Almost 17 years ago, the collaboration between LucasArts, Krome Studios, and n-Space brought us one of the most cherished Star Wars games—Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. This third-person, hack-and-slash adventure bears a striking resemblance in gameplay to the God of War series by Santa Monica Studio. It stands as one of the last significant Star Wars games made by LucasArts before Disney took over the Star Wars universe in 2012. As fans await the next installment of the Star Wars Jedi series, revisiting The Force Unleashed offers a nostalgic journey back to the 2000s, showcasing why the game captivated players back then.
The plot of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed kicks off shortly after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and leads into the years preceding Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. We follow the gripping saga of Starkiller, aka Galen Marek, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. Snatched away from his Jedi father after Order 66, Marek undergoes Sith training, setting him on a path to eliminate the remaining Jedi survivors, eventually conspiring with Vader against Emperor Palpatine. As a now-skilled young adult, Marek, alongside his robot companion PROXY and pilot Juno Eclipse, embarks on a mission to eliminate Jedi General Rahm Kota on Nar Shaddaa.
Initially believed to have vanquished the Jedi, Marek is further tasked by Vader to slay the unstable Jedi Master Kazdan Paratus and the sage Jedi Master Shaak Ti. Despite succeeding, he’s betrayed and seemingly killed by Vader once Palpatine uncovers Starkiller’s existence. Revived in secret, Marek is assigned to unite the Emperor’s foes and divert attention from Vader and his own deadly ambitions. In a surprising twist, Marek lays the groundwork for the Rebel Alliance, rallying leaders like Kota, Bail and Leia Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis. At Corellia, as rebellion sparks fly, Vader unveils his true intent, capturing the rebels and exposing Marek as a pawn used to identify and eliminate the Empire’s adversaries.
Surviving Vader’s treachery, Marek storms the unfinished first Death Star with Eclipse to release Kota and the captured rebels. Players can steer Marek towards attacking either Palpatine or Vader, influencing the ending. A clash with Palpatine sees Marek sacrificing himself for the rebels’ liberty, paving the way for the events witnessed in 2010’s Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2.
However, choosing to end Vader results in a darker fate; the rebels meet their end, and a grievously injured Marek becomes a cybernetic minion to the Emperor. This alternate darker outcome continues in downloadable content (DLCs) set during both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, featuring Lord Starkiller confronting Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine and enlisting Luke Skywalker as his apprentice on Hoth.
The Force Unleashed is consistent in its core storytelling across all platforms, though specific plot elements are unique to certain versions. For instance, the Lord Starkiller DLCs are exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. On the other hand, the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable editions present unique levels, plot elements, characters, and enemies absent from both the PS3 and 360 versions.
Significant differences arise with the Jedi Temple levels available only in the Wii, PS2, and certain PS3 settings. Here, Marek faces off against holographic past Sith Lords like Darth Desolous and Darth Phobos. A Coruscant DLC in PS3 and 360 doesn’t feature such ancient Sith Lords.
Across its versions, The Force Unleashed weaves Star Wars Legends references and nods to cut content from the films. Star Wars book enthusiasts were thrilled by Garm Bel Iblis’s appearance, a character introduced in Timothy Zahn’s renowned Thrawn trilogy. Although brief in the PS3 and 360 iterations, the Wii and PS2 versions dedicate an entire level to his recruitment on Cloud City, encountering a Gungan bounty hunter, Mandalorians, and a Basilisk war droid from the 1995 Dark Horse Tales of the Jedi comic series.
The Force Unleashed offers callbacks to deleted scenes and enemies from other Star Wars settings. Shaak Ti’s in-game presence and survival echo her myriad deaths initially scripted for Revenge of the Sith. Starkiller’s title references Luke Skywalker’s original last name from early drafts. Meanwhile, the Imperial Purge Trooper droids act as early prototypes of the Dark Troopers, debuting in the 1995 FPS Star Wars: Dark Forces. The Wii version even adds a PVP mode with Legends characters like Mara Jade and Asajj Ventress.
By September 2008, for many fans, the Star Wars narrative felt complete as George Lucas had concluded the original film saga with Revenge of the Sith in 2005. While The Clone Wars animated film and series came out around this period, some fans criticized it for its perceived childishness and continuity contradictions, preferring the more mature and nostalgic narrative direction presented by The Force Unleashed. The game was seen as a celebration of the entire Star Wars media canon then, integrating characters, settings, and references from various preceding works.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed catered to fans eager for a darker narrative bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Marek’s evolution from a Sith apprentice to a redeemed Jedi struck a chord, so much so that Disney has considered reviving him in modern canon. However, his immense power poses a challenge for current storylines. Despite mixed reactions to The Force Unleashed 2, the original remains a standout in Star Wars gaming, hailed for its gripping story and gameplay, regardless of today’s continuity shifts.
