Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

"Exploding Stormtroopers, Teleporting Twi'leks, and More..."

As a run-of-the mill side-scrolling action platformer, SROTJ is average at best. As a Star Wars game, it has nothing on, say, Rogue Squadron or the Phantom Menace, but on its own terms it's a good, if uneven, challenge.

For starters, this game is not very close to the movie. Obviously the programmers were short on ideas, but any Star Wars fan will be chuckling at the inconsistencies. For example, the first boss is that security droid that C-3P0 talks to and opens the door. But since when can that thing grow big and shoot lasers? And the second boss is Bib Fortuna, Jabba's majordomo. Somehow, he has gained the ability to shoot energy beams from his lekku (head-tails) and teleport (!). Was there another way to make the bosses challenging? These ordinary characters are transformed into Star Trek-style fighting machines. Jabba the Hutt belches up poisonous frogs and smacks you with his tail, which is kind of funny, actually. Darth Vader and the Emperor aren't too far off, but I don't recall them flying this much. And I don't think even the most forgiving of fans will overlook EV-9D9 on Endor in a hovercraft (!), stormtroopers that explode when you attack them, green-skinned Weequays, a seven-foot long Bubo, and a fire-breathing rancor. And the Imperial Guards who use their Force pikes like hockey sticks and try to body-check poor Luke.

Other enemies include rock-throwing Jawas, rampaging Quarrens, some guy who looks like Uul-Ra Shaan, spinning dancing girls, Salacious Crumb, cranky Gamorreans, slovenly Bubos, menacing war droids, and a menagerie of strange creatures that look as right in a Star Wars game as the Starship Enterprise. Thankfully, Boba Fett somehow escaped the indignity of appearing in this game.

As for the playable characters, there are five (seven if you count the fact that there are three versions of Leia), each with their specialized abilities. Luke of course has his lightsabre, which he can use to protect him when he jumps and to deflect blaster bolts. He can also call upon the powers of the Force to heal himself, freeze enemies, and control his sabre in mid-air. However, to keep his Force mojo at its peak, he needs to collect glowing green vials (holy Austin Powers!). Who knew that the Force was this metaphysical? Leia is even more interesting. In her primary form, disguised as bounty hunter Boussh, Leia has a big ol' spear to hack at her enemies with. Her second form is in that Huttese slave girl costume, with only her chain to defend herself. She is pretty acrobatic in this form, spinning and leaping with the grace of a ballerina. Both of these versions of Leia also have the ability to draw energy unto herself and blast enemies. Why didn't Leia try this when she was in trouble before? Her third form is just her in commando gear with no weapons other than a blaster. In fact, she looks like a man.

Han Solo has his trusty blaster pistol, as well as a supply of grenades. Chewbacca can fire his bowcaster and unleash his Wookiee rage. Wicket the Ewok attacks with his bow and arrowl (sic). All characters can use thermal detonators, which is real cool.

The graphics are pretty good. The characters are nice and detailed and the backgrounds looks good. Control is a little squirrely, especially when aiming in Mode 7.

Sounds are generally adequate. Voice samples are used sparingly, but Jabba's laugh is sampled well, as are the Ewok voices, the Wookiee roars, Vader's breathing, and Salacious Crumb being annoying as always. the rest are just grunts, cries, and blasts.

The music is taken from familiar John Williams scores, and there are some tracks that sound Star Wars-esque, but are not from any of the movies.

So, it's not bad, it's not phenomenal, it's just there for you to try. Some jumps are difficult, some bosses are annoying, and the levels can be tedious. Star Wars fans will find this quite a bit of fun, but inconsistencies and ridiculously long levels may turn more than a few gamers off.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/01, Updated 08/16/01