EA and Respawn Entertainment's success with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor can't be argued. The game managed to top US software sales in April despite being released on the month's tail end, per Video Games Chronicle.
The game, and its predecessor, Jedi: Fallen Order, allows you to explore a period in "Star Wars" history between the events of "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," with players taking control of a wiser and more powerful Cal Kestis.
While the gameplay of Respawn's Jedi series is more akin to Dark Souls, there was a time when Lucasarts released a similar game that gave players the freedom to use the Force however they want.
That game is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed History, Gameplay Features
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a hack n' slash action-adventure game developed and published by LucasArts on Sept. 16, 2008, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, per the Star Wars Wiki.
The game is set in the Legends/Extended Universe timeline in the same period Jedi Survivor takes place in. Instead of a survivor of Order 66, though, players got to play as Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice - for most of the game.
The game allows you to play as the fallen Chosen One for a single mission to let you bask in what the game is capable of before you try doing the same with Starkiller. While the game doesn't offer much in terms of lightsaber combat, unlike Jedi Survivor, it does offer a more flexible way to use the Force on anything you want.
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With powers like Force Lightning at your beck and call, it is always Open Season for anyone standing in your way.
The game gives players the freedom to move almost any object and living being with the Force, opening them to follow-up attacks based on Starkiller's available Force powers. Unlike in Jedi Survivor, Starkiller has full access to the Dark Side of the Force and the powers that come with it - Force Lightning chief among them.
Thanks to this freedom, players can be as creative as they want when dispatching anyone in their way, from the Imperial Army to the volunteers of the fledgling Rebel Alliance. Eventually, players will have to be creative in their skills with both the lightsaber and the Force as enemies become more equipped and capable of dispatching Starkiller in return if they're not careful.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Criticism, Extra Content
Critics had a lukewarm reception of The Force Unleashed despite the freedom it gives. IGN gave the game a 7.3/10 due to its "uninspired level design" and a few "tedious enemy battles" that sully the experience that comes with the freedom to use the Force however players like.
Lifting this lone stormtrooper may have been easy, but if the camera was panned just a bit in any other direction, Starkiller would be lifting something else entirely.
The publication does note that the game introduced technology a little far too ahead of its time when it was first released, stating that it could be a valuable asset for future installments.
Meanwhile, video game review aggregator site Metacritic tells the same lukewarm story, with it giving the game a 65/100, while gamers gave it a user score of 7.4/10.
Despite the lukewarm reception, The Force Unleashed was enjoyed enough for Lucasarts to eventually release DLC for it in the form of two additional missions exploring the "What If" scenario during the game's finale. It also released an "Ultimate Sith Edition" that bundles these two missions and a ton of playable (cosmetic) costumes together, allowing gamers to play as Obi-Wan Kenobi and even as a 501st Legion clone trooper during gameplay.
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