Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was an action-adventure title that hit store shelves in 2008 and gave players control over massive Force powers. It became one of the fastest-selling Star Wars based video games and a sequel was made soon after. While the sequel was not received as well, both titles became infamous among Star Wars fans. 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 for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the way. While the newly released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on 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 Unleashed took place between Revenge of the Sith and A 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 Starkiller who 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 of The Force Unleashed was similar to Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order except that it was more limited in terms of traversing the environments. What set the game apart from other Star Wars games 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 of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ended with a choice where 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 controversial Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 came 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 of The Force Unleashed 2 was 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 for Star Wars fans. A third entry for The Force Unleashed was 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 of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released for Nintendo Switch. This comes after Republic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic, Episode One: Racer, and the Jedi Knight series have all seen Switch ports. Knights of the Old Republic is also getting a full remake from Aspyr Media. There is a renewed interest in the older Star Wars games – not just for direct ports, but also for large scale remakes. The Force Unleashed 1 and 2 are too unique to be relegated to just ports. A studio should develop full-on remakes.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed not 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 only Star Wars game series that has made players feel like a devastating Force user. While Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order did 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 the Force Unleashed titles did, which made them feel like they had less control over Star Wars Jedi’s Cal Kestis than they did when playing as Starkiller.

While fans will have to wait and see if the Knights of the Old Republic remake is a success, the remake train for Star Wars should not stop there. The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed series 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 Unleashed is available for PC, PS2, PS3, Switch, Wii, and Xbox 360.

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