Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Star Wars: The New Droid Army places you directly in the boots of a young Anakin Skywalker as he embarks on a mission to thwart Count Dooku’s plans. The game unfolds through a series of isometric, top-down levels that span desert landscapes, shadowy droid factories, and Republic starbases. Each stage is designed to challenge your mastery of lightsaber combat, forcing you to plan attacks carefully while dodging blaster fire and environmental hazards.

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Combat revolves around a blend of rapid lightsaber strikes and a set of unlockable Force abilities. Early in the game, your basic slash and thrust combo is sufficient to dispatch standard battle droids, but as you progress you’ll need Force Push, Force Pull, and the gravity-defying Force Jump to handle tougher enemies and solve simple environmental puzzles. Timing your special moves is key – overuse of high-energy abilities can leave you vulnerable during critical moments.

Beyond pure combat, the game peppers in brief platforming sections and light puzzle elements. You might find yourself using Force Pull to open electronic gates, guiding remote droid scouts through security grids, or leaping across precarious walkways to reach hidden data terminals. Boss encounters—most notably skirmishes with Dooku’s elite commando droids—serve as high points in the gameplay loop, demanding you to mix defensive parries with swift counterattacks.

Graphics

Graphically, The New Droid Army closely resembles its GBA predecessor Jedi Power Battles, boasting crisp sprite work and detailed backgrounds rendered in a muted yet atmospheric color palette. Environments feel lived-in: the metal corridors of the droid factory glint under harsh lighting, while desert vistas stretch out beneath a sweltering sun. Character sprites are well-animated, capturing Anakin’s dynamic lightsaber spins and menacing droid protocols with surprising fidelity on handheld hardware.

Special effects—from the glow of a saber slash to the distortion of a Force Push—are clearly visible and lend a satisfying punch to each encounter. Cutscenes use a combination of in-engine graphics and still-frame artwork to advance the narrative, creating a comic-book style that suits the Game Boy Advance’s limitations. Though it doesn’t reach console-level polish, the graphical presentation remains among the genre’s best on the platform.

Performance is steady throughout, with minimal slowdown even when dozens of droid minions swarm the screen. Load times between levels are brief, ensuring you stay immersed in the action. The user interface is intuitive: health bars, Force meters, and mission objectives occupy the corners of the screen without obscuring the view, letting you focus on precise movement and timing.

Story

The narrative of The New Droid Army kicks off as Anakin pursues Count Dooku to a remote manufacturing facility, driven by both duty and personal vendetta. The storyline weaves together familiar moments from the Star Wars saga—initial meetings with Jedi Master Yoda, tense negotiations with a scheming Jabba the Hutt, and whispered reports of an ever-growing droid fleet. Each interaction feels true to the source material, thanks to well-written dialogue and evocative in-game art.

As you journey through levels, small text-based cutscenes flesh out Dooku’s plan: an unstoppable Droid Army poised to crush the Republic. This adds weight to each battle, turning routine skirmishes into urgent defenses of key Republic strongholds. Side characters, such as an undercover protocol droid and a renegade astromech, expand the cast and provide fresh perspective on the galaxy’s wartime struggles.

Pacing is generally brisk, with only occasional lulls between high-octane action sequences. While the main thrust of the story is straightforward—and largely predictable for seasoned Star Wars fans—moments of tension, betrayal, and hidden secrets keep the narrative engaging. Unlockable mission logs deepen the lore by offering background on Dooku’s experimental droids and the political intrigue simmering in the Senate.

Overall Experience

Star Wars: The New Droid Army delivers a tightly focused hack-and-slash adventure that should satisfy both die-hard franchise enthusiasts and action-oriented handheld gamers. Its blend of lightsaber combat, Force-based abilities, and occasional puzzles offers a satisfying challenge that ramps up steadily across the game’s dozen or so levels. Boss fights against heavily armored droids and elite mercenaries punctuate the journey with memorable showdowns.

While the lack of branching paths or major side quests limits replay value to some extent, players can revisit earlier stages to hunt for hidden holocrons and bonus collectibles that unlock concept art and additional lore. The control scheme remains responsive even during hectic encounters, and the on-screen HUD balances clarity with minimal intrusion.

Ultimately, this title stands out on the GBA for its faithful Star Wars atmosphere and well-executed gameplay mechanics. If you’re seeking an accessible yet challenging action game with enough narrative depth to complement its battle systems, joining Anakin Skywalker in The New Droid Army is a strong choice for your collection.

Retro Replay Score

6/10