Star Wars: The Force Unleashed; A Retro Review

Upon its release in the year 2008, “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” stood out among the many video games adapted from the “Star Wars” saga. Now, Aspyr Media, who have remastered several previous games in the franchise, have delivered another impressive remaster of a fan favorite title to the Nintendo Switch.

The story takes place chronologically between the events of “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope,” dealing with the fall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Empire. Centered around a secret apprentice of Darth Vader known only as “Starkiller” (a name linked to the saga’s earliest drafts that has made recurring appearances ever since), the Empire’s will is carried out in hunting down the remaining Jedi Knights hiding throughout the galaxy.

While the plot may take some creative liberties with the saga’s canon (even before the previous expanded universe was placed into an alternate continuity after Disney purchased Lucasfilm), the real draw of the game – both now and upon its original release – is the gameplay. The use of Force powers combines intuitive controls with an approach to in-game physics that’s still impressive, even today.

As the latest “Star Wars” title to join a growing list of remasters from Aspyr Media, the sound and picture quality present the game in the best release it’s seen to date. The game runs at 60 frames per second on both portable and docked modes, with resolution reaching 720p in the former and 1080p in the latter. John WIlliams’ score sounds absolutely fantastic in this new version, and the game even includes a multiplayer mode where you can have lightsaber duels with characters throughout the saga.

With more remasters of past “Star Wars” games in the works from Aspyr (the developers have specifically expressed interest in remastering the classic “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” for Nintendo 64), “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” is another fantastic HD remaster on Switch that’s easy to recommend at a bargain price of $20 on the Nintendo eShop. This is the Switch remaster you’re looking for.

Publisher: LucasArts (Original)/Aspyr Media (Remaster)

Developer: Krome Studios (Original)/Aspyr Media (Remaster)

Platform: Nintendo Switch eShop

ESRB Rating: T