Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is an action-platform game based on the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. It is the sequel to the original Star Wars game released the previous year, also on the NES.
It is the second of three video games released under the Empire Strikes Back title that were developed directly for home video game systems. It was preceded by a version for the Atari 2600 and succeeded by Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for the Super NES.
Development and release
The Empire Strikes Back was eventually ported to the Game Boy, being reprinted and distributed by various publishers over the course of three years. On July 26, 2019, the NES and Game Boy versions were officially re-released in both standard and Collector’s Edition sets with Disney and Lucasfilms’s approval in limited quantities on unlicensed replica game cartridges by Limited Run Games.
After the game was completed, the developers were occupied making Super Star Wars for the Super NES, so a corresponding NES sequel covering the film Return of the Jedi was never developed, nor released.
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Gameplay
The game features multiple objectives, such as destroying an Imperial Probe Droid, escaping a Wampa-infested ice cavern, fighting during the Battle of Hoth, locating Master Yoda on Dagobah to train with him, and attempting to rescue allies in Cloud City from Darth Vader.
Unlike in the previous game, Luke Skywalker is the only playable character. He is able to fight with a blaster pistol or a lightsaber, and can also board a snowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth. As Luke becomes stronger in the Force throughout the game, he develops multiple Force Powers that aid him along the way.
The game’s ending differs drastically from the film’s ending, as the player is required to both rescue Han Solo and defeat Darth Vader in combat in order to finish.
Reception
Glenn Rubenstein of Wizard magazine praised the game’s plot for its faithfulness to its source material. Although he criticized the fighting and platforming elements as tedious, he said “the more diverse sequences more than make up for it.” A reviewer in Power Unlimited said the game was compared it to the previous Star Wars game calling it “mainly more of the same” while ultimately describing it as a “a fun game, although the worlds are very similar.”
References
External links
- The Empire Strikes Back at IMDb
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has made quite a name for itself in the gaming world, captivating us with its distinctive atmosphere and compelling gameplay dynamics. Thanks to Lucasfilm Games, Sculptured Software, NMS Software (GB)'s meticulous craftsmanship and Capcom, JVC's strong presentation, the high production quality is evident in every moment of the game. Masterfully blending Action, platform mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. In short, an outstanding and immersive gaming experience awaits genre fans — we highly recommend giving it a shot!