In it, players take on the role of Galen Marek, better known as Starkiller. As Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller trains to become a full Sith Lord and to help Vader usurp Emperor Palpatine, but of course, that plan goes awry. There are Light and Dark side endings to the game, but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed made waves at launch for letting players become a Sith. This resulted not only in a unique game but also a strong and fervent fanbase.
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This makes putting Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Switch an intriguing prospect, especially because players can view the galaxy far, far away through a different lens. It may not be canon, but many nostalgic fans would love an excuse to return to it. Newcomers would get a chance to see Starkiller and his raw power unleashed for the first time. On paper, it all sounds great, but unfortunately, the execution is incredibly flawed.
What fans should be aware of from the get-go is that it’s just a port complete with motion controls—not a remake or even a remaster. More specifically, it’s based on the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which made a few changes from other platforms due to its technical limitations. Many consider it weaker than the PlayStation or Xbox versions, and unfortunately, that bleeds through in this Switch version.
Many visuals in the Switch version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed come across as muddied, especially when playing in handheld mode. It’s a little better when docked, but otherwise, it can be hard to make any distinctions at a distance. A red flower and the health vials in the world are so similar that they can easily be mistaken for one another, and everything from the forests of Kashyyyk to Starkiller’s clothing options is a miss, visually. This remains a constant issue at all times, but it is perhaps most noticeable during the combat.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s combat feels dumbed down. The motion controls are nice, but they’re not really backed up with engaging combat. Starkiller can use Force Lightning, throw his Lightsaber, empower himself with the Dark Side of the Force, slam into the ground, and unleash deadly combos, but the Switch port fails to capture all that raw power in Starkiller. It somehow gets lost in translation, and coupled with sponge-y enemies capable of taking multiple Force bars’ worth of lightning, it doesn’t feel fun to play as Starkiller.
This is a real shame, too, because his power is a key component of Starkiller’s character. Starkiller does a lot of things in this game that are not and still have not been seen in the franchise, and even one of his most powerful displays in the game—dealing with a Star Destroyer on Raxus Prime—loses all that power here. Instead of exploring the struggle and triumph of this moment through gameplay, it just happens without any real emphasis, and that says a lot about the game. A lot of things just happen, and there’s really no emotion in this port to strengthen plot points or gameplay elements, from the weak combat to the stale facial animations.
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Players will also spend as much time fighting with the camera as often as Starkiller fights Storm Troopers. It’s most noticeable in fights with large creatures, such as against the machines or Rancors, but the camera will focus in and zoom out at the worst times. The camera will also do a complete 180-degree turn after Starkiller gets knocked down. If players stand up facing one way, the camera will make sure they actually face and move the exact opposite of that—for no reason. This makes dodging any follow-up attacks nearly impossible.
For the most part, the rather short-level design of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is good for those looking to play on the go. The game only lasts for a handful of hours, no matter how thoroughly someone picks up Lightsaber crystals and other collectibles, though players will find themselves in the exact same setting a few times.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s levels often involve walking through a few areas, fighting the enemies, and moving on, which does make it feel stale sometimes. This is especially true when paired with the visuals and combat, as the game can get dull and repetitive really quickly. The level design is ultimately a mixed bag, and while it has a lot to work with, the technical limitations of the Wii are evident here on the Switch.
The Duel Mode, despite sharing many of the same shortcomings, is perhaps the best feature. There is plenty of fun to be had in playing as Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Maris Brood, Vader, and many others, and it supports local multiplayer for family fun. The problem is that the game offers no incentives to check out the mode, and when they do, it doesn’t expand much beyond its initial concept.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s biggest draw is nostalgia with this Switch port. Many have good memories of the game from its original release in 2008, but unfortunately, this port fails to respect this beloved IP. Perhaps the worst thing is that there are plenty of beautiful games on the Switch, and there’s little reason this couldn’t have been one. It could have redeemed the ill-fated Wii version, but instead, it might have worsened its shortcomings.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases for Switch on April 20. Game Rant was provided a code for the purposes of this review.
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