Upon its release in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was met with pretty middling reviews across the board. While the game's goal of making the player feel like a powerful Force-user was realized, the actual gameplay became quite repetitive quickly, and was considered by many to be an ambitious Star Wars title, but one that lacked enough polish to put it amongst the top-tier of Star Wars games. Flash forward almost 14 years later, and Star Wars fans are clamoring for a new Force Unleashed title.
While there's no announcement in sight for a new Force Unleashed game, Nintendo has just announced that the first game will be heading to the Nintendo Switch in April 2022. As those who originally played the game might remember, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released on a wide range of consoles and handhelds, with a few different versions of the game being available. The version coming to Switch seems to be a port of the Wii version of the game, which has both its advantages and disadvantages.
The Force Unleashed's Wii Version Means Worse Graphics
One of the most immediately recognizable differences between the original Wii version of The Force Unleashed and its more powerful console counterparts is the game's visuals. Put simply, the Wii version of Force Unleashed looks a lot worse than the Xbox 360/PS3 versions. The game's environmental textures are unclear, character modes look blurry, and the game looks much older than it is.
The Wii version of The Force Unleashed also lacked the Euphoria physics engine that powered the Xbox 360/PS3's version. Although the Wii version does try to imitate the other version's more bombastic ragdoll effects, it doesn't quite offer the same visual flair and spectacle.
While the Nintendo Switch port of The Force Unleashed is sure to smooth out some murkier textures and character models, the game probably won't look all that great on the handheld, at least not if the announcement trailer is anything to go by. Despite this, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Switch is probably going to run quite well, so old fans checking the game out again should still have a similar pain-free experience.
The Force Unleashed's Wii Port Has Smaller Environments, Plot Changes
For those who played The Force Unleashed on Xbox 360/PS3 back in the day, the Wii version's smaller environments may be a little jarring. In the other version of the game, the player is often traversing through large, open environments, being able to fling enemies impressive distances across chasms and other Star Wars-y landscapes.
In the Wii version, and now the Switch version, the player will often find themselves enclosed in a fairly small room, being forced to take on enemies up close as opposed to using ranged force attacks. These environments do limit the potential to pull off absurd-looking force combos, but they do make the game's lightsaber combat feel a bit more fleshed out, which was a common criticism of the Xbox 360/PS3 version of the game.
A change that doesn't really affect the game all too much, the Wii/Switch version of The Force Unleashed has a slightly different plot than the other console version. While the game follows the same narrative and uses much of the same dialog, there are a few differences in how the plot is structured, with alternate cutscenes playing between missions that show a different set-up for the characters and the mission ahead.
The Force Unleashed's Wii Version Adds New Levels and Multiplayer
The Switch port using the Wii version isn't all doom and gloom, however. The original Wii version actually had a few exclusive levels, which makes this purchase on Switch absolutely worth it for those who are looking for more The Force Unleashed content. This version should include three levels set in the Jedi Temple, as well as a level set on the seedy planet of Nar Shaddaa. An alternate version of the Cloud City level should also be available in this port.
The real draw of the Nintendo Switch port, at least for many fans of the game, is its multiplayer Duel mode. Only included in the original Wii version of the game, this multiplayer mode is a fairly simplistic, extremely fun fighting game. Players can choose from 27 different characters, hailing from all corners of the Star Wars universe, even including some non-canon, Legends characters. While all of these characters essentially play the same, being able to choose from Star Wars' most iconic faces is pretty enjoyable for any fan of the franchise.
The stages used in this multiplayer mode are surprisingly large, though the camera is quite restrictive, only shifting when both players are moving to the same side of the arena. Players have immediate access to all the Force powers present in the main game, including fan-favorite abilities like Force Lightning and Repulse. The gameplay may be quite simple, but the ability to throw objects and swing lightsabers at each other is undeniably fun.
The Force Unleashed's Wii Version Brings Motion Controls
An element that was equally praised and condemned upon the original game's launch, the Nintendo Switch version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed carries over the Wii version's motion controls. These motion controls are used to swing Starkiller's lightsaber with the right-hand, while the left-hand is used to activate the Force Push ability.
While some critics loved this motion control element in the original, considering it to be a draw for any Star Wars fan who always dreamed of swinging a lightsaber, some critics believed that the motion controls were unresponsive, and made the game extremely clunky to play. According to the announcement trailer, the Switch version of Force Unleashed will have a refined motion control system, along with the ability to play the game using just the standard Joy-Con buttons, giving players the best of both worlds.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases on Nintendo Switch on April 20, 2022.
