Star Wars
System: NES
Release Date: November 1991
Developer: Lucasfilm Games, Beam Software
Publisher: JVC Musical Industries
Genre: Action
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, we were given Star Wars! I’m kind of surprised it has taken until late 1991 to get a Star Wars game on the NES, but here we are. The story is that of Episode 4. The Empire has attacked a transport carrying Princess Leia and two droids have dropped to the surface of Tatooine. You and your uncle buy them, but the little astromech has wandered off! Begin your galaxy spanning adventure by going to look for him.
You begin on a land speeder with an overhead view of the map. If you just drive ahead, you are deposited into a cave. You are Luke Skywalker and come equipped with a blaster pistol. Get ready to enjoy some very Beam Software music and platforming gameplay. Luke runs by holding the B Button, which allows him to jump farther. Jumping through this first cave gets you an upgrade to your blaster. There are several caves dotting the surface of the planet. These typically have something you need or at least would be better off collecting. Extra lives can be farmed in levels once you’ve found them and know how to get to them easily. I started finding shield powerups and decided these would be important.
Finding Obi-Wan nets you your father’s lightsaber. You can get a much more powerful melee attack out of this, but the range leaves something to be desired. In order to leave Tatooine, you have to find Han Solo in Mos Eisley. There are two forms of the Cantina theme for your listening pleasure. You can now switch between characters as you run through town to Hangar 94, avoiding Stormtroopers and multiple respawning Boba Fetts. Escaping aboard the Millennium Falcon puts you into a first person space battle where avoiding asteroids is the name of the game. This is what those shields were for.
If you can survive long enough, you board the Death Star to save Princess Leia. This planet sized space station is a maze of corridors, elevators, and enemies. Knowing who to fight and who to avoid becomes important for survival. As are the blue balls that replenish your health. After finding a certain computer, R2D2 shows a map when you choose him in the menu, but it’s not a very helpful one. I stumbled through this level with our friends trial and error. I was scared of this mech, but he ended up being easy to avoid. Some BS with automatic doors can lead to your unavoidable death. If you can jump some ridiculous gaps, you can make your way to the detention area, but first you need to kill a boss. Another level of elevators and enemies stand in your way, but finding Leia brings your battle contingent up to three.
You’ve got to escape again, but it won’t be easy. Getting back to the Falcon has some really rude spots of invincible enemies and jumps that require extreme precision. The waste pit is waiting for you at the end, just don’t fall in after you kill the boss… Spikes line the floors, walls, and ceilings in our next area, meaning trial and error are back as you learn where the platforms are. Falling too far hurts you, so taking damage anywhere isn’t an option. If kids made it this far back in the day, I would put this level as the stopping point for many.
If you successfully make it back to the Falcon, you are tasked with taking out a battalion of TIE Fighters. Aim your crosshairs to take out your enemies and their slow moving green bombs. This is much easier said than done, however. Escaping isn’t the end. You want to blow up the Death Star, so hop into your fresh X-Wing and take out another battalion of TIE Fighters to start your trench run. It’s a quickly scrolling vertical obstacle avoiding type level. If you can survive, you come to the exhaust port and have to drop your proton torpedo. If you miss, the level loops until you get it. A one in a million shot gets you the title of Hero.
Graphics: 3.0
Backgrounds aren’t boring and the main characters are animated well. I like the static character pictures, too.
Sound: 3.0
I like the music and the renditions of iconic Star Wars themes. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good.
Gameplay: 2.5
Your mileage will vary here.
Difficulty: 2.5
You get 10 continues and can farm extra lives, but some of the levels are VERY cruel.
Fun Factor: 2.5
If you can get past the quirks in game design, it’s an enjoyable enough time.
Overall Rating: 2.7
Star Wars earns a B-. First impressions are not good, but once you spend some time and get used to it, reliving the beginning of Luke’s adventure isn’t so bad.