The Force Unleashed II is a third-person action game in which the player's character's weapons are the Force and a lightsaber. The game has a combo system for stringing lightsaber attacks and for combining lightsaber attacks with Force powers. Like the original Force Unleashed, experience points earned by killing enemies and finding artifacts can be used to increase Starkiller's powers and traits.
The Force Unleashed II refines gameplay elements from the first Force Unleashed, and adds more variety with such features as puzzle solving. Combat was modified to include the ability to wield dual lightsabers, which can dismember or decapitate enemies. The game also adds more Force powers, such as "Mind Trick" and "Force Rage".
Platform-specific elements
According to lead producer Vinde Kudirka, the goal of the game across all platforms is to make the player feel like "a super-powerful Jedi". Executive producer Julio Torres said that while the story is consistent across platforms, gameplay decreases in style across platforms to reflect each platform's uniqueness and strengths. The Wii's control scheme is focused on being able to precisely control Starkiller's Force powers and saber combos. The Wii exclusive "Force rage" power puts the game's protagonist, Starkiller, into a bullet time mode exclusive to that platform; the Wii version also has a Force sight power not included on other platforms. The Wii version also has a multiplayer mode, inspired by The Outfoxies, in which four players can challenge each other in a fighting-style combat game. The Wii game also has an extra story-based level, on Dagobah, that is not present in the HD version of the game, making the plot of the Wii game slightly different from the HD version.
The PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions feature new Force powers, new skins for Force powers that appear in The Force Unleashed, an improved rendering system providing richer colors, and a new audio system. The gameplay also highlights the potential to "destroy" the game environment. Neither of the PC, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 versions of the game include multiplayer. The Nintendo DS version features the same Force powers as the console versions, but was designed for shorter play sessions due to its mobile nature.
Plot
At an Imperial facility on the planet Kamino, Darth Vader observes the training of a renegade clone of his former apprentice Starkiller, who Vader considers a failure in his quest to create a perfect apprentice. After a vision of Darth Vader killing him due to his inability to kill a test droid, which had taken the form of Juno Eclipse, the original Starkiller's love interest, the clone escapes from captivity. After eliminating numerous stormtroopers and other Imperial forces standing in his way, Starkiller escapes from Kamino aboard Vader's personal ship and embarks on a quest to understand his identity and find Juno. Meanwhile, Darth Vader hires the bounty hunter Boba Fett to track down Juno and bring her to him, in order to lure Starkiller out of hiding.
Starkiller arrives on the Imperial-controlled planet Cato Neimoidia to rescue Rahm Kota, the original Starkiller's blind Jedi mentor, who is being held captive by the planet's ruler, Baron Merillion Tarko, and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena to the death. At his arrival, Starkiller is welcomed by Tarko, but he quickly becomes suspicious and dispatches numerous Imperial forces to kill him. Fighting his way through all of them, Starkiller eventually arrives at the arena and rescues Kota; a desperate Tarko unleashes his strongest beast, known as a Gorog. The Gorog manages to escape its untested restraints and destroys the entire arena, devouring Tarko in the process before grabbing Kota as they both fall off the platform they are standing on. Starkiller jumps after them and manages to rescue Kota, killing the Gorog before they are both saved by the Rogue Shadow, the original Starkiller's ship, which remained in Kota's possession after his death.
Aboard the ship, Kota learns that Starkiller is a clone (although he claims that nobody can clone a true Jedi) and tries to convince him to join the Rebel Alliance, but Starkiller declines, as he is interested only in finding Juno and cares nothing for the war. After dropping Kota off, Starkiller begins searching for more information regarding his past and identity and feels compelled by the Force to visit Dagobah. After a brief encounter with former Jedi Grand Master Yoda (although Starkiller is unaware of his identity), the clone enters a cave where he has several strange visions and learns that Juno is in trouble aboard her ship, the Rebel cruiser Salvation. Starkiller leaves Dagobah in a rush and, after picking up Kota, the two of them join the rest of the Rebel fleet at Nordra. Aboard the Salvation, Starkiller finds most of the crew dead and the ship swarming with Imperial forces, and encounters the original Starkiller's training droid PROXY, who informs him that the Empire has attacked the ship to capture Juno. Starkiller makes his way to the hangar to rescue Juno, only to witness her being captured by Boba Fett, who takes her to Kamino.
With Juno gone, Starkiller clears the Salvation of Imperial forces, even fighting and destroying a massive droid called "Terror Walker" before it can destroy the ship's power core. Returning to the bridge, he meets with Kota and PROXY. Starkiller convinces Kota to assert his authority as an Alliance commander to order an all-out assault on Kamino so he can rescue Juno and apprehend Darth Vader, but the Rebels' attack is cut short due the Empire anticipating their arrival and activating a shield around the planet that prevents them from reaching Kamino's surface. After everyone evacuates, Starkiller crashes the Salvation through the shield, creating an opening for Kota and his troops to stage a ground assault, while he goes after Juno. After fighting his way through numerous Imperial forces, Starkiller eventually finds and duels Vader, who reveals an entire legion of failed Starkiller clones, which he commands to attack him. Upon killing them all, Starkiller and Darth Vader engage in a final confrontation, during which the latter throws Juno out of a window. Believing Juno to be dead, an enraged Starkiller attacks Vader, severing his right hand and subduing him with Force Lightning, just as Kota and his men arrive. Vader tells Starkiller to strike him down in anger, wheras Kota tries to convince him that they need Vader alive, to interrogate the Sith Lord for the Empire's secrets, before putting him on trial so he can be executed in accordance with the law. Similar to the first game, this leaves the player with two possible endings to the game to choose from: the light path or the dark path.
