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Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon that started all the way back in 1977, when legendary director George Lucas released the first movie, Star Wars: A New Hope. Since then, the franchise has exploded within the entertainment industry and was presented in a number of media formats. This included comic books, novels, TV shows, and video games.
The first ever video game based on this franchise was 1982’s The Empire Strikes Back, which was an adaptation of the sequel to the first movie. Since then, Star Wars has been a recurring presence in the video game industry and has dipped its toes into various video game genres as well.
Whether as a role-playing game, hack and slash title or first-person shooter, Star Wars has since seen a variety of different games released under its wing. In this list, the top five games from this franchise are ranked, based on their gameplay, narrative, and overall experience delivered.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
5 of the best game adaptations from the Star Wars franchise, ranked
5) Star Wars: Squadrons
Squadrons is a first-person space combat game, designed to simulate the experience of hopping into an X-Wing and blowing something up. However, that does not mean that players will be limited to only one vehicle in the game. In fact, they will be handling various iconic starfighter models from both the New Republic and Galactic Empire sides of the conflict.
This action-packed game is played from inside the cockpit of whichever starfighter they are playing in, and must take part in large-scale aerial dog fights with an objective to achieve victory. The game features both a multiplayer and single-player mode. In the multiplayer mode, players can participate in arena battles in teams of 5, while the single-player mode offers a set storyline.
As expected, this was a great game for those who enjoyed the ship-against-ship battles from the Star Wars movies, especially during the end of A New Hope. Space combat is the greatest it has ever been, and significantly improved from the Battlefront games which previously featured them.
4) Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Developed by Raven Software and published by LucsasArts, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy was the final installment of the Jedi Knight series of video games. Like the previous titles, this game takes place after the end of the Return of the Jedi movie in a continuity that is now considered non-canon, ever since Disney acquired LucasArts.
The game lets players create a character, for the first time in the series, from a number of different races unique to Star Wars. Players can then join Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy as a student and start their journey either as a Jedi who uses the Force or a Sith of the Dark Side.
As one of the first role-playing games in the Star Wars universe, it was quite a popular title as it gave players the freedom to pick and choose their Force powers as well as create their own lightsaber. While the story is somewhat underwhelming, the game's fun gameplay more than made up for it. The lightsaber combat specifically was the best of the time, and holds up even today.
3) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Another game which is technically non-canon now, The Force Unleashed is a story about Starkiller, a secret apprentice trained by Darth Vader after the events of the Revenge of the Sith. This Force-sensitive user turns out to be too much, even for Vader himself to control, and players soon understand why.
In terms of Force power, Starkiller's was comparable in size to that of Vader himself, which can be seen in the hack and slash gameplay. When up against either Stormtroopers or Rebel soldiers, Starkiller could take on dozens simultaneously and obliterate them all swiftly. Clearly, this is a major reason why he is non-canon now, as he essentially makes Luke Skywalker obsolete.
Regardless of the ramifications of his canon existence, Starkiller was a blast to play as and remains, to this day, the closest fans have been able to get to playing Darth Vader. The game’s physics engine was also hilariously fun to experiment with, as various Force powers reacted differently to different items in the environment.
2) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
After the end of the Force Unleashed Saga, and Disney’s acquisition of LucasArts, Jedi: Fallen Order was the first game in the franchise that was single-player only. After focusing on multiplayer and online games, EA finally released a game centered around a full campaign, and was finally met with some positive reception.
Set during the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, this game told the new story of protagonist Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan on the run from the empire. Gameplay was set across a number of worlds, that the players could visit using a ship that acted as a base.
After a long wait, many fans of the series finally got the video game they were looking for, featuring a Force user and wielding a lightsaber. The game's combat was intricate and a major plus point, while the Metroidvania-like world design was fun to explore, making it a worthy game in the franchise for many.
1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
This was one of the best games from the franchise once upon a time, and still remains one of the best RPGs set in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare and released on July 15, 2003, Knights of the Old Republic starts 'In Media Res', as the player character wakes up when their ship is under attack.
Featuring one of the best reveals in video game history, as well as a couple of twists, the game sees players embark on an epic journey that shakes every foundation of the Jedi Order. However, the events of the game take place long before the movies, about 4000 years before the rise of the Empire itself.
The title's fame and popularity saw developer BioWare grow to new heights and greener pastures. It seems like KOTOR (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) is not done yet, as a remake is currently in development from Aspyr, which will be released for Windows and PlayStation 5, which might end up making the events of this game canon.
