Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

Is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed worth picking up? Eh… potentially. What we have here is a shallow, short, and rather mediocre action game that's relying awfully hard on nostalgia and the popularity of the Star Wars IP to draw in players. Based solely on its own merits, there's little here that's really worth your time. Simplistic level designs, weak combat, frequent quick time events, and low replay value make this one hard to recommend. It's got a decent story and soundtrack, but neither of these things are good enough to outweigh the negatives. If you're just looking for another Star Wars game to add to your collection, this certainly fits the bill; if you're looking for a high-quality hack 'n' slash, it doesn't. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is simply a passable game; not one we'd actively avoid, but you're not missing much if you choose to skip it.

Korme Studios' original take on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Wii was a noble effort back in 2008.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's Switch port tries to capitalize on nostalgia but ultimately fails to capture what made the original game so special.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a fun title that marked a unique period in the saga's history. Offering fun gameplay that mixes lightsaber combat with the use of the Force and an interesting story, the title is something that fans of the franchise will enjoy experiencing.

The Force Unleashed remains one of Star Wars’ most thrilling power fantasies, turning Starkiller, destructive Force physics, and bold ex-canon storytelling into a game that still feels powerful years later.

A decent enough romp, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is let down by a few technical issues and some extremely dated graphics. Switch Lite users won’t get the full experience, but still enough to go on. Console limitations aside, it is fun to hoof Rebels about and use them like levitating pin cushions from time to time.

For all that, it’s a fun game from a nostalgia point of view. I loved this game originally and I still love it now. Sure, it badly needed some upgrades and it’s disappointing that it wasn’t given them. But the story is a load of fun and the definite highlight and you have an excuse to listen to Star Wars music which always gets you pumped. It seems like that’s what they were going for with releasing this on the Switch. You shouldn’t have to rely on nostalgia to sell a game. All it’ll do is remind people of how poorly this game has aged and how little there actually is to it. Unfortunately, the decent story and soundtrack aren’t good enough to outweigh the negatives. If you never played it originally, then you’ll be left wondering what all the fuss was about. And if you have, you’ll be laughing at the time when this game looked absolutely amazing compared to now. You’ll also notice how the gameplay is severely lacking in so many ways. That said, I’m a sucker for Star Wars, so will I continue the game through to completion? Yes, yes I will. But I’m not going to be entirely happy about it and I definitely won’t be playing it in front of anyone else. I would likely get judged based on the graphics and questioned on it. It’s a fairly mediocre game compared to what we can play in 2022. So with that in mind, I score Star Wars: The Force Unleashed the Bronze Award. Still love the game though!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an interesting time capsule from an era that wasn't actually a long time ago but feels like forever. It's a fun 8-hour romp as long as you turn your mind off and expect a somewhat budget feeling PS2 era title. Visually and in its gameplay it has started to show its age. It's a shame that the 360/PS3 version didn't make the jump. I feel these stand up to today's standards a little better than its Frankenstein of a baby brother. It's not got the legacy of Jedi Knight and it's not in the same league as Jedi Fallen Order, but there is still a decent bit of budget fun that can be found here. If nothing else, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still miles better than its rushed-out sequel!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed may be an older game, but it's still fun to play and Star Wars fans who haven't previously enjoyed this title should give it a go. The engaging story and excellent voice work help bring it to life, despite the slightly dated graphics and relatively simple gameplay.