Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

"Okay, Han I can understand, but Chewbacca doing acrobatics?"

Wow, another review. Considering the 50+ on my contributor page, I'm guessing this isn't a big event anymore. Anyway, time to review the next Star Wars game. Doesn't Super Empire Strikes Back sound like a superhero named Empire getting revenge? Okay, maybe it's just me...

Graphics

Made more to look like their counterparts in the movie, Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie have been altered somewhat, though the rest of the enemies remain quite similar. The environments are very well done, with nice little details and backgrounds in places. There are, of course, new enemies, and most notably boss monsters who really fill up the screen. There was a little slowdown when too many enemies and weapons fire was on the screen, but for the most part it ran smoothly.

Sound

Same as the first, pretty much. The same ancient-sounding 16-bit music trying to match up to the THX powerhouse of modern sound, but given the hardware of the SNES, it's quite good. The sound effects and voicework are back, though there seemed to be less voices this time around. Might just be me.

Gameplay

A few improvements, a few technical upgrades, and finally, force powers. Let's start out as per normal.

The controls remain the same, and once again they're customizable to whatever scheme you want. There's a little something new, however. Instead of holding up and jump to jump higher, you can use the now-standard double jump. The select button opens your force menu, and L+R selects the power you want. Pressing (and holding, if applicable) up on the control pad activates the power, though you don't get to use force for a good portion of the game...unless you cheat, but you're all too honest to do something like that, right?

As for weapons, they are, again, the same. Luke starts with his saber this time around, and until you get a few gun upgrades (which are even more scarce this time around) it's best to use the lightsaber. The plasma gun is once again the strongest weapon in the game, but I went through the entire game and only managed to get the last upgrade near the end, so your lightsaber will probably have to do for the most part.

In this game, they've removed the character selection, which I felt was a smart move. In Super Star Wars, there was little point to selecting Han when Chewie had more health and Luke had the saber and blaster combo. In this game, when a stage starts, you use the most appropriate character the game selects for you. You start with Luke, then switch to Han somewhere down the line, then Chewie. Each character has his own special ability now, as well, so they're a bit more unique. Luke has the whole Jedi schtick, of course, while Han can pick up grenades and throw them, and Chewbacca has a special move that attacks both sides, which is useful since you're often surrounded.

The force powers are, sadly, mostly useless. You do have a levitate power which is fun, and a healing power which is just plain essential, but a lot of the rest of them could've been taken out and you would never notice. Anyway, one slight problem is that you have to choose your force powers on the fly, which can make for some difficulty if you're watching the top of the screen and trying to fend off enemies at the same time. Fortunately, you can probably just stick with elevation for the stages and force heal for the bosses.

Speaking of the bosses, they are once again huge and annoying. There are two bosses in particular I'd like to mention, but the only one I can say without spoiling it would be Darth Vader. The rest are either beasties from the movies that never actually got any screen time, or a certain someone with a jetpack...

As a last note, the Mode 7 stages are back, including the scene with the Falcon escaping into the asteroid field, the battle of Hoth, and more. They're all mostly the same: destroy a certain number of enemies, then move on to the next mission. If they're your kind of thing, you'll enjoy them, but I preferred the sidescrolling stages, personally.

Replay Value

The game is pretty damn difficult again, mostly due to the amount of enemies, bottomless pits, and various deathtraps that will suck the lives away faster than a greased rat in hyperspace. Fortunately, the game now incorporates a password system, so you can start from where you left off. A good thing, too, because there's a ton more stages in this game, along with some annoying bosses. The scoring system is back, so if you're the kind of person who likes to have the high score, you'll be happy. Now on to the final chapter!

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