Aside from numerous frame rate hiccups, randomly vanishing enemies, and sporadic breakdowns in game play controls, Star
Fans of Star Wars will definitely enjoy the story and twist presented in SWTFU. Developer Lucas Arts has remained true to the low-key romance, story twists and the multitude of destinations traditional to the Star Wars lineage, albeit keeping it short and digestible. Playing through on Sith Lord difficulty took me about 14 hours to complete (which may be 10-11 hours for a seasoned lightsaber wielder). Visiting worlds such as Raxxus Prime and the ever popular home world of the Wookies, Kashyyyk, will thrill fans but the revisits kill the sense of a seemingly (and quite possible) epic adventure.
The story, which is modeled to take place between Episodes III and IV, involves Darth Vader and his secret apprentice, Starkiller, and Vader's undeniable attempt to rule the galaxy and spread fear amongst the Republic. Various characters true to Star Wars lore make appearances throughout the game. Without giving away too much, just know the story follows the scripting of all the Star Wars films you've come to love and enjoy with its light romantic side, misdirection, and memorable battle between good and evil. You will indeed feel like you are a part of the movie and the added benefit of playing as a new character really makes the experience all the more exciting as you are taking actions that have not been seen or told previously.
The most compelling and enjoyable feature of the game is of course the art style. Environments such as Feluccia and the final level at times leave you feeling as if you are indeed in the middle of the Star Wars universe. The attention to detail in the foliage and in mechanical assets on levels makes it a wonder to explore and will certainly entice players to want to see it all. There are a few moments where the environment design does appear to be a bit rushed, but these instances are very rare and, during the heat of battle, are negligible. Horizon lines and sky limits give worlds a grand appearance along with action occurring all around you while you're still focused on foes in your immediate vicinity. Interaction with your surroundings are represented well, especially on the Planet of Fellucia where trees, leaves, and plants react to your running into them or slashing them with your saber by bending, falling, bouncing, or even stretching.
Controls in SWTFU are in a word, acceptable. With all you can do as a Sith Warrior, it is a bit to get used to. This game is a button masher for all intents and purposes. Your main form of combat will be achieved by means of moderately challenging button combinations. The inclusion of a talent matrix which is upgradeable as you progress through the game allows you to learn the basics and move up from there. As you advance through the game, the most damaging attacks are not necessarily combos, but rather complex button groupings that involve pulling a trigger and pressing or holding another button. Oddly, when you do feel you have the hang of producing devastating combos (and they are quite destructive), you have to deal with the frame rate issue. It seems when you chain together a series of awesome attacks the game frame rate drops to maybe a measly 10 fps, but once it kicks back up, your combo is complete but the engine has forgotten what comes next regarding your chained assault and you will wind up getting blasted or thrown into walls by bigger foes. Keeping combos short, simple and to the point relieves this struggle, but definitely minimizes the gratification you'd get otherwise.
Quick-time events also make their abundant presence in the game. You'll need to participate in them to take down large foes, win lightsaber lockup duels, force push and lighting duels, and boss fights. They're not overbearing in any sense, but for some of the large foes, you'll get a bit tired of the repeated animation when defeating a Rancor or a AT-ST (the Imperial Walkers).
The game also provides multiple training simulations that are somewhat aggravating due to timing of your button combo within a confined area. This training exercises give you an opportunity to hone your skills and gain force talent point which are used to upgrade your skills (force talent points are also gained through game play; the better you play the more points you're awarded). Skill Challenges round out the training simulation portion of the game, however, these frustrating feats don't deliver much reward and are best left alone unless you're looking for the achievement that's tied to completing them all.
Other collectibles in the game include costumes, database entries, lightsaber color crystal and lightsaber power crystals. The color crystals are only for show ranging from red, yellow, blue or green and variations of those hues. The power crystals are the real delight as you can fit your lightsaber with a crystal that can emit more electrical damage or better reflect and deflect blaster fire to gain the upper hand in battles. The only downside is only being able to utilize one crystal at a time. Not sure how to go about fixing this, but it may have been nice to at least combine the attributes of two crystals. It would have made a few sections of the game a lot easier to get through.
Targeting in the game is much to be desired. You have the option to either toggle or hold the targeting button, but on either setting, camera issues cause your targets to be either behind you or in many cases right on top of you which cause the reticule to either be invisible and jumping or non-existent. The camera fails again in a lot of mini-boss and boss fights when your character becomes cornered and unable to dash out of harms way or reposition your attacks. On the reverse, if you cornered any enemy, the majority of the time, they'd disappear and in one very importance boss fight, never come back and force me to kill myself in order to restart the section.
The sound is another triumph of the game and why not – it's Lucas Arts. Blaster sounds and the swinging of your lightsaber carry the presence apparent in the movies and in 5.1 Dolby Surround, you will feel as if those blast are hurting. The sound of your use of the Force is a great pleasure as well. The musically score in The Force Unleashed is a mesh of new and old music from the trilogies and really gives the game a sense that it is indeed it's own chapter in the saga all while making it believable that it does fit. The music that plays after finishing off a boss is thrilling and makes you want to continue as that sense of accomplishment is perceived after every hit, boss, and level.
At the end of the day, Star Wars is a compelling adventure with a few annoyances that can be overlooked given the visuals and what it's trying to do with the game play. Something new is always desirable and Lucas Arts' release has accomplished the feat of bringing lightsaber action, graphics, and an original story to a next-gen system which I personally wanted for a while. It's something about not knowing what's going to happen and being involved than knowing how the story goes and just acting it out. That's where the value in this game lies. Unfortunately, after one playthrough, that joy is diminished as it becomes just another hack and slash adventure. Still, the faithful Star Wars fan and the adventure game enthusiast will find Star Wars: The Force Unleashed a delight if they are willing to overlook its shortcomings.