Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Video Game Review #552: Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Super Nintendo


Nostalgia Factor:

I have an interesting history with this game. Growing up, my stepbrothers had a Super Nintendo, while I had a Sega Genesis. Sometimes when they'd visit on the weekends, they'd bring their Super Nintendo along. One time, they stopped at Blockbuster Video before coming over. They rented Super Return of the Jedi.

I knew that they were coming over to visit, and I was super excited to see what game they were going to rent. This may sound hard to believe for those who know me (because I've always been a Star Wars fan), but when I saw that they had rented this game, I was a little disappointed. As a Genesis kid, I was hoping for a more "definitive" Super Nintendo title, like Mario World or Super Metroid. But no. Instead, they got this game, which I did not know anything about and I had never heard of before. Obviously I knew what Return of the Jedi was, but I thought that this game was a flight sim or something like that.

Those worries went away almost as soon as I laid my eyes on the game. It was a 2D side scrolling action game, with big sprite Star Wars characters, along with music and locations from the game. I fell in love with this game, and ended up playing it with my stepbrother Kyle all weekend long. I find this hard to believe after playing this game (because it is so incredibly difficult), but I actually did beat this with him that weekend. I specifically remember the late stages of the game, like the Emperor Battle and the escape from the exploding Death Star. Way to go, youngster Dan. This game is tough!

It's funny that this is the last of the Super Star Wars games I am reviewing, because it is the first one I played. Not only that, but this is the game that got me re-interested in Star Wars again. I liked the movies as a kid, but then they kind of lost relevance for a while. People forget about that empty space between Return of the Jedi and Phantom Menace, but it was there. I played this game in the middle of that void. And like I said, it got me interested in the series again. I rewatched the movies on TV. I saw them in the theater when they were re-released. I collected the boxed VHS set. I read the expanded universe novels like the Heir to the Empire series and the Jedi Academy trilogy. I'd go on to play other Star Wars games like Tie Fighter, Shadows of the Empire, Dark Forces, and Rebel Assault II. To this day I still consider myself a Star Wars fan, even if some of the more recent content is a bit questionable. And that love was all kicked off by this game.

So yeah, I have an interesting history with the game. All that being said, this is the first time I've played it since that weekend with my stepbrother nearly 30 years ago. I was a bit lukewarm on the previous games in the Super Star Wars series, as they both got a B- from me. How would I feel about the third and final installment of the series? Would it do me proud from all those years ago when I was a kid? Let's find out.




Story:

This game follows the events of the movie Return of the Jedi. Obviously it takes some creative liberties, but that is to be expected due to the nonstop action nature of this game. Wait, you mean you don't remember when Chewbacca spun around like a tornado and knocked out Jabba the Hutt? Oh yeah, that's because it only happens here.




Gameplay:

This game's mechanics are very similar to the original two Super Star Wars games. I won't lie: I always turn the difficulty down to easy in these games. Normally, I am opposed to doing this, as I am someone who feels obligated to play the game the way it was intended, but I feel like I have to for these games. I always try the game on normal, but then I end up getting my ass kicked no matter what I do. I consider myself a decent gamer, but I just cannot for the life of me seem to be capable of figuring out a decent strategy for playing a Super Star Wars game. If I try to blaze through it, I take too much damage and get destroyed easily. If I move slowly, I get bogged down by a constant swarm of enemies. If I'm aggressive, I die. If I play defensively, I die. It just never quite feels fair, and so much is determined by random luck, like an enemy spawning in front of you when you are jumping over a bottomless pit. That's why I don't mind turning it down to easy in these games.

If I was grading these games based on normal difficulty, they'd get a below average score for being too difficult and frustrating. But on easy, they are quite enjoyable. And Super Return of the Jedi is no exception. I had a fun time blasting through these levels, switching off characters between Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca - depending on the stage. You even play as Wicket the Ewok for a little bit in the middle of the game. I like how the outfits change depending on where you are in the story. You can play as Leia in both the bounty hunter outfit and the gold bikini when you are in Jabba's palace. Then it changes to the camouflage soldier gear later on when you are on Endor. It gives the game a feel of authenticity that is very charming. And let's be real, well needed. If you take the Star Wars name and property off this game, it becomes quite average.

I struggled with the controls. Some stages require precision platforming, and I found myself having a tough time with getting my character to do exactly what it is I want them to do. The nighttime Endor stage with Luke is quite frustrating because you can fall and have to do a five minute long platforming sequence to get to the top of the screen again. I often found myself getting frustrated by my character behaving erratically, like not high jumping or even jumping period when running towards a ledge. I'm not usually one to blame the controls for my own mistakes, but the gameplay mechanics here are undeniably sloppy.

There are some speeder/flying segments scattered throughout the game. Most of them are easy enough, but the game does get very difficult at the very end. The run into (and especially out of) the Death Star's innards are insanely tough. Even playing with  save states and trying to micromanage my mistakes, I still struggled with it. One slip up can cost you massively. It takes great patience and a lot of trial and error to get through these stages intact. I can't say they are particularly enjoyable.

 


Graphics:

This game looks sensational. It does a truly great job of bringing Return of the Jedi to life in a bright, cartoonish kind of way. No wonder it made me fall back in love with Star Wars as a kid. That magical feel of the film is translated wonderfully here. Just look at the screenshot above. This level in particular hit me right in the nostalgia feels. This was how I pictured Star Wars as a kid. This game made me feel that as an adult once again.




Sound:

The Star Wars soundtrack doesn't always translate well to 16-bit, but it does well-enough here. This is the third Super Star Wars game and it seems like they finally started to figure things out in this one. I was surprised at the number of musical tracks from the movie that made their way into the game. And they made everything sound pretty good! 

But it is the sound effects steal the show, however. Whether it is the firing of a blaster or the hum of a lightsaber as it slashes at your enemy, the game is constantly filled with the instantly recognizable sounds of a Star Wars battle. And I love it.




Overall:

Despite the game's obvious flaws, I couldn't help but have a good time with it. I'll admit I wasn't feeling it when I turned it on initially, but it quickly won me over. The Return of the Jedi paint that coats the entire game makes up for a lot of things.

I have to personally thank this game for getting me back into Star Wars when I was a kid. I'll always look back on this game with fond memories for this very reason. Who knew how life changing this game would be for me as a kid? And to think that I was disappointed when I saw that my stepbrothers had rented this from Blockbuster.

This game carries a lot of sentimental weight, in addition to looking and sounding great. Clearly, I am going to give this game a good review score. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the jank controls, or the fact that the game is unplayable on its default difficulty settings. And is the gameplay really that good? It hasn't changed much from the original Super Star Wars. You'd think they've have worked out some of the kinks by now.

I have to admit that the actual gameplay is average at best. Maybe, maybe slightly above average. But when I look at the whole picture, this game is easily good enough to score in the B range. It'll be a B- like the other two games in the series, yeah, but it'll still be in the B range. If anything, these Super Star Wars games are remarkably consistent.

If I had to rank them from best to worst - I'd have to say that this one is the best. Then Empire. Then the original game. Now that I am done with them, will I ever play through them again in my lifetime? That's hard to say. I want to say yes, but I'm getting old, and I have sooo many other things to play. Plus, look back when I first reviewed Super Star Wars. It was January 23, 2015. Nearly ten years ago. If it took me ten years to make it through these three Super Star Wars games, I can only imagine how long it will take me to return to them again. I think the only way I come back will be if it is to show the games to my kid when he is older. But will I actually play through them to completion? I don't know.


THE GRADE:
B-


For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

No comments:

Post a Comment