The Force Unleashed: 15 Years Later

Jedi Murder Simulator 2008 is still a vibe

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed came out in September of 2008. I remember getting my copy from GameFly which is a video game rental company similar to Netflix. The game arrived in the mail and after a certain amount of time, you would mail the game back and it would be replaced with whatever was next on your list. Before things like GamePass, this was a fun way to try out different titles. GameFly is still up and running which is wild to me but happy to see they are fighting the good fight 15 years later. 

Before returning to this game several weeks ago, all I remembered from my 2008 or 2009 playthrough was the opening level in which you play as a fully powered Darth Vader wreaking havoc on the wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The game lets you see the full range of physics at its disposal as well as a sneak preview of what darkside powers await the player. It’s quite the opening and was the only part that stood out in my memory. Replaying the game, I fell in love with its goofy charm and insanely entertaining boss fights. It has not all aged well considering similar fight mechanics have been perfected with games like 2023’s Jedi Survivor (a game of the year contender for me, for sure).

Also has the Ahsoka-stance

The story focuses on a secret apprentice to Vader named Galen Marek or Starkiller. In keeping his apprentice secret from the Emperor, Vader sends Starkiller out to work almost as a double agent where he can fight people on both sides in order to hide his connection to his master. Set before the events of A New Hope, Force Unleashed is Vader seeking out Jedi who survived Order 66 to have them killed. Palpatine doesn’t see the need to given the fact that most Jedi are dead and there are bigger issues at hand but as we know, Vader is obsessed with removing what Jedi are left from the galaxy. 

Galen is an complicated protagonist. Vader kills Galen’s father in front of him and trains him in the ways of the darkside. Yet, Galen is presented as a lovable angry, white dude who jokes with his robot and is just not as menacing as we know the Sith to be. It works, though. But to put the role of an anti-hero in the hands of a player is a bold choice. With Disney owning the property now, I don’t think this ever would’ve happened but back in the day, the license had more liberties for better and for worse. Lucas literally saw one sample video of the game in pre-production and was like “yeah make it.” Now? Way more hoops!  

At the time, The Force Unleashed had a big media push and ended up on every console imaginable with varying differences due to hardware. The best versions were the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions but the game also was ported to the Wii, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, NGAGE (WHAT), and of course, PC. LucasArts wanted anyone who could play a video game to play a version of Starkiller’s misadventures. The amount of platforms for this one game is staggering and, no, this would never happen in 2023. I do miss my PSP, though. 

Now the gameplay itself is sorta ho-hum, to be honest. You run around unimpressive ship or planet models and beat the shit out of recycled enemy types with your increasing force abilities. But as you level up, so do your enemies so it never feels like you are quite overpowered until certain cinematics and boss fights. 

It’s insane you kill Shaak Ti

Now the boss fights. Even 15 years later, the boss fights at the end of the levels are incredible and the shining part of the game. It’s worth the slogging through the uninspired levels just to get to the end to participate in these creative fights. 

One of my favorite moments is the fight against Kazdan Paratus who is a Aleena Jedi Master living on a junk planet on the outer rim. Paratus has clearly lost his mind because when you approach him, he has made a replica of the Jedi Council out of trash and speaks to them as if they are real. 

Here is the fight below

The Force Unleashed reminded me of God of War 3 where it’s essentially a murder simulator of higher ups. Vader sends you after Shaak Ti in the 3rd mission which just feels downright awful considering how badass I think Shaak Ti is. Once again the fight feels incredible to play.

Another part of Force Unleashed that stands out is the production. Not shocking for a Star Wars title but the music, cinematics and overall presentation of the game (outside the level design) is top notch. The award goes to Sam Witwar as Starkiller. Witwar is a Star Wars darling as he has gone on to play Darth Maul in the The Clone Wars and as a person, genuinely adores Star Wars. Starkiller is modeled after Witwar’s appearance as well.

Even with the mediocre level design, I found myself having a fun time with the game. It’s relatively short (about 6-8 hours?) and has replayability. But after playing through the masterful Jedi Survivor earlier this year, it’s hard to enjoy the combat in Force Unleashed. Jedi Survivor figured out how to make combat feel authentic and fluid with a lightsaber. Playing as Galen just feels stiff now even if you get to toss people around with the force. 

15 years later and Force Unleashed is still fun and worth revisiting if you want to see an outrageous fan fiction feeling in a Star Wars story. The story, while absurd, has plenty of winks and nods for fans of the franchise. I never played Force Unleashed 2 (or II?) so I might have to plan that for a future writeup. There are also books attached to the games which could also be worth getting into.

To this day people refer to this game about whether it should be canon or not. The Ahsoka show has wild theories that Starkiller will show up but I’m not convinced anyone over at Disney is interested in resurrecting him. He’s overpowered and while an interesting idea for a character, would only muddy the canon now. That's just my opinion - many would love to see him in live action but Starkiller feels right at home in the hands of a player.