As anyone who has seen Star Wars knows, watching the Sith Lord or Luke Skywalker use the Force to obliterate any obstacle in their way has always been the highlight of the films. When Star Wars: Battlefront launches on November 17, we will finally be able to wield the force for ourselves either for the greater good or in the name of the glorious Empire.
DICE has opened the lid ever so slightly for Battlefront to show just what each character is capable of and how to be effective wielding the force. Depending on the side chosen to fight for, you’ll first have to find the battle pickup which will unleash your character for your alliance. Whether you’ll see Luke in his Episode VI attire with his trademark green lightsaber or Lord Vader’s iconic red lightsaber is dependent upon your allegiance. Once the pick up is activated, the player’s health will begin to decrease, and the only way to extend this is to defeat enemies.
Jamie Keen, Senior Producer at DICE, said that “the goal was to give average players around 2 minutes as either Hero or Villain”, but if “players are good enough, they can extend that time to around 5 minutes”. He then discussed what to expect from Luke and Lord Vader himself. From Luke’s Force push for distant targets to his wide, sweeping heavy lightsaber attack for large groups, to his Saber Rush (which will propel him towards enemies with ease and speed for fast attacks), his movement and feel have been studied and perfected to give him the feel of a Jedi who is just realizing what he is capable of.
Darth Vader has always been the imposing figure who will not hesitate to do what is necessary in the name of the Empire. Capable of handling numerous threats at once, Vader is the most menacing villain in the Star Wars universe and his attacks in Star Wars: Battlefront show off his true power. With the Force choke and lightsaber throw, crowd control is where Vader will shine. Experimentation is also key to success as one wields the power of the dark side.
There is still a ways to go before the November 17th launch of Star Wars: Battlefront and we can only hope to see more of who to expect on the Heroes and Villains side of the battle. Will we see the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett before then? I sure hope so.
