Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon

"A very underrated game, this deserves your attention if you’re a Star Wars fan."

Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon has been knocked about by game critics nearly everywhere you look. Every one of them gives it a score that would make you think that this is a poor game and that it's not worth your time. I cannot understand this criticism. I thoroughly enjoyed Flight of the Falcon on my first play through, and replay it often. This is my opinion on a VERY underrated game…

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in Flight of the Falcon are pretty good for a Gameboy Advance. They aren't as good as Iridion 3D, say, but it will impress you a bit. The game is done in 3D, unlike most games for this platform. Some would argue that the poor frame rate and sometimes grainy textures ruin the graphics, but I don't think that that is the case. Come on, the frame rate isn't that bad. And the textures are mostly great – it is only occasionally that the textures become grainy, which is understandable, due to the lack of power in the GBA.

The ships themselves look surprisingly like the ones in the films. The Millenium Falcon, the main ship of the game, looks good, but isn't the best of the bunch. The TIE fighters, whether they be regular, interceptors, or bombers, all look very impressive up close. The detail on them is amazing. Star Destroyers look fantastic. Scenery is great, too – everything from space and the asteroid field, to Mos Eisely, to the forest of Endor, all look brilliant. Most of the time, you will be focusing on the action, so you won't have time to admire the graphics, though. The reason that the graphics don't score higher is that, as mentioned earlier, the frame rate can be a bit dodgy. I said that it didn't matter that much, which it doesn't, but it does stop the graphics from being near enough perfect. Graphics score an 8.

Sound – 7/10

The sounds in Flight of the Falcon of a very good quality. You would expect from a GBA game that the sounds would be muffled, but they aren't in this game. The lasers, for example, sound like they could be from the film! The TIE fighter flyby sound is also very good. Music has been reproduced very well, and is mostly spot-on. But, for some of the tracks, some wrong notes are played! Another, smaller problem is that the music for one or two levels lacks atmosphere. The sound scores 7.

Gameplay – 5/10

Gameplay is what most of the critics said was what made this a bad game. I admit, the gameplay could have seen a lot of improvement, but the atmosphere in the game makes it a very enjoyable experience. The game consists of on-rail levels, much like Star Fox. The objectives for the levels are simplistic – they are either destroy enough of a particular type of enemy, get to the end before the time runs out, or simply survive until the end. One level sees you chasing Boba Fett, though, after he takes Han Solo frozen in carbonite. This level is unique, in that you must lower his shields to be able to take the data from his ship that says where he's taking Han Solo. Some of the levels are very impressive, most notable the chase through Endor on speeder bikes. There is also a good little unlockable as a reward for when you finish the game. But there are also levels that are somewhat tedious. Gameplay scores 5.

Difficulty – 6/10

Most of the levels are pretty challenging. You can't just breeze through this game – there are definitely some levels that you will need to practice on to complete, although there are some levels that are very easy. Flight of the Falcon will challenge most players, but I doubt many skilled gamers would find it so hard. Difficulty scores 6.

Replay Value – 7/10

It won't take you long to complete all of the missions, but this game is very easy to pick up after you've finished it and have a quick dose of Star Wars battles. I think that this is where most of the fun in Flight of the Falcon comes from, the fact that you can replay it over, and over, and over, makes it worth your money. One annoying thing though is that high scores are not saved, and, this doesn't matter to me, but it may to some, that you have to enter passwords to continue from where you were. They are only four digits long, though, so they are easy enough to remember without writing them down. Replay value scores a 7.

Reminders:
Graphics – 8/10
Sound – 7/10
Gameplay – 5/10
Difficulty – 6/10
Replay value – 7/10

Positive points:
+ Great Star Wars atmosphere
+ Very replayable
+ Some very good missions

Negative points:
- Simplistic gameplay
- A few tedious missions
- Passwords, high scores not saves

Overall, I think that Flight of the Falcon is worth considering if you are a fan of Star Wars. Others may not enjoy it as much, but they may just like it…

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/06