iPhone App Review: Star Wars The Force Unleashed

May 13, 2009 by Jason Kaneshiro

Guide Darth Vader’s apprentice through a variety of environments as he completes his training in the dark side of the force.

The Good

Fun, inspired multitouch gestures. Different patterns invoke iconic Jedi powers like force push, force pull, force heal, and Jedi mind trick. You toggle between powers using a tap or swiping in various directions with two fingers. A simple swipe in any diagonal direction swings your lightsaber.

The Bad

You don’t control your character’s position, only the actions performed. You’re basically dropped into a scene where you have to perform a bunch of mouse gestures in a semi-specific order, and once complete, you automatically move to the next location. I think an on-screen joystick plus an attack button, would be more satisfying, with the mouse gestures as a supplement.
The game story was rather unsatisfying and at times, unintentionally funny. Many enemies attack in the exact same way until you figure out the correct combination of mouse gestures. Some bosses simply alternate between attacking and running away. After a few plot twists, your final challenge is to fight your master, Darth Vader - but because of the game’s time period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, you already know who will win.
Only six levels, which I got through in a few hours.

Conclusion

Despite inspired, fun multitouch gestures, Star Wars The Force Unleashed doesn’t provide enough entertainment to move the app above novelty, let alone justify its price. Download the “lite” version to get that multitouch thrill, but be forewarned: after ponying up for the full version, I feel like the subject of a Jedi mind trick. This wasn’t the game I was looking for.

iTunes Store Link: Star Wars The Force Unleashed