Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is probably one of the most beloved properties before Disney bought Lucasfilm, and there have been calls to bring the franchise back complete with Starkiller a.k.a. Galen Marek.
While I personally think Galen Marek should stay in Legends where he belongs, there is one character that could be the perfect protagonist for a new trilogy of Force Unleashed games—Ben Solo a.k.a. Kylo Ren.
The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is essentially God of War meets Star Wars with players taking control of an overpowered Force user and having him platform through levels slicing and Force-choking every expendable he finds in his way.
The story focuses on Galen Marek/Starkiller, a secret apprentice of Darth Vader who was trained in the Dark Side, but now finds himself questioning if he should be fighting for the Empire or against them.
The first game was pretty well-received, but things kind of fell off by The Force Unleashed II. 2 years later, Disney would buy Lucasfilm, and it looks like any plans for a third Force Unleashed were scrapped.
More than a decade later, a lot of fans still love The Force Unleashed, and there are several fans hoping that Starkiller would be made canon in The Mandalorian or some other expanded universe property. At best we get his Sith helmet in Andor as an Easter Egg, but that’s it.
The Force Unleashed: Kylo Ren
There have been calls to bring The Force Unleashed back, and if they ever do, they should center the game around another angsty Force user who loves Darth Vader and is actually in the official canon—Kylo Ren.
They can start the game out with Ben Solo training under Luke Skywalker, then they can follow the course of the comics where Ben slowly gets turned to the Dark Side by Snoke; discovering all these Dark Side powers and his legacy as the grandson of Darth Vader.
By the end, it could culminate in a reimagining of the night Kylo destroys Luke’s Jedi temple, and Luke will end up being the final boss that Kylo has to fight (like how Starkiller’s final boss was Darth Vader). Should Luke win, Ben Solo remains a Jedi and Rey is never discovered; but if Luke loses, Kylo Ren is born, and he brandishes his red crossguard saber right as the credits roll.
Why it Works
Kylo has always been one of the fan-favorites to come out of the Sequel Trilogy, and he has all the skills that make for an OP Force user from invading people’s minds, to being able to stop a blaster bolt mid-air.
With the Clone Wars and OT era already pretty fleshed out, there’s a lot more room to play and build up the backstory of the Knights of Ren and the First Order. Besides an appearance from Snoke, the game could expand backstories for General Hux and the rest of the Knights; maybe they can even show the origin of stormtrooper leader Captain Phasma.
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+ 2If we’re talking a series, the first game can cover Ben Solo’s story before the events of The Force Awakens, and the following game could just be the Sequel Trilogy from the POV of Kylo Ren—complete with Rey boss fights and TIE Silencer flying levels—all culminating in the final confrontation with Sith Eternal Palpatine.
How about taking a leaf from Assassin’s Creed Shadows and having both Kylo and Rey be playable? Have the first game cover their backstories before TFA, and then follow their ST journey with the second game. Rey is already getting her next movie soon, so there’s the content for a third game.
Man, I really should have started the pitch with it being a Kylo/Rey game, but for simplicity's sake, they can just put the sole focus on Kylo.
Isn’t Star Wars Jedi Already the Successor of Force Unleashed?
click to enlarge + 2Though some would argue that the Star Wars Jedi games are the spiritual successor of The Force Unleashed title, their emphasis on Soulslike combat kind of eliminates Jedi from being a true follow-up.
At best, Force Unleashed is easier to pick-up as a casual gamer, and the game is not as punishing for anyone just looking for a casual hack-and-slash Star Wars game.
Plus, the franchise desperately needs to get out of the OT and PT era because I am sick to death of looking at clones and Imperial stormtroopers. All that time collecting Sequel Trilogy merch can't have been for nothing.