Nintendo To Release 'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed' On Switch
The Star Wars franchise has recently been releasing, re-releasing, and creating sequels and prequels to many video games based on the movies, shows, and Star Wars lore. Some of the video games announced have been ones that fans have been looking forward to for a long time. Some are re-releases of classic games either with upgraded items/characters and graphics or for a different gaming console than it was originally premiered on. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of these re-releases to a new gaming console.
The fan-favorite action-adventure games, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II were released in 2008 and 2010 respectively for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. Now, the gaming franchise is continuing with an updated re-release. However, this one is headed to the Nintendo Switch. This was announced during the latest Nintendo Direct. What is neat about this re-release to a new console is that they are still keeping some of the original motion controls. There were optional motion controls for the Wii that allowed players to switch number of players and other things. This is being brought to the Switch Joy-Con’s as well, which will give players the ability to wield a lightsaber in single player and local 1v1 Duel mode in the game.
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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has players control Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller. Starkiller combines the Force and lightsaber maneuvers to hunt and destroy the Jedi, and will be available on the Nintendo Switch on April 20.
Since the story focuses on a Sith hunting down Jedi, it obviously is set between the events of Order 66 in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. Even though players play with a character that is not in the films, that doesn’t mean that the worlds that they visit aren’t going to be familiar. What’s cool about the game is that there are many iconic cities and places to visit while you track down the Jedi including Cloud City from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and the junk planet, Raxus Prime.
Not only are you exploring these places and hunting down Jedi, but there is also an exciting Duel mode as well. This mode allows players to choose from 27 different Star Wars characters to fight against, including many of the iconic characters like Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Maul, among many others.
The other neat thing about this game is that it is not that expensive for a Nintendo Switch game. It is retailing for $19.99 and will support TV, Tabletop, and Handheld mode. The file size is 3.9 GB. The company Krome Studio is handling the Switch port, which is a good sign since this developer also handled the ports for when Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii versions. The gaming studio Aspyr is handling the publishing duties. Which is also a good sign, as Aspyr is also the studio working on the much anticipated fan-favorite Knights of the Old Republic remake.
It will be 10 years since the release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed when this game gets released on the Switch in April 2022. We got a tease of a potential game coming in 2020 by Star Wars voice actor Sam Witwer, who portrays Starkiller in-game. Witwer teased a fight that would show Darth Vader with all his true terror of a villain;
"Starkiller's fighting and Starkiller says, ‘How are you doing this?’ Vader answers simply with whatever the first line in the original Star Wars script was, which I believe was, 'I am Lord Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.' It was something along those lines, and that ends the conversation. (Starkiller)'s no match for this guy."
While fans are gearing up for the release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Switch, they can meanwhile play the 2019 Jedi: Fallen Order game, which is definitely a fan-favorite. And interestingly enough, set in the same time frame as The Force Unleashed. They also both focus on bittersweet stories of redemption. In The Force Unleased, Starkiller is hunting Jedi while in Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis (the protagonist) is the Jedi being hunted.
Due to the release of this game and the upcoming release of Kenobi on Disney+, some fans are speculating that we might actually see Starkiller in the series, perhaps even as a cameo, and whether Starkiller will be brought into the mainline cannon or not. Due to when the storyline of The Force Unleashed is set and the fact that the series may focus partially on Obi-Wan escaping Order 66 and its aftermath, there could be a chance of seeing Starkiller.
But regardless of whether fans will see him live action or not, they can still rejoice that this iconic game is now coming to the Nintendo Switch in April.
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Source(s): CBR.com