Of all the games that Nintendo could've announced at its latest Direct, few expected that a Switch port of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed would be among them. Nevertheless, Lucasfilm and Aspyr are indeed collaborating on a remaster of the 2008 Star Wars title. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed made its debut when Star Wars was experiencing something of a renaissance, thanks to the prequel trilogy, and it seems likely that the Wii version's remaster is motivated by a similar renaissance that's going on thanks to Disney's wave of Star Wars content, as well as a variety of other Star Wars games that have released recently or are currently in development.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has plenty of peers to join in the game industry right now, but it's hard to say if that's a good thing or not. Force Unleashed was a well-loved game for a lot of reasons, including its explosive use of Force powers and strong narrative, but it had its shortcomings too. For instance, Force Unleashed made extensive use of quick time events, which not everybody was fond of, even if these particular events had their strengths. The reception of core elements like quick time events may define Force Unleashed's reputation among the current Star Wars fan base, which could consequently impact any potential revival of the franchise as a whole.
The Force Unleashed's Quick Time Events
In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, players take on quick time events pretty often because they're used as finishers for most of the game's bosses. Whether Starkiller is taking down an AT-ST or a Rancor in the middle of a level, or whether he's finishing off a Jedi Master, quick time events are key. A lot of The Force Unleashed's quick time events had some significant narrative value. Starkiller's QTE takedowns on various powerful Force users created a strong sense of intimacy in the final moments of each duel while showcasing his extraordinary skill and strength. Even takedowns on smaller bosses were excellent displays of Starkiller's unstoppable nature.
Still, not every Force Unleashed player was fond of quick time events wrapping up each boss fight. For many video game fans, defeating a boss is far more satisfying when it's done personally, rather than as a part of a cutscene. Quick time events robbed players of the opportunity to defeat powerful enemies in their own way, forcing them to settle for Starkiller's scripted maneuvers. Force Unleashed received some criticism for its highly linear play, and the prevalence of quick time events in the game's biggest battles certainly didn't help it avoid being linear.
The Force Unleashed's Legacy
Controversial features of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed matter today because they'll define the franchise's reputation. For a long time now, some Star Wars fans have held out hope that Force Unleashed 3 will release some day. Porting Force Unleashed to the Switch suggests that Lucasfilm actually is interested in returning to the series, but it first wants to give Star Wars' modern audience a look at the franchise roots. If players old and new respond negatively to core design principles of Force Unleashed, including its frequent quick time events, then Lucasfilm may decide to let Force Unleashed lie dormant after all.
It seems unlikely that Aspyr will remove QTEs from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed wholesale, turning the events themselves into simple cutscenes. After all, it's merely meant to be a remaster, not a remake. Force Unleashed's Switch version is bound to be as true to the Wii version as possible. It'll be interesting to see how well Force Unleashed holds up to the modern Star Wars game standard that's been set by the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, thanks to features like extensive QTEs that indicate the era Force Unleashed came from, as well as its overall age. Favorable or unfavorable comparisons to its Star Wars peers will likely decide the future of the Force Unleashed IP.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases April 20 for Nintendo Switch.
