Hands on with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on iPhone

With George Lucas eager to see his new interactive chapter in the Star Wars saga hit every platform in the galaxy, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that iPhone is getting its own special version of The Force Unleashed.

Following in step with the series, the game follows Darth Vader's secret apprentice as he helps his master to eradicate the last of the Jedi order. In practice, this means zipping across the galaxy with orders to kill any remaining Jedi masters. While the iPhone version parallels those on console, the script has been reworked in light of a shorter game. You'll still follow the same story, but a few levels have been omitted.

As we'd expect from an iPhone iteration, The Force Unleashed introduces an inventive combat system that has you attacking enemies by tracing the pattern displayed above their heads. For example, a clockwise loop over a storm trooper's head signifies that you need to draw that figure with your finger on the touch screen. You don't have to draw the shape directly above an enemy; instead, you're able to use the entirety of the screen as long as you draw the correct shape.

Patterns correspond to specific Force powers - the aforementioned loop triggers a Force push. Deflecting blaster pistol fire can be done by flicking your finger in the direction of the enemy. A red circle pops up above an enemy with part of the circle filled in to signify the direction in which you need to flick.

At the end of each chapter you gain new Force powers including the ability to heal and drain health from enemies. Before you're allowed to use them, however, you need to complete training programs instructing you how to draw the patterns associated with each Force power. These short training sessions act as tutorials, warming you up for the frenzied finger-driven action of combat and boss battles.

Concluding our run-through the game's first level was a confrontation against Jedi Master Kota. Before we could even begin to think about attacking Kota, we first had to eliminate a wave of storm troopers by reflecting their blaster fire. Once out of the way, a quick loop let us Force grip nearby boxes and then throw them at Kota for damage. After repeating the process a few times, his health was whittled down enough to declare victory.

Aside from the main single player campaign, The Force Unleashed promises a survival mode. Exactly what it entails remains a mystery given that we only caught a glimpse of the option from the main menu. We'll know more when the game launches on the App Store this autumn.