Star Wars: The New Droid Army

Luke's lightsaber, the sands of Tatooine, and an army of droids rolling across the galaxy — Star Wars: The New Droid Army bets on the power of the most famous film brand of all time and packs it into an action game for the Game Boy Advance. For Star Wars fans it was a chance to take a piece of that galaxy along on their travels.

In gameplay terms it's an action adventure with a top-down and isometric perspective, where you lead a hero through enemy ranks. You wield a lightsaber, block and slash, gradually cutting through waves of droids and using the Force as well. The mix of close combat and abilities gives the game pace and an effort to offer something more than simple button-mashing.

The GBA was a grateful home for the Star Wars brand — the machine's power allowed for decent graphics and music echoing the iconic film themes. Atmosphere is key here: familiar environments, familiar enemies, and musical echoes lend even simple missions the right "galactic" flavor.

It's fair to say this is a licensed title whose ambition was to please fans and offer solid action on the go, not to redefine the genre. But that's exactly how it fulfills its role — anyone craving a serving of Star Wars on a small screen gets exactly what they expect.

Today it's more of a collector's curiosity for lovers of the brand and the history of handheld games. As part of the vast family of GBA titles from the Star Wars universe, it demonstrates just how strongly this license shaped the handheld gaming landscape of the early millennium.

Why play: If you want a serving of Star Wars action in your pocket and don't mind licensed straightforwardness, it offers familiar atmosphere and lightsaber slashing on the go.