Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is a sequel built on a simple promise: bigger powers, bigger fights, and a clone of the hero who started it all. That promise mostly delivers, but the game struggles to hold together the parts that make it work.
Trailer, via IGN.
Starkiller Returns
The game picks up six months after the first Force Unleashed. Starkiller, the apprentice of Darth Vader who sacrificed himself to help build the Rebel Alliance, has been cloned. This clone carries the original’s memories and knows he will be betrayed again, so he flees Vader’s grasp.
The setup is personal where the first game was not. Starkiller is chasing his own identity, trying to understand who he is outside Vader’s shadow. That drive gives the story a weight the original lacked.
Vader’s Clone Project
Darth Vader is not training a protégé this time. He is breeding a perfect apprentice from Starkiller’s DNA. The game presents this as a darker entry in the series, and it is. Vader’s pursuit of the clone runs parallel to the clone’s own search for freedom.
The hunt between Starkiller and Vader drives the whole story. It never lets up, and the stakes stay high even when the pace slows.
Combat and Force Powers
The combat system builds on what came before. Players can still string lightsaber combos together and combine attacks with Force powers. Experience points earned from killing enemies and finding artifacts still buy upgrades for Starkiller’s abilities and traits.
What changes is the sheer amount of force available. Dual-wielding lightsabers is a major addition, letting players tear apart enemies limb by limb. The game also adds more Force powers, including Mind Trick and Force Rage, giving players a wider palette of ways to crush foes.
Plot Beats Across the Galaxy
The game moves across several planets, each tied to a distinct set of enemies and a memorable encounter.
| Planet | Event |
|---|---|
| Kamino | The clone’s escape begins, after Vader declares him a failure |
| Cato Neimoidia | Starkiller rescues Rahm Kota from a gladiatorial arena |
| Dagobah | Starkiller meets Jedi Grand Master Yoda in a cave |
Each stop serves the central chase between Starkiller and Vader, though some stretches feel like filler between the big set pieces.
The Cast Returns
Sam Witwer returns as Starkiller, providing both the likeness and the voice. He also voices Emperor Palpatine, earning the part during a read-through of the script. Matt Sloan, who played Darth Vader in the webseries Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager, voices Vader again here.
Nathalie Cox and Cully Fredrickson return as Juno Eclipse and General Rahm Kota. Tom Kane voices Jedi Master Yoda, a role he has provided several times within the Star Wars franchise. Dee Bradley Baker voices bounty hunter Boba Fett and all the clone troopers in the Clone Wars series.
What Holds It Back
The game is not without problems. Some levels rely too heavily on scripted sequences that break the flow of play. The pace drags in places where the story needs to catch breath, and the writing leans on familiar Star Wars tropes without fresh surprises.
The chase between Starkiller and Vader is the strongest thread. When the game stays focused on that hunt, it earns its keep. When it wanders into side content, it loses focus.
Final Word
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is a competent, occasionally thrilling ride that falls short of greatness. The combat is sharp, the powers are satisfying, and the story has real emotional weight. But the pacing issues and filler content keep it from reaching the heights of its predecessor.
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