This is a personalized list of Star Wars action-adventure video games that I consider to be the absolute best in the genre and everyone should play!
Star Wars games can be fun, intense, mind-blowing, skillful and even get a laugh out of you. Action-adventure games are very popular and there’s a good amount of Star Wars games that fall into this genre.
In this article, I’ll talk about a few of the best Star-Wars action-adventure games that have been released. If you didn’t have the chance to play it when released for any reason, this would be a good time to consider playing them. There are some upcoming Star Wars games and this can help you “get in the mood”. Note that this is just my subjective opinion of what I consider games that provide a good Star Wars, other genres might be covered in future articles.
What is an action/adventure game
Action-adventure games combine elements of both genres, often offering a long campaign, with a wide variety of enemies that increase their difficulty the further you advance in the game, a progression system, boss fights, and in some cases, the possibility to customize your character.
With that said, let’s dive into our first title. It’s also the most recently released one.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
The Republic is no more, the galaxy is oppressed by the Galactic Empire’s iron fist and the Inquisitors hunt down any remnants of the Jedi Order. Travel across the galaxy and discover ancient knowledge that could help restore the Jedi to its old glory.
Developed by Respawn and published by Electronic Arts in 2019. Currently available for PlayStation, Xbox & Steam. You get to play as Cal Kestis, a young padawan under the supervision of Jedi Master Jaro Tapal. The story takes place right after Order 66 is executed, Jaro Tapal dies protecting Cal from the clones and he is forced to flee the Cruiser he’s stationed in.
Some years have passed, our protagonist has grown up and the Empire runs the galaxy, he knows his secret can’t be known but despite this, Cal will be discovered after using his powers to save a life. The Second and Ninth Sisters, inquisitors specialized in killing Jedi will hunt you down until one part defeats the other.
After the first encounter with the inquisitors, you get to know Cere Junda, a former Jedi knight and Greez Dritus, captain of The Mantis. These two will help Cal along his epic adventure and eventually become his new family. And of course, what is a Jedi without a trusty droid by his side? BD-1 will have your back on every moment, its upgradable abilities will let you explore every corner of this game, but only after you have found the parts needed for it.
As with every good Star Wars game, exploration is a big deal. You’ll get to visit familiar places and new ones. Bogano is a mysterious planet, tied to the Zeffo; an ancient force-wielding species that built a vault that contains a secret capable of restoring the Jedi Order. After learning this, Cal and Cere decide to go find the rest of the pieces to solve this puzzle.
Go from the darkest forest of Kashyyyk to the tallest of its trees, encounter a ghost of the Clone Wars in the obscure Dathomir and infiltrate an imperial fortress to prevent hundreds of lives falling into the Empire’s hands.
When it comes to the enemies on this game you might think they’re weak because you wield a lightsaber, but trust me, that’s not the case. Regular Stormtroopers won’t stand a chance against you, but that’s about it. Even the wildlife presents a significant threat and you might consider avoiding it, especially when your abilities aren’t fully upgraded. Even when you’re at your strongest point if you misplay a fight, you will get outmatched.
All the boss fights are different but every one of them will require you to understand the mechanics of the fight before striking fast and precisely. The variety of bosses is something limited but considering there aren’t that many boss fights it’s still a good mixture of droids, giant animals, Bounty Hunters, Inquisitors and a final enemy that will send chills down your spine the moment you realize what you’re up against.
A game with fun mechanics, good story-telling, and interesting characters. This is a must for everyone who enjoys a good and classic Star Wars game. There are some people (myself included) who suspect that these characters might come to a live-action project, if that’s true then you’ll be a step ahead of everyone else. Plus, the sequel for Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order has been confirmed.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is covered here on VULKK.com. You can check out the guides available if you plan to start it now.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Play as Anakin Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi and experience Revenge of the Sith in a more personal way. Relive the destruction of the Jedi Order and witness the birth of Darth Vader. Stumble across familiar enemies and defeat previously unseen ones like the Clone Assassins.
Developed by The Collective and published by LucasArts, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005. It was originally released for Xbox and PS2, as of today you’re only able to purchase it through the Microsoft Store.
Like the rest of the games in this category, you get to progress through each of the seventeen levels, fight different kinds of enemies with various strengths and weaknesses and encounter a powerful boss at the end. When you beat a boss, it’ll be available to use in multiplayer mode, where you get to fight a 1v1 lightsaber duel against a friend of yours.
There’s little need for me to describe what the main story is about since most of you have watched the movie a few times at a minimum. However, this game helps answer some questions (kind of) people might have about moments that weren’t seen in the movie, particularly Operation: Knightfall. Every time I watch the movie, I get the impression that Anakin and the 501st do not encounter heavy resistance, but according to this game that it’s not the case.
Fighting multiple Jedi in the temple is one of the highlights of the game, not only do you encounter Padawans and Jedi Knights, but also Jedi Brutes; a special type of Jedi in charge of protecting the temple. Their ranks are filled with the physically strongest of the Jedi. Eventually, you duel against legendary Jedi Master Cin Drallig, Battlemaster (the top lightsaber instructor) of the entire Jedi Order. The first time I fought him years ago he crushed me like a womp rat.
If you compare the move set with more recent games it will feel lackluster and simple, but at the time of release, it was a pretty decent experience with different jump attacks, fast or power attacks, force powers that changed according to the character and even a parry that let you break your opponent’s momentum if timed precisely.
The locations are the same as the movie; Mustafar, Utapau, and Coruscant. The voice acting is surprisingly good, despite the characters not having that many lines, they interact with each other quite often and the voices sound very similar to both Hayden’s and Ewan’s.
This is a pretty decent game and I think it complements the experience of watching the movie quite well, but I doubt it’s going to change your perspective of Episode III.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Become Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and experience unlimited power as you go crushing the Empire’s enemies. Progress through the story and make a final choice that will determine how the game ends.
Developed and published by LucasArts, released in 2008 for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PSP and PS2. If you want to play it today, you’re able to do so on Nintendo Switch, Xbox & PC.
A game-changer for many fans, its darker tone creates a whole new atmosphere rarely seen before in a Star Wars game. The protagonist is the one and only Galen Marek aka Starkiller. The son of a Jedi couple who was abducted from his home world by Darth Vader, making him his secret apprentice. It’s important to mention that this game is not canon.
Vader planned to make use of his apprentice to overthrow Emperor Palpatine. But first, Starkiller’s powers had to be tested and strengthened. So, Vader sent him to various trials to prove his worth. If he was to take on one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, he had to be sure that Starkiller was strong enough.
The trials will take you planets that are very different from each other, the list includes Kashyyyk, Raxus Prime, Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa, a corrupted Felucia and the beautiful Cloud City located in Bespin.
There’s a huge variety of enemies; Stormtroopers, droids, a dark Jedi, Wookies and even a Rancor, each of them has a different weakness that you can use to gain the upper hand.
The gameplay is pretty straightforward and some people might even call it tedious or repetitive, you go from point A to point B and kill enemy waves before facing a boss at the end of each level. Despite this, its fast-paced combat prevents you from getting bored too quickly.
If you ever wanted to play a force-wielding character that represents what raw power is then this is a perfect option. Starkiller is way too powerful and everything seems over the top (probably one of the main reasons why it isn’t canon). Taking down a Star Destroyer with only your hands is a perfect example of what I mean. With that said, I enjoyed it a lot the first time I played it. Being an unstoppable force and crushing every one of your enemies can be very fun if you don’t mind average difficulty or how lore inaccurate it is.
Sadly, this game hasn’t aged very well compatibility-wise (PC), the audio is too loud on the cutscenes or too low when playing, it’s capped to 30 fps and the highest resolution you can play it with is 1080p, the last 2 missions’ audio might be completely muted. Every one of those issues is fixable using mods or changing something in the games’ files, but I get it if you don’t want to go through that process. If you want to avoid all of this and still play the game then purchasing on the Nintendo Switch store is the best option.
You can check out the full Walkthrough of The Force Unleashed and The Force Unleashed 2 on the VULKK YouTube channel.
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Forge your own path as you rise through the Jedi ranks. Follow the guidance of your powerful Jedi Masters or dismiss their teachings and let darkness take you. An all-time classic Star Wars game that you should play at least once.
Developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts, it was released in 2003 for Xbox and Pc. You can still buy it on Steam or Xbox store.
This game’s protagonist is Jaden Korr, an aspiring Jedi trainee. The story starts when you’re traveling to Yavin IV to begin your training, but the shuttle crashes and the group gets scattered. Being lost in the jungle a new enemy appears, a Sith cult who worships Marka Ragnos, an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith.
In the temple, the Jedi training begins under the supervision of Jedi Master Kyle Katarn and Grandmaster Luke Skywalker. Later, they find out the Sith cult is draining energy from places that are strong in the force, places that were listed in Luke’s journey, which mysteriously disappeared.
You must investigate those places and find out what’s the interest of the so-called Disciplines of Ragnos. The mission will take you to planets like Tatooine, Hoth, Corellia, Taspir III, Korriban and Blenjeel.
This game gives you the option of making light or dark side decisions which adds a good twist, especially because these choices will impact the story. A surprising element from a game that is not considered an RPG.
My greatest joy when I played it for the first time was customizing my lightsaber. You can go dual-wield or double-bladed lightsaber and even change the color of it. I went for the double-bladed blue lightsaber configuration. There’s the option of also choosing the gender and species of your character.
The combat system is surprisingly fun, nothing too flashy but considering the time it was developed we can’t expect it to be that way. The fights are very intense, with quick moves, and if you’re not careful you will fall off a cliff more times than you’d expect. Being unaware of your surroundings will punish you, specifically when fighting multiple foes at once. Regular enemies will spam one or two attacks which don’t make it hard to defeat them but that doesn’t take the joy out of it.
Overall, a super fun game with a good story (sadly non-canon) and certainly a game that brings back the childhood memories of thousands of fans.
What are your favorite Action-Adventure Star Wars video games?
