The recent state of DS games has made it clear that few companies are taking part in Nintendo’s vision of a “third pillar”. While some companies have put out original software for the DS, most are simply prettied up ports of GBA games with lame touch-screen additions. Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith follows this path and is an exact port of the GBA version with a handful of 3D space shooter levels thrown in.

Graphically, the game contains two components; 2D side-scrolling levels and 3D shooter levels. The 2D areas are bright, colorful and call to mind earlier brawlers like Double Dragon or Final Fight on the SNES. Characters are stylized and have a softer, more cartoon-like appearance. The same goes for nearly everything in the game. Still, things are easy to identify and it still feels like a “Star Wars” game. 3D areas attempt to carry over the cartoon look and are somewhat successful, provided you can ignore the obvious 2D/3D gap. The 3D areas are a little flat and on the plain side, but still manage to look decent in motion.

As always, Episode III comes in with robust sound effects and John Williams’ familiar score. Background music is pulled mostly from the Original Trilogies, though a few songs from “Phantom Menace” and “Clones” show up. A few original songs also pop in at times and fit with the well-known score.

While not directly related to the console versions of the same game, Episode III carries over many of the same elements. You take the roles of Obi-Wan and Anakin and play through the events of the movie as well as some areas that expand on off-screen action. The game is a pure brawler similar to SNES/Genesis-era games like Golden Axe; the only difference is that instead of swords and axes you’re using lightsabers and the Force.

The game follows a linear path through the movie with a divergence after the first level where each character plays through their respective adventures, only to meet up in the end. Level flow is very basic and doesn’t change much between levels. Some are timed or feature a “forced scroll”, but never stray too far from the core element of just beating up sets of enemies as they appear on screen. The lack of variety will hurt the game in the eyes of more “current” gamers who expect variety, while old-school fans will appreciate the return to basics.

Obi-Wan and Anakin share similar basic move sets, as well as the ability to Force push and pull, but still play differently. Obi-Wan is a more elegant fighter and relies mostly on defensive moves, while Anakin draws from the more aggressive Dark Side. These differences are hinted at in each Jedi’s fighting style, though the real differences show up in the selection of Force powers available to each. Obi-Wan’s powers revolve around healing and damage prevention and Anakin has access to Force Choke and powers that enhance his damage output.

Each grouping of levels ends with a boss encounter, usually against a lightsaber wielding enemy. Here the game takes a more unique twist. Instead of charging in and trying to do as much damage as quickly as you can, lightsaber duels require more finesse and planning. Before attacking, enemies will telegraph what type of move they’ll perform, to which you have to respond by choosing to block high, low or center. Successfully blocking an attack leaves them open to counter attack. Fail, and you’re in for a lot of pain.

I really liked this method and thought it added something different to the game. But, like most things, it’s not as well planned out as it could be. The most noticeable, and frustrating, aspect is that once you choose a block stance, you’re dedicated to it unless you release the block button and reset your stance. This went against natural instinct, which was to hold the block button and allow thumb to follow blows by pressing up and down on the D-pad. The flaw becomes even more frustrating in later duels where it becomes a little harder to determine what type of attack is coming.

3D space shooters periodically break up the 2D areas. These areas put the DS’s capabilities to slightly better use, but are still a disappointment. The primary use of the touch screen is as a radar. It also acts as a way to pull up mission objectives, which is really lame since the only goal is to destroy everything. Shields can also be adjusted by touching either the forward or rear panels on the display.

My biggest problem with the flight areas was that they feel forced. With the exception of maybe one or two areas, the flight portions never feel like they have a place. What’s even more confusing is that the areas don’t appear in parts of the story where they would actually fit. You’re also forced to play these levels – even if you’re playing as Anakin you’ll be forced to play through one of Obi-Wan’s flight levels, which makes no sense other than to show off a “neat” element and artificially lengthen the game. It is also pretty clear that these areas were simply tacked on to certain levels since the auto-save never acknowledges that you actually completed these levels. In fact, they don’t even show up on the level tree.

Two difficulty modes are available, Padawan and Jedi, with the only real difference being that you get a few more lives as a Padawan. Regardless of which setting you choose you’ll still be forced to match-up against the same lame AI. As with every game of this type, Episode III’s difficulty relies more on overwhelming odds than smart AI. Enemies simply appear on-screen and mindlessly walk towards you, occasionally stopping to shoot. It’s not too hard as long as you remember to block every once in awhile and keep hammering away with the attack button.

Adding a bit of an RPG element to the game, both characters and force powers can be enhanced after each level. Characters gain one experience point each level that can be spent to enhance their health, strength or intuition (which determines Force power). While it’s a nice touch, character enhancements really don’t seem to play that much of a noticeable difference in the game. Perhaps it’s just my play-style, but I didn’t notice much of a difference between a character with high strength and one with high intuition.

Force powers are leveled in a different way. Each power has three levels, each more powerful than the first. Points are granted based on how well you performed in a level. The better you do, the more you get. Green orbs are also hidden in each level that will give an extra boost and a few extra points to spend. Unlike character enhancing, Force enhances are very noticeable and adds a nice personal touch to the game. Which Force powers you’re using will greatly impact the flow of battle – playing as a strength enhanced Anakin is much different that playing as Anakin with longer-range powers like Choke.

Each Jedi has access to four “special”, area-damage attacks which can be pulled off after increasing your character’s “special” bar to an appropriate level. Weaker moves require only 25% of the bar be filled while more powerful ones require 75% or more. Special moves can be pulled off in one of two ways; either by inputting button combinations or through use of the touch screen.

Episode III is a real letdown as a DS title. The bulk of the game is the GBA version, while the DS-special enhancements add little to the game. Even if you MUST have the DS version over the GBA one, the added features aren’t worth the extra $10.