retrometroid
1 review liked by retrometroid
4/10 playable experience, 8/10 Star Wars experience
Gameplay-wise, this is the shittiest, jankiest souls-like I’ve ever played. Movement and combat are so floaty and unreliable, animations are glitching out, enemies have a stance meter that you have to break down, but it resets again when you damage them once so your combo will abruptly just shut down, parries don’t take into account the possibility of more than one stormtrooper attacking at once so if you’re fighting more than 2 guys (which you will be) and two decide to attack at once, you’ll just get screwed out of your counter, as well some galaxy brain thought it’d be a good idea to have unblockable attacks highlighted in red in a game where half the light sources are red, even the level in which you fight the final boss is like this, I don’t think I’ve ever hated a 3D model in a video game as much as I do her. Only semi-redeeming thing about this on the gameplay front is that it’s fun to toy around with force powers once you unlock them, throw enemies into other enemies, freeze bolts in midair, then pick up a guy and walk him into it, even then though, your options have limits.
The only reason why I’d ever recommend this to anyone is if you’re looking for a reminder of why you love the Star Wars IP. Whereas Force Unleashed felt like some kid’s fan fiction, this feels more consistent with an episode of Clone Wars. It’s basically Rebels but actually good (comparisons to Clone Wars and Rebels are exemplified by designs and voice actors from both appearing in the game). The crew is very down to earth and likeable, the villains are menacing while still being sympathetic, the heart is there, the spirit of adventure is there, the art design is there, the world just feels so thoroughly Star Wars, from the blue collar scavengers we’re with at the game’s start, to the mystique and the spirituality of the jedi and the force, which Star Wars stuff has always seemed to neglect post-original trilogy.
If you like Star Wars, and even if you think most Disney Star Wars stuff has been garbage, what’s here might be worth toughing out this busted ass game for.
Gameplay-wise, this is the shittiest, jankiest souls-like I’ve ever played. Movement and combat are so floaty and unreliable, animations are glitching out, enemies have a stance meter that you have to break down, but it resets again when you damage them once so your combo will abruptly just shut down, parries don’t take into account the possibility of more than one stormtrooper attacking at once so if you’re fighting more than 2 guys (which you will be) and two decide to attack at once, you’ll just get screwed out of your counter, as well some galaxy brain thought it’d be a good idea to have unblockable attacks highlighted in red in a game where half the light sources are red, even the level in which you fight the final boss is like this, I don’t think I’ve ever hated a 3D model in a video game as much as I do her. Only semi-redeeming thing about this on the gameplay front is that it’s fun to toy around with force powers once you unlock them, throw enemies into other enemies, freeze bolts in midair, then pick up a guy and walk him into it, even then though, your options have limits.
The only reason why I’d ever recommend this to anyone is if you’re looking for a reminder of why you love the Star Wars IP. Whereas Force Unleashed felt like some kid’s fan fiction, this feels more consistent with an episode of Clone Wars. It’s basically Rebels but actually good (comparisons to Clone Wars and Rebels are exemplified by designs and voice actors from both appearing in the game). The crew is very down to earth and likeable, the villains are menacing while still being sympathetic, the heart is there, the spirit of adventure is there, the art design is there, the world just feels so thoroughly Star Wars, from the blue collar scavengers we’re with at the game’s start, to the mystique and the spirituality of the jedi and the force, which Star Wars stuff has always seemed to neglect post-original trilogy.
If you like Star Wars, and even if you think most Disney Star Wars stuff has been garbage, what’s here might be worth toughing out this busted ass game for.