Star Wars The Force Awakens is less than a year away. However when it comes to Android games, Star Wars has been in full force, pardon the pun. 2014 saw multiple game releases along with some game removals. On the cusp of a new generation of Star Wars, we should take a look at what we have been given this year, so we can reflect, and better ourselves as Star Wars enthusiasts.
Star Wars Commander
Heavily compared to the popular Clash of Clans, Star Wars Commander is a tower defense game of sorts, where you build up a base, and defend it from invaders ranging from Sand People (Tusken Raiders ) too Imperials. I played it for review and in total it was just ok. The main problem with it was its freemium model. Similar to other games it makes progress very slow without partaking in micro-transactions. I’m not against paying for games, I’m just not a fan of using money for fake items. You can read my review here.
LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles
A sequel to a spin-off of a interlocking brick system, The New Yoda Chronicles gives players multiple mini-figures to play as, along with a cavalcade of ships to pilot. You even get to take down AT-ATs, and the screenshots show a game slightly better looking then the N64 classic Shadows of the Empire. Yay progress!
Star Wars: Galactic Defense
Another Tower Defense-like game, Star Wars: Galactic Defense is exactly what the title implies. You defend different locations in the Star Wars Galaxy. What I find odd is how many tower defense games does the average gamer really need? I mean Star Wars is such a unique property, why limit it to only certain genres?
Knights of the Old Republic
The Most recent, and many including myself would say the most exciting, release was a port of the BioWare RPG Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). a PC and Xbox game originally, KOTOR made its way onto iOS last year, but now it is on Android. This version of the game features full controller support, which makes it all the more appealing to me. As a whole, KOTOR was and still is a significant contribution to the Star Wars universe. Although it is no longer “canon” it still a strong work of storytelling.
In the GFFA (Galaxy Far Far Away for the non-initiated) the future is always in motion, just ask Yoda. When it comes to Android games, this rings true with the removal of two games from Google Play. I covered this story in October, both Tiny Death Star and Star Wars Assault Team are no longer available to download. This particularity hurt developer Nimblebit (Tiny Death Star) which had been a “significant source of revenue” for them.
As a franchise that has endured the test of time, there is no telling what will be next for Star Wars mobile games. With so many things going on in the universe between Star Wars Rebels, Marvel Comics, and new novels, and of course The Force Awakens, there are many possibilities for games in the near future. I only have one things to say as we embark on the biggest year in Star Wars not seen since 1999 is May the Force Be With Us, always.
