What are the chances of this game being any good, when it is the almost unpublicized game of a heavily hyped franchise movie tie-in, and the history of handheld Star Wars games has been mediocre?
Licensed games are generally bad. Movie tie-ins are generally bad. Star Wars handheld games are generally bad. So why even bother reading beyond here?
Because the Episode III game for the Nintendo DS is not bad. In fact, I'll state up front that it is better than any previous handheld Star Wars game.
Note – since the movie is now in theaters, and since the game linearly tracks the plotline of the movie, I will assume that people interested in the game already know what is going to happen and when, and make no attempt to hide any story elements as I review the game.
The game consists of two basic game modes – side-scrolling action and space battle. The side-scrolling action also has front-to-back movement, and is pretty much the same as the GBA version of the game, with an important difference I'll mention later. This mode also contains the 'boss battles', of which there are four. These are fought in pure side scrolling mode, with the hero on the left and the boss on the right. The space battles are unique for the DS version, and are very well done.
Gameplay consists of two paths – one for Anakin and the other for Obi-Wan. As in the movie, they begin and end together, and diverge for much of the game. This is one immediate criticism – repetition. Each character battles four bosses, three which I would call 'story' bosses, as they were major fights in the movie, and one extra boss each is more for 'filler', because while they make sense in context, they did not feature in the movie at the same level of importance.
The controls are intuitive and work very well, and have two basic setups – one for the side-scrolling action and another for the space battles. You can customize anything you want, which is always nice. Also nice is that you can easily find out the controls for a combo right from the 'pause' screen, in case you forget in the middle of action.
So how does it play? Very well. The side-scrolling action features graphics very similar to the GameBoy version, but is remarkable in that the framerate is extremely smooth, regardless of what is happening or how many enemies are present. The graphics, while not taxing for the DS, are as good as anything I've seen on the GBA – the screenshots don't do it justice. You travel from area to area, taking out loads of enemies, who often come at you in clusters from both sides. Along the way you gather advancement points and fill a special meter – Anakin gets 'Rage' based on number of hits, and Obi-Wan gets 'focus' based on his Force power usage. As the meter fills, special combos become available, which are unlocked as you progress through the game. The space battles are simply amazing – they look and feel like a lower-resolution version of Rebel Strike. You are given objectives, and enemy ships of increasing difficulty to battle. There is excellent use of the touch screen to show the radar, health and shield status, and to allow you to move shield power from front to back. There are adequate power-ups around in both game-types.
Replayability comes in two forms: multiplayer, replaying space missions, and incentive-based repeated play of the entire game (or whatever levels you select). At the end of each level, you are rewarded for customization points found, time through the level, and the amount of Jedi moves. The total of these awards you with customization points that you allocate to advancing Force Powers as you choose. This 'RPG-lite' feature is great fun and allows you to customize your character with broad effect. In addition, each completion gives you a character statistic point to increase the health bar, Force bar or increase the damage done per hit. Also, by completing the game at the Padawan or Jedi level, you unlock the 'Master' level, and get a bonus amount of customization points. So if you complete the Padawan level, you take your character with all powers and customizations into the Jedi level, where you start with an extra 50 customization points. As you pass a space mission, it becomes unlocked for you to repeat at any time.
Multiplayer is for space battles only, but that isn't a bad thing. As I mentioned, it is reminiscent of the Star Wars GameCube games such as Rebel Strike. There are three basic modes – host a game, find a game, or 'Skirmish'. In the first two, you play live against other DS owners. In Skirmish, you are playing against 'bots' – this is the only mode I've played. You choose a ship and a setting, set the time and number of 'frags'. Then you choose the ships and 'teams' of the opponents. You can also choose a 'bot' by name. Doing this is special because beating a 'named bot' unlocks their ship for you to use in later multiplayer games. The ultimate ship to unlock is the Millennium Falcon. The gameplay is very good against bots, they vary in difficulty, and the settings are enjoyable, making the multiplayer a worthwhile addition.
How about the criticisms? Well, let's start with repetition. That is the most serious criticism I have about the game. Especially early in the game, you feel like you are repeating wave after wave of the same thing. Then, if you switch characters, you get exactly the same areas. It can become tedious at times. Another criticism is that the touch screen is not active in boss battles. In normal combat, the touch screen allows easy access to the four special combos (or however many are unlocked), but in boss battles if becomes a portrait screen which says 'Obi-Wan vs. Anakin' or whatever battle is in progress. Since boss battles are when you need every tool at your disposal, this is frustrating.
Star Wars Episode III is very good start for Star Wars gaming on the Nintendo DS. It is a fun and varied experience with built-in replayability, augmented by some excellent multiplayer. It is not very long, but is enjoyable and lends itself well to repeated plays. It has continued to be my sole handheld game long since finishing the main missions.
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