Developer : Lucas Arts
Release date : September 16, 2008
Synopsis :
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an action-adventure game developed by LucasArts and part of The Force Unleashed multimedia project. It was initially developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles and on iOS, second-generation N-Gage, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Java-equipped mobile phone handhelds. The game was released in North America on September 16, 2008, in Australia and Southeast Asia on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. LucasArts released downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. An Ultimate Sith Edition of the game, containing both new and previously released downloadable content, was released in November 2009, and later ported to the macOS and Microsoft Windows. An enhanced remaster of the Wii version, developed by Aspyr, was released on Nintendo Switch on April 20, 2022.
The project bridges the first two Star Wars trilogies, acting as an origin story for both the united Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War depicted in the original trilogy. The game introduces a new protagonist named “Starkiller”, a powerful Force user trained as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who is tasked with hunting down Jedi survivors of the Great Jedi Purge while trying to keep his existence a secret. However, after he is tasked with planting the seeds of what would become the Rebel Alliance, which Vader plans to take advantage of to overthrow the Emperor, Starkiller begins to question his own morality and to slowly redeem himself. Following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the game became part of the non-canonical Star Wars Expanded Universe (also known as Star Wars Legends), and an alternative origin for the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War was given in other forms of Star Wars media, such as Star Wars Rebels.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics, with praise for its story, voice acting, physics, art and soundtrack, but criticism for its linear gameplay and technical issues. The game was a bestseller in the United States and Australia, with over one million copies sold its debut month. As of February 2010, the game had sold over seven million copies, and was the fastest-selling Star Wars video game of its time.[5] A sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, was released in October 2010.
Shortly into the Galactic Empire’s rule, Imperial spies locate a Jedi survivor of the Great Purge named Kento Marek on Kashyyyk. Darth Vader arrives as the planet is invaded and eliminates any Wookie resistance between him and the fugitive Jedi. Reaching Kento’s home,[17][18] Vader easily defeats him in a lightsaber duel but senses someone far more powerful nearby. Initially believing it to be Kento’s Jedi Master, Vader prepares to execute the defiant Jedi until his lightsaber is suddenly force pulled from his hand by Kento’s son Galen. Sensing the boy’s strong connection to the Force, Vader proceeds to kill Kento and an Imperial squadron after they try to execute Galen and secretly takes him as his secret apprentice with only a select few knowing of his existence.
Years later, an adult Galen (given the alias “Starkiller”) completes his Sith training. He is sent by Vader to eliminate several Jedi survivors across the galaxy in preparation for assassinating the Emperor so that the two of them can rule the galaxy together. Starkiller travels aboard his personal ship, the Rogue Shadow, alongside training droid PROXY (who is programmed to try and kill Starkiller) and Imperial pilot Juno Eclipse. Starkiller’s targets include Rahm Kota, a Clone Wars veteran and leader of a militia; Kazdan Paratus, insane after years of isolation on Raxus Prime;[e] and Shaak Ti, who is hiding on Felucia. As they duel, Kota senses that Vader will not always be Starkiller’s master and that he will be part of his future before being blinded with his own lightsaber and falling to his seeming death. Before she dies, Shaak Ti warns Starkiller that he will eventually be betrayed by Vader. His final mission complete, Starkiller is summoned by Vader as the Emperor arrives. Vader then swiftly impales Starkiller, and at the Emperor’s insistence, hurls his apprentice through a window into space to prove his loyalty.
Unbeknownst to the Emperor, Vader has Starkiller recovered and resuscitated. Vader sends Starkiller to foster a rebellion among the Empire’s enemies, as part of his plan to create the proper conditions to overthrow the Emperor. Starkiller rescues Juno, who had been arrested and branded a traitor to the Empire, and escapes with her and PROXY. Looking for allies to aid his mission, Starkiller finds an alive Kota on Cloud City, rendered blind and reduced to alcoholism, and rescues him from Imperial forces.
The group travels to Kashyyyk to locate Kota’s contact, senator Bail Organa. Starkiller discovers his old home and meets his father’s spirit, who expresses remorse for Starkiller’s upbringing under Vader. To gain Bail’s trust, Starkiller rescues his captive daughter Princess Leia Organa, and liberates the enslaved Wookiees at her request. Starkiller learns from Kota that Bail went missing on Felucia, after searching for Shaak Ti in the hope she would rescue Leia. Starkiller travels to Felucia to find Bail, discovering he had been captured by Shaak Ti’s former apprentice Maris Brood, who succumbed to the Dark Side after her master’s death. Starkiller defeats Brood but spares her life, and convinces Bail to join the rebellion.
To convince more dissidents to do the same, Vader suggests that Starkiller attack a Star Destroyer facility on Raxus Prime to show that the Empire is vulnerable. Juno learns Starkiller is still serving Vader and chastises him, but agrees to keep silent. On Raxus Prime, Starkiller is attacked by PROXY, who attempts to fulfill his programming by killing him, but Starkiller defeats him, destroys the facility, and pulls a falling Star Destroyer out of the sky using the Force. Bail meets with fellow senators Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis on Corellia to formally organize a rebellion, only for Vader to arrive and arrest them and Kota. After overpowering Starkiller, Vader reveals that he was merely a tool to lure out the Empire’s enemies, and had never intended to use him to overthrow the Emperor. Starkiller escapes after PROXY sacrifices himself by attacking Vader.
Juno rescues Starkiller, who uses the Force to see that Kota and the senators are being held on the Death Star. After bidding farewell to Juno, Starkiller battles his way through the station to reach the Emperor’s throne room. Vader confronts him, but Starkiller defeats his former master and faces the Emperor, who tries to goad him into killing Vader so Starkiller can take his place. Kota tries to attack the Emperor, but is subdued with Force lightning. At this point, the player must choose between saving Kota (Light Side) or killing Vader (Dark Side).
If the player chooses the Light Side, Starkiller defeats the Emperor, but spares him at Kota’s urging. The Emperor unleashes Force lightning at Kota, but Starkiller absorbs it, sacrificing himself to allow Kota and the senators to escape on the Rogue Shadow. The Emperor and Vader become concerned that Starkiller has become a martyr to inspire the newly-formed Rebel Alliance. On Kashyyyk, the senators proceed with the rebellion and Leia chooses Starkiller’s family crest as their symbol. Kota tells Juno that among Starkiller’s dark thoughts, Juno herself was one bright spot that he held onto right until his death.
If the player chooses the Dark Side, Starkiller kills Vader and is congratulated by the Emperor, who commands him to kill Kota to sever his ties to the Jedi and become a Sith Lord. Starkiller instead attacks the Emperor, who foils his attempt and then crushes him with the Rogue Shadow, severely injuring Starkiller and killing Juno, Kota, and the senators. Starkiller later awakens to find his body being grafted with armor to continue serving the Emperor, though he assures Starkiller that he will be replaced once he finds a new apprentice just as Vader before him.
Source : Wikipedia
