Before Disney ownedStar Warsand the sequel trilogy was ever conceived, fans of the franchise had to turn to other mediums if they wanted to see more content in the galaxy far, far away. They could turn toStar Wars: The Clone Warsand to the countless novels to see a continuation of the story. There were also some video games released that would bridge the gap between trilogies or tell stories way before the series began, but most of this extra content has since been decanonized. One of the most popular video games to be released in this time wasStar Wars: The Force Unleashedwhich gave players control over the power of the Force, and it should really be revisited.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashedwas an action-adventure title that hit store shelves in 2008 and gave players control over massive Force powers. It became one of the fastest-sellingStar Warsbased video games and a sequel was made soon after. While the sequel was not received as well, both titles became infamous amongStar Warsfans. While the franchise has since moved on from the titles, the video game industry has shown that it is interested in returning to these old-school titles with re-releases on newer consoles and a full remake forStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicon the way. While the newly releasedStar Wars: The Force Unleashedon Nintendo Switch is nice to see, the title deserves a full on remake so that fans can experience it once again.
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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Explained
Star Wars: The Force Unleashedtook place betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope. It told the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller, and the beginning of the Rebel Alliance.The player took control of Starkillerwho was tasked with hunting down survivors of Order 66. Along the way, Starkiller also had to plant the seeds for the Rebel Alliance, which Darth Vader planned to use to usurp the Emperor and rule the galaxy. Throughout the story, Starkiller would begin questioning his morality as he learned the truth.
The gameplay ofThe Force Unleashedwas similar toStar Wars: Jedi Fallen Orderexcept that it was more limited in terms of traversing the environments. What set the game apart from otherStar Warsgames at the time was the amount of power that the player was given control of. Using Starkiller, players could unleash devastating Force powers that could be upgraded as the player leveled up. Using the Force powers and a lightsaber, the player could cut through their enemies at will, and it made them feel like a powerful Force user.
The story ofStar Wars: The Force Unleashedended with a choicewhere the player would have to either follow the light or the dark side. What choice the player made had no relation to the story of the sequel, as only one of the endings was truly canon, but it was nice to give players a moment that made them feel like they had more control over their Starkiller.
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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Continued the Fun
The controversialStar Wars: The Force Unleashed 2came out two years after the first one and took place six months after the events of that title. In the second one, players controlled a clone of Starkiller who quickly discovers Darth Vader’s motives and escapes his clutches. He embarks on a journey across the galaxy to learn who exactly he is and gets pulled into the Galactic Civil War. Just like the first entry, the second game ended with a choice to join the light or dark side, with only one of the endings being canon.
The gameplay ofThe Force Unleashed 2was very similar to the first title except for a few new additions. Players were given two lightsabers instead of one, which led to some pretty fun combat scenarios. The game also added a couple new Force powers like mind tricks and Force rage. The title was not received as well by fans or critics, but it still provided decent amounts of fun forStar Warsfans.A third entry forThe Force Unleashedwas planned to cap off the trilogy, but when Disney bought Lucasfilm and shutdown Lucasarts, the new game was canceled and both titles were decanonized.
The Duology Deserves a Remake
Recently,a port ofStar Wars: The Force Unleashedwas released for Nintendo Switch. This comes afterRepublic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic, Episode One: Racer,and theJedi Knightseries have all seen Switch ports.Knights of the Old Republicis also getting a full remake from Aspyr Media. There is a renewed interest in the olderStar Warsgames – not just for direct ports, but also for large scale remakes.The Force Unleashed1and2are too unique to be relegated to just ports. A studio should develop full-on remakes.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashednot only told a unique story following Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, but it also gave players control over powerful Force abilities and emphasized battle between the light and dark sides of the Force. As of now, it’s really the onlyStar Warsgame series that has made players feel like a devastating Force user. WhileStar Wars: Jedi Fallen Orderdid put players in the shoes of a Jedi again, the Force powers were nothing compared to the powerful Starkiller. The game also did not let players make choices like theForce Unleashedtitles did, which made them feel like they hadless control overStar Wars Jedi’s Cal Kestisthan they did when playing as Starkiller.
While fans will have to wait and see iftheKnights of the Old Republicremakeis a success, the remake train forStar Warsshould not stop there. TheStar Wars: The Force Unleashedseries was immensely popular when it first came out and has gained a bit of a fanbase. While the Switch port shows that there is still an interest in the title, a full on remake would truly do the series justice.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashedis available for PC, PS2, PS3, Switch, Wii, and Xbox 360.
