The Mandalorian is currently one of the most popular TV shows on Disney+, but one of the most interesting things about the new series is how it’s less like a Star Wars movie and more like a video game. In each episode, Mando gets new weapon/armor upgrades and goes on missions that at times require important choices. This is the basic structure of an adventure-based RPG video game.
Often times in video games, the player progresses through different levels building up a character's powers, equipment, etc. as they go. To upgrade their character, the player must complete various tasks and fight different bosses as the game goes on in order to earn rewards. These rewards usually depend on the difficulty of the mission, and tend to get better the longer the player plays the game. With these rewards, players can choose to upgrade their weapons and armor giving them added strength and durability. Additionally, they can add new modifications and attachments to their weapons or unlock new weapons and armor all together.
While completing missions, the player can sometimes be faced with certain choices that will determine certain relationships and events that will happen along the way. For example, if the player decides to save a character in the game rather than kill them, this could have a future effect on the game, including missions and the final outcome.
These video game concepts are reflected in The Mandalorian. Like in a video game, Mando receives some sort of new armor or weapon upgrade throughout every episode. In the episode “Chapter One,” after successfully bringing in a bounty he is rewarded with a single bar of beskar, which he brings to the Mandalorian armorsmith in order to have a new shoulder piece made. Furthermore, in the episode “The Sin” Mando returns to his client with the bounty (Baby Yoda) and is rewarded with a large stash of beskar bars. Once again, he returns to the Mandalorian smith and has a completely new set of armor crafted, along with the gauntlet weapon “Whispering Birds”: small missiles that quickly seek out their targets. In the same episode, it is also revealed that he has yet to earn his jetpack, which many other Mandalorian soldiers have, similar to a piece of equipment that a character in a video game can’t unlock until they reach a higher level. Just like many video games, the more Mando does and the greater risks he takes, the better his rewards are. With these rewards, he chooses to upgrade his armor and weapons which can help him in future missions.
In addition to the rewards and upgrading similarities, the choices Mando faces are very similar to choices that would be presented in a video game. In the episode “The Sin,” Mando delivers his bounty to the client. After collecting his reward, he goes to the local cantina to pick up his next mission. After reflecting on his decision, he decides to go back and save the bounty from the client. This decision leads to a shootout with storm troopers and members of the bounty hunter guild. Furthermore, in the episode “Sanctuary” a bounty hunter seeks out Mando in an attempt to kill the bounty he saved. The plan is spoiled by the ex-shock trooper Cara Dune, but Mando and the bounty have no choice but to leave the sanctuary village in order to avoid future danger. The situations that Mando faces are a direct response to the decisions that he made, much like the cause and effect gameplay in certain video games.
It’s interesting to see that The Mandalorian is more like a video game than a movie, making the character work for his upgrades and weapons rather than them being provided to him quickly and easily. With four episodes remaining in season 1 of The Mandalorian, viewers can expect to see Mando tackle even greater challenges and improve his equipment further.
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