May the port be with you (I hope no one else has made this joke)
I am an action game addict. So yes, when it is revealed we will be getting the prequel/sequel connector in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, I was available immediately. And I’m happy to revisit it more than a decade later on Switch.
It’s just a flaw in 2022 like 2008, but it still has the same level of charm.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Lucasfilm Games
Released: April 20, 2022
MSRP: $19.99
To put it bluntly, this is an adaptation of the Wii game, which already has some fluff. Even in 2008 there was a great debate about which of them? Liberation Force version is “best” and it has two options: PS3/360 or Wii. Like most discussions of console warfare, it mostly comes down to better graphics fidelity/performance for the former and the addition of motion controls for the latter. All these years later, people are still arguing about it, as evidenced by the reactions that this 2022 release will be a Wii to Switch project.
Just to be clear, I’m not really on either side of the fence. Sometimes I’m in the mood to see a better Kashyyyk when it’s presented on 360 and uses traditional controls. Sometimes I want to use motion controls. But the best part of the Switch version is that movement unconstrained. You can play via docking or portable mode with the classic controls, or detaching the Joy-Con and pressing hard on the TV (with a rumble).
Movement is done through lightsaber attacks with your right hand by default and forces skills to your left. Right-handed slashes are associated with different movements (like a forward motion for thrust), while left-handed loops cause repulsion, with the ability to use lightning and powers other force by buttons / triggers.
It’s a great compromise in terms of controller freedom, allowing motion and no motion; but Liberation Force not suddenly smoothed on the Switch. It still looks a bit dull, but from a performance standpoint, I don’t have any major issues. Please note that my playable threshold may be lower than some people, growing up on older consoles. Its good. It mostly still looks like a 2008 game, and this re-release won’t make any difference: its goal is to get the job done, not to go above and beyond.
According to the subject, I was immediately drawn back. Having the opening act as a playable Darth Vader was a confusing move then, and still is. Force a bunch of Wookie warriors to suffocate and hear their bones crunch, or their battle cry as you knock them down with your sword: those are the wilds.
It’s also a great forerunner to the game’s violent thematic path and a good guide. Vader has full access to a treasure trove of dark powers in the game, which you’ll gradually unlock as his apprentice: Starkiller. The Force Liberate, release, free the story, the division of Vader and Starkiller and against each other in an uneasy alliance is still really enjoyable to watch. It’s chock full of baseball insides about how empires and (the birth of a confederacy) work, and is cleverly integrated almost entirely within the original trilogy: some who even argued that this should be how the prequels go, rather than unraveling the lore of Anakin Skywalker.
In fact, the plot here is handled more elegantly than in the sequel trilogy. We can see both sides and force Full, with some good (if hokey) spirals along the way. It feels true to the series, touching on some themes from the movies, but sometimes with a bit more attention (and lack of attention in points). It gives and takes: a modern Star Wars staple.
An important part of the selling point of Liberation Force is a Sith emulator, which is mostly successful. Starkiller has instant access to some simple combos with his lightsaber, which you’ll use to cut down rebel forces and empires. A force meter governs skills such as pushing, choking and lightning, you can also line up instantly. Leveling up is done through “force points”, which act like experience, and if you die you lose some and reboot at a checkpoint.
It’s all very simple stuff (this is even more apparent in the bot-free mode compared to the limited local-only two-player, which also features movie characters), but it keeps The flow of the game is always in motion. You can never upgrade if you want and just use pure skill and quick dodge. Or you can embrace the power fantasy and enhance any element of Starkiller you want to play with. There are some limitations introduced, such as linking the dash system to the meter so you can’t spam it, but when combined with a generous double jumper, the transfer is usually easy: though Some parts of the platforming are very 2000- era nonsense and will certainly still attract some detractors.
Of course there are still a lot of the same problems of the original, as this is not a full remake. Most of the game’s levels are very linear, which can be difficult for some people (given the studio’s tendency to take games that look linear but force sandboxes or “open worlds”). ” in which, it will be easier for me to ignore); not to mention forcing “kill this many enemies on this memorization meter” can kill speed. Then there’s the QTE, which is incredibly sensitive, with annoying and jarring resets if you mess them up.
Although it is often mechanically complex, aesthetically it feels like a “Star Wars the game.” The performances are all on point (mostly Starkiller, but the rest is authentic, for better or worse), the characters are engaging or loud enough to make an impact, and the soundtrack is one Star Wars movie. It also has a lot of fanservice (especially for Sith/Vader lovers). Like any Star Wars the film apart from the original trilogy, it will be polarizing (the sequel is even sadder with a parody plot); but it was just campy enough for me to fully embrace it.
I advise you should Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in 2022 cautiously. Give how low Star Wars stocks are these days, it’s not much nostalgia to go on, and Liberation Force still a lot of the same problems as 14 years ago. But if you’re looking for a rainy day popcorn game where you throw the bad guys around for a while and shoot lightning out of your hands, you could be a lot worse.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
