and tested ground already trodden by the multitude ofStar Warsgames, books, films, and TV series. The game will reportedly feature “an uncharted section of the galaxy with never-before-seen species and planets to discover,” which offers lots of exciting opportunities for players to get to grips with new areas of theStar Warsworld.
Other details about the game are as shrouded in mystery as the drummers from the trailer are, and it will likely bemany years untilStar Wars Eclipseis releasedand players' questions are answered. According to some early leaks, it seems as if Quantic Dream’sStar Warsoffering will have an open world for players to explore, which makes sense given the ambitious galactic setting and breadth of stories the studio claims it wants to tell. Many of the studio’s previous titles have had a narrative focus and limited exploration, but it may be abandoning its previous game formula in favor of vast environments and a rumored multiplayer element.
With unconfirmed rumblings regarding a competitive multiplayer,Star Wars Eclipseis shaping up to be a very different game for the studio, even if it does feature a multi-character focus likeQuantic Dream’s previous titleDetroit: Become Human.Star Wars Eclipseis probably the most ambitious and boundary-pushing game the studio has taken on, and fans will be eager to see more details as the game progresses through its development.
While it is still very much early days, some players are hoping thecontroversies surrounding Quantic Dream, such as serious accusations of bigotry and sexism, do not derail the process and delay the game further.
Star Wars Eclipseis currently in development.
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