Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

George Lucas’ decision to make the storyline in The Force Unleashed fill the gap between Episodes III and IV of his blockbusting series indicates the faith LucasArts is putting into this title. Introducing the Apprentice, a young boy with whom the Force is strong, who Darth Vader takes under his wing (having murdered the boy’s father), both Lucas and Activision are clearly hoping that, yes, this is the game you are looking for.

Strip away the science fiction narrative, the iconic character designs and John William’s bombastic soundtrack and The Force Unleashed is basically a third-person action game, and a fairly traditional one at that. You work your way through a themed level, battling enemies, upgrading abilities before finally facing off against a boss. Defeat it and a cutscene plays out before you’re on to the next task at hand. Same as it ever was…

Of course, what defines the experience is the way in which you get from A to B, and Activision has certainly thrown in every design idea thinkable into the mix. The Apprentice can grasp enemies with the Force, throwing them into walls and crushing them; he can summon lightning from his fingers that paralyses storm troopers where they stand; he can swipe at them with his lightsabre (more powerful attacks triggering if his timing is good); he can throw his neon sword like a boomerang at enemies near and far and can whack them into the air for an aerial combo if he really wants to show off. The vocabulary of interactions in the game is expansive and surprisingly manageable, providing a rich range of combat options that liberate rather than strangulate the game.

Defeating enemies earns experience points that eventually level up your character allowing you to upgrade his abilities, enlarge his health bar or increase the amount of force power that can be used in one go. Dropped enemies replenish your health bar so it’s usually possible to fight your way out of any corner. That’s not to say the game’s not challenging, though. Many of the boss battles (especially the inevitable fight with Vader himself) require multiple attempts at anything above the easiest difficulty. Irritatingly enemies are only vulnerable at specific points: becoming invulnerable at seemingly random moments in an effort to prolong the battles.

Nonetheless, this is a good-looking and interesting videogame that’s been well polished and, most importantly, maintains the ambiance and character of the Star Wars mythology. For action game fans who can get to grips with the range of attacks it’s far from a button-mashing exercise, allowing for some nuanced gameplay that’s ultimately satisfying.

4 out of 5