The Force unleashes once more. During the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced an updated port of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is heading to the Nintendo Switch. With assistance from Lucasfilm and Texas-based publisher Aspyr, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is set to unleash its force power upon a new generation of players.
The announcement was made during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct that aired on February 9th, 2022. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be a refined port of the Nintendo Wii version of the game, a significantly different version compared to the PSP, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions at the time, including gameplay specific features and refinements in the levels and story. The release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Nintendo Switch will be accompanied by the unexpected enhancements that come with ports, from better technical performance to sharper visuals. Staying true to the motion controls of the original release, the new release will feature wireless motion-controls for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. Unique to the Nintendo Wii version is a duel mode, that pits players against each other, with a roster of over 27 characters. This mode will also be returning in the port.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was originally released in 2008 and served as one of the most ambitious projects of Lucas Arts and Lucasfilm at the time. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was billed as a huge installment to Star Wars and the canon in place, putting layers in a largely unexplored gap of time between the end of Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of The Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, players are put in the role of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, on a clandestine mission to hunt and destroy the enemies of the Galactic Empire. Trained by Vader, Starkiller is immensely powerful in his abilities, but he’ll soon discover that The Force is filled with secrets, both light, and dark. Throughout a long and arduous journey, players embark on a mission across the galaxy, hunting rebels, and dissidents, while also discovering the hidden past of Starkiller.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a welcome port to the Nintendo Switch with its terrific story and solid gameplay, though it is worth noting that the game is significantly different than the PS3 version, with certain levels and slight alterations to the story, but the overall arcs remain the same. Regardless of what platform players played the original on, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was still an exciting game, leading to a sequel in 2010. Regrettably, due to a variety of factors, many of them internally crippling Lucas Arts, any future installments to The Force Unleashed were canceled. With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in October of 2012, Lucas Arts was effectively gutted, leaving any and all future Star Wars video game projects to be outsourced. There have been clamorings for a means to continue and conclude the story arc for The Force Awakens, and perhaps, even hintings of the reintroduction of Starkiller with a particular episode of The Mandalorian. As for Aspyr media, they have been on a roll remastering classic Star Wars titles for newer generations. Here’s to hoping that trend continues, especially for games like Star Wars: Dark Forces.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be released for the Nintendo Switch on April 20th, 2022.
