The Force Revisited

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed holds a weird place in my formative years. It debuted in 2008, right as I was starting university, and was hyped up like no one’s business for months by Nintendo Power. I also remember buying, playing, beating and shelving it right after completion. And now, 13 years later, I figured I’d do another play-through. Sufficed to say, everything I liked and disliked initially came flooding back.

You play as Starkiller, a Sith-in-training found by Darth Vader as a child on Kashyyyk, and his adventures hunting down and assassinating Jedi who survived Order 66. Initially, your goal is simple: head to various planets to find Jedi, defeat them and earn enough of Vader’s trust to take on Emperor Palpatine. But when you’re betrayed at the last second, your goal changes to recruiting people to take down Palpatine’s empire. Along the way, you make friends, enemies and are left with the ultimate decision: good, or bad? It’s a concept with lots of potential, I’ll say that.

The most-striking aspect in 2021 is how it’s aged visually. Despite being cutting-edge for 2008, especially for a Wii port built from the ground up by Krome Studios, time hasn’t exactly been kind. Character models look blocky, facial expressions barely move, and while the lip flaps on the mouths are fluid, the game suffers from The Uncanny Valley. It doesn’t help that level textures and maps are littered with clipping issues and bugs, making gameplay not as smooth as it should be. There were many instances where I found myself stuck while encountering boss fights, and I remember restarting the game at one point 13 years ago because of a glitch I discovered by accident. It’s a mixed bag, essentially.

Fortunately, the writing and voice acting are stellar. For the former, the game’s story, while not complex, is pretty engaging, telling a tale of love, loss, regret and (maybe) redemption. For the latter, the voices are all really well-cast. Special shout-out goes to Sam Witwer as Starkiller. Witwer would go on to voice many characters in the Star Wars universe, notably Darth Maul, but he gives it his all, and it shows. It’s too bad this game’s no longer canon, as it opens the door to a new take on Star Wars’s mythos.

Musically, the game’s pretty good. While most tracks are rips from the movies, the game does have some originals of note. Starkiller and Juno’s motif stands out specifically, though. It’s not used frequently, but it’s noticeable when it is. It even reaches a crescendo in the final level, timed perfectly with their first and only kiss.

The part of the game that’s a mixed bag, however, is the gameplay. The controls work well for a title from 2008, especially when most developers still didn’t comprehend the system’s functionality, but they could’ve benefitted from the Wii Motion+ add-on that was introduced late in the console’s lifespan. Waggle isn’t as smooth as it should be, and it occasionally led to my arms getting stiff and tired. Also, the game’s quick-time events, a staple of boss fights, are grating to pull off. I’m not against quick-time events anymore, especially when done well, but these feel like a lazy excuse for tedious actions while Starkiller uses uninspired finishing moves. They’re also frustrating when bungled.

The gameplay itself is fine, but leaves much to be desired. Aside from an uncooperative camera, which doesn’t shift perspectives in time to see where you are, the combat is frequently hit-or-miss. Starkiller’s ability to block enemy fire is inconsistent, and his lightsaber isn’t efficient when engaged with multiple enemies. I’ve died at spots that should’ve been no-brainers, and that’s also frustrating. There’s a reason why, 13 years ago, I mentioned in an unpublished review that “the enemies range from frustratingly simple, to simply frustrating”. Not only is that the best line I’ve typed to-date, it’s also quite accurate.

This is most true with the boss fights. They’re by far the most-irritating enemies, consisting of haphazardly slashing your lightsaber, projecting scattered items without much thought, using special abilities that are hard to figure out and irritating quick-time events that often fail. Forget the eye candy of seeing Shaak Ti and Maris Brood scantily clad, which was a big deal when I was 18, especially when their fights aren’t fun.

Then there are the collectibles. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has many of these, some being hard to find, and while you get a dopamine rush for acquiring them, they aren’t necessary. In particular, one of them relies on replaying the game for a different ending, and let’s be honest…it’s not worth it. The game shows off its biggest surprises and secrets the first time, so that one decision you make-defeat Darth Vader, or fight Emperor Palpatine-isn’t enticing enough. That’s disappointing.

Finally, there are the Jedi Temple missions. The Wii version was notable for its then-exclusive Coruscant map you visit three times. It’s fun reacquainting yourself with the location for a while…but these missions add little to the game. They feel like padding, and the boss fights are some of the game’s worst. I don’t see why the game included these missions when it could’ve used the space for another level or two.

That’s the biggest problem with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: it could’ve been so much more. Especially when you have so many cool techniques you unlock throughout the game, yet keep falling back on the same three or four because the rest are difficult to execute. It’s such a shame. This game is supposed to make you feel like an all-powerful Sith, but you instead feel like a mid-tier Jedi. I’m unsure what to make of that.

I feel like I’m being too harsh. For all the issues I have, I enjoyed both play-throughs over the past 13 years. I simply can’t say it hooked me like the LEGO Star Wars games and the adaptations of the third Star Wars Prequel, both are which were far more balanced. For a game hyped as the ultimate power trip fantasy, that’s a real letdown. And it’s disappointing.

Ultimately, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed truly is a 3/5 star game: you play it, you enjoy it for what it is, and you don’t look back. I’m glad I bought it, if only to admire its raw ambition, but I don’t see myself returning regularly. I think once every 13 years is enough!