All the time two, there are. No extra. No much less. Grasp Yoda’s clever phrases could have rung true for the Sith, nevertheless it could not be farther from the speed at which Star Wars video games have been being pumped out within the early 2000s.
Some confirmed promise (Episode I: Racer, Battle for Naboo) whereas others have been as boring as The Phantom Menace’s commerce agreements (Obi-Wan’s Adventures). The overwhelming majority fell right into a obscure center floor, a spot neither Darkish nor Mild, the place video games handed the time effectively sufficient however would not occupy sufficient house within the thoughts to distract from the subsequent cinematic entry.
One such title was Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Energy Battles, an action-platformer/beat ’em up that loosely re-trod the juicy bits of Phantom’s plot a yr after its cinematic debut and threw in some combo-focused fight and Padawan-level platforming for good measure. It was removed from the worst tie-in the movie can be handled to, however actually not the form of recreation you’d suppose would ever get the remaster therapy.
Nicely, shock! Aspyr has as soon as once more caught its hand right into a dirty sack of ‘Forgotten Star Wars Video games’ and pulled this out. As with Racer, Power Unleashed, and, most just lately, Bounty Hunter, the studio has as soon as once more turned in a by-the-numbers remaster with minimal additions and visible flare. The nostalgia is powerful with this one however, as we shortly realized, a recreation must do greater than merely play Duel of the Fates to cease itself from feeling horrendously dated.
For probably the most half, Jedi Energy Battles is similar recreation we performed on PlayStation and Dreamcast (not the GBA model) again in 2000. After studying an obnoxiously lengthy end-user settlement, you choose a hero from the unique recreation’s full lineup (Plo Koon followers, stand up!), and slash, shoot, and… Power? your approach by way of 10 chapters set in acquainted locales from the 1999 film.
Aspyr’s remaster presents the total roster and all 10 story ranges unlocked and totally playable proper from the start alongside the unique’s 4 minigames and arcade-style cheat codes (for many who actually wish to play with large heads). Taking part in by way of every of the story beats unlocks a further 13 characters to your subsequent playthrough, together with the likes of Jar Jar, a number of Tusken Raiders and Droids, Ishi Tib, and Weequay — Star Wars B-Tier, little doubt, however a pleasant addition nonetheless.
Having the total recreation open to you from the soar is a welcome change — we’re nonetheless haunted by recollections of the Droid onslaught in Theed Palace — and two-player co-op means there’s nonetheless the prospect for some native lightsaber laughs should you occur to have a fellow Jedi close by with a hankering for nostalgia.
That is significantly true for the 4 minigames and one-on-one Coaching mode. Mario Get together and Smash it ain’t, however the former helped break up the gameplay loop with its game-specific controls (just like the button-mashing Kaadu Race! and Gungan Roundup’s goal of herding a terrified Jar Jar into your opponent’s purpose), whereas the latter permits you to duel it out like a traditional fighter — helped by an honest variety of combos for every character.
Nevertheless, unlocks and obscure cameos aren’t sufficient to cover the truth that Jedi Energy Battles’ essential story may be very a lot of its time. Apart from the time trial-based Palace Cliffs and the top-down speeder shoot ’em up Streets of Theed, the extent construction grows shortly repetitive. Continuously inputting combos makes the fight really feel sluggish, whereas button-mashing makes each encounter really feel equivalent. Most enemies could be dispatched with a well-timed block to ship their bullets proper again at them; these that may’t at all times handle to inflict unfair injury whereas your hero performs out their assault animation.
Those that actually harm are the cases when the sport does not load an enemy sprite till you are proper on high of it, or when a foe clips into the close by atmosphere, however nonetheless manages to fireside its blaster with one leg morphed to a close-by plant pot. It is one thing that sometimes performs out to comedic impact (we correctly belly-laughed on the variety of Droids that fell to their demise by making an attempt to observe us round a good bend), however the “Aww, 2000 gameplay, what are you want!” nostalgia can solely get you to date.
Being hit by an enemy is one factor, however the recreation actually exhibits its age within the platforming challenges. That is not at all an ‘open world’ and the trail to the purpose is at all times clearly signposted, nevertheless it took little bit of time for us to get again into the 2000s headspace. It was a time when double-jump momentum was non-existent, depth notion was in all places, and cameras would stubbornly stay in a single spot whilst you blindly leapt to the display’s edge, hoping to discover a ledge.
All that stated, we had enjoyable with it. When you’ve bought affection for this period of video games and this trilogy of Star Wars movies, you will not have a nasty time with this.
Efficiency on Swap is general fairly robust, with minimal body drops all through the principle marketing campaign. The aforementioned clipping and sprite loading points have been more and more a nuisance, nonetheless, significantly within the last chapter the place you might be required to destroy a collection of panels to progress previous hazardous followers. Within the unique launch, these panels have been clearly signposted with a crimson button, however no such button, nor panel, seems within the remaster. As an alternative, you stumble upon an invisible object, blindly assault in its common course, and look ahead to an explosion visible to let you know the trail is evident. With out information of the unique launch, we’re unsure you’d ever work that one out, Power-sensitive or not.
As was the case in Bounty Hunter and Battlefront, Aspyr has loosely up to date the visuals and controls right here to deliver issues according to the current day. For the management scheme (simply swapped between ‘Fashionable’ and ‘Basic’), it is largely only a case of swapping ‘Leap’ from ‘A’ to ‘B’, and the visible modifications seem simply as easy. The characters and environments present quantity of additional element in comparison with their PlayStation days, granted, however the polygonal fashions and restricted textures are nonetheless harsh on the attention.
Maybe an choice to toggle between outdated and new graphics (as Aspyr included in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered) might need made the visible tweaks slightly extra spectacular, however should you’re hoping to see improved animations and recognisable character silhouettes at a look, these aren’t the upgrades you are in search of.
Conclusion
For individuals who loved the unique launch again across the flip of the millennium, Star Wars: Episode I – Jedi Energy Battles is simply in regards to the most secure remaster you can think about. The moment stage unlocks and expanded character roster are each good touches, however Aspyr’s restricted enhancements depart this sense very of its time. If you may get previous the sluggish fight, painful platforming, and efficiency ‘quirks’, then it is a enjoyable journey down reminiscence lane; if you cannot, then put together for a lesson in what video games felt like a very long time in the past.
