The villains of the Star Wars series are iconic. With imaginative weaponry and destructive power, they have captivated the zeitgeist for over 40 years. Sinister but cool characters such as Darth Vader and Boba Fett transcend moral judgment, earning esteem within pop-culture despite their actions. They are the ultimate power fantasies.
Most Star Wars video games have relegated gamers to the side of the light, forcing them to fight alongside the noble Jedi or plucky rebellion. But, on a couple of occasions, Star Wars video games have given players the opportunity to unleash their inner id as Star Wars' most notorious and beloved villains. Whether it's gunning down Jawas, decapitating Wookiees, or blowing up X-Wings, some of the finest action games of the past few decades allowed gamers to embrace their dark side.
It's been a long time since players had the chance to genuinely wreak havoc as a Star Wars villain. Games like the recent Battlefront 2 do not count, since the campaign's protagonist quickly turns to the side of the rebellion, showing them as a misguided hero rather than a villain, and the multiplayer is just pretend battles with players hopping sides at will, so no true villainy is had. In honor of the Dark Side, here is every Star Wars game where you can truly play as an evil character.
Star Wars: TIE Fighter
The first Star Wars game to ever let players be the bad guy, TIE Fighter released in July of 1994. The game is a sequel to popular Star Wars: X-Wing. TIE Fighter puts players in the role of an imperial pilot as they defended the Empire against the Rebel threat. Entirely from the Imperial perspective, the game is still unique as it portrays the Empire as a regime of peace trying to stop a violent rebellion. Expansions would deepen this perspective by having players serve under iral Thrawn as together they put down a coup against Emperor Palpatine. Unabashedly evil, Star Wars: Tie Fighter even hijacks the classic Star Wars theme during the opening crawl, replacing it with a variation of “The Imperial March.”
Star Wars: Jedi Knight Series
The Star Wars: Jedi Knight video games follow the adventures of Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial officer turned Rebel mercenary. After the first game, Dark Forces, the series turned Kyle into a force , giving players access to a lightsaber and force powers alongside classic guns like the E-11 blaster rifle. While the most popular entry in the series, Jedi Outcast, relegates players to the side of good, the first Jedi Knight game, Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, and the last game in the series, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, allow players to be a Sith.
Dark Forces II is especially unique because the outcome of the story and Kyle's alignment are not determined by any specific moral choice. Instead, it's the player's choice of force powers that determines the outcome. So, if the player emphasizes aggressive powers, like Force Choke, then Kyle will be evil. In Jedi Academy, the player takes on the role of Kyle Katarn's student and can freely choose powers without consequence. Then, during the final act, a moral choice is made that determines the protagonist's alignment and narrative conclusion.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Released as a companion to Attack of The Clones in 2002, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter puts players in the jetpack of the amoral Jango Fett. Set approximately 10 years prior to Attack of The Clones, Bounty Hunter details why Jango is chosen to be the template for the clone army. The simple answer: he is a ruthless killing machine.
Over the course of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Jango guns down countless criminals, dooms innocents to the Hutt slave trade, and assassinates senators all in the name of claiming the galaxy's biggest bounty: the head of Komari Vosa, a former Jedi turned drug lord. Relentless and gritty, Bounty Hunter stands tall as one of the edgiest Star Wars stories ever told.
Knights of the old Republic Series
Set thousands of years before the prequel trilogy, the Knights of The Old Republic games are beloved for showing the Jedi and Sith in their heyday, before The Old Republic, opened the series up to MMO gameplay but kept the grey morality and customization for which the prior games were known. If players want to unleash true evil onto the galaxy, these are the best Star Wars games around.
Battlefront 2 (2005)
Unlike the other Battlefront games, including the recent DICE reboots, the original Battlefront II from 2005 contained a campaign where the player gets to be undeniably evil. Called "Rise of The Empire," the campaign chronicles the history of the 501st, an elite group of clone troopers that served from the Clone Wars through to the fall of the Empire. Released prior to The Clone Wars' explanation of Order 66, "Rise of The Empire" says that the clones knew the entire time that they would betray the Jedi and make the decision consciously.
The campaign is narrated by a veteran of the 501st and, while he its to some remorse, he and his comrades do not hesitate to gun down the Jedi. Furthermore, over the course of the campaign players get to take on the role of Sith like Vader and Palpatine in the context of an actual story, such as putting down an attempted coup on Kamino's clone facility.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of The Sith
A video game adaptation of the film, Revenge of Sith allows players to play as Anakin Skywalker and murder numerous Jedi, including Mace Windu. The game even contains a special alternate ending where Anakin defeats Obi-Wan on Mustafar and kills Palpatine to become Emperor.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Series
The last Star Wars series to allow players to be evil, The Force Unleashed games cast players as Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. In both games, players have access to a bevy of Dark Side abilities and can choose to follow the Dark Side or Light Side at the end, but the original stands out for its darker narrative and expanded ending. During the first half of the original Force Unleashed, Starkiller murders former Jedi Masters and then, during the game's Dark Side epilogue, he not only kills Obi-Wan but makes Luke Skywalker his apprentice. Now THAT is evil.
Only time will tell if new Star Wars games will allow players to fully embrace the Dark Side, but thankfully there is a long history of evil gameplay available for those who go looking for it.
