Star Wars was one of THE cinematic franchises of the 1980’s. With the advent of home gaming as well as the popularity of arcade gaming, Star Wars very quickly made the jump to various game format. This article will chart the games released during this decade and their reception by the gaming community. The year indicated in each case is the year of initial release, however the date may vary across platforms.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1982)
Set on the planet Hoth, this side scrolling shooter has you battling AT-AT walkers to delay the destruction of the Rebel base. The player takes the role of Luke Skywalker in a speeder. It included several levels of difficulty both in terms of the resilience of the AT-AT’s and the weaponry and speed of them. The walkers could be destroyed by shooting and indicated the level of remaining resilience by means of a colour change. The player can occasionally get a ‘Force’ power which makes the speeder temporarily invulnerable.
The game was generally well received – the graphics and sound were praised. However the fact that you could never ‘win’ (the base was destroyed or you were) disgruntled many critics.
Star Wars: Jedi Arena (1983)
This very simple overhead shooter is all about using the paddle to control your Lightsaber during a bit of training (think Luke and the shooter in Episode IV). You have to deflect laser blasts from the opposing player controlling the seeker (computer or player 2) and not allow your shield to be destroyed. There are 4 difficulty parameters regarding the speed or visibility of the seeker. You have up to 3 direct hits before the shield is broken and you lose. The screen is very simple with a red Jedi at the top and a blue at the bottom. The shield has three layers so that you know where you stand against your opponent.
The game was received well, however it was very simple and a format that was used before. The game is very simple but is colourful and has the ‘multiplayer’ dimension which is attractive for the social players.
Star Wars (1983)
Arcade gaming was big in the 1980’s and Star Wars Arcade machines were no exception to this. This particular game arrived in arcades first and was then ported to no less than 16 different console platforms. The player is in the role of Luke in his X-fighter during the final battle of Episode IV (attack on the Death Star). There are several fighting phases which then culminate in trying to fire the torpedo in to the exhaust port of the Death Star. The game then repeats with an increased difficulty.
The arcade version samples sounds from the movie using original actor voices as did some of the later ports to home console and computer. The game was exceptionally well received and continues to rank among the top arcade games of all time.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Death Star Battle (1983)
In this release, you are piloting the Millennium Falcon during the attempted destruction of the second Death Star in the skies above Endor. The game consists of two stages – firstly destroying TIE-Fighters in the wait for the shield to drop on the Death Star. Secondly, the onslaught on the Death Star begins with destroying the reactor and then surviving the explosion. Success leads to the game beginning again at a greater level of difficulty.
The reception to the game was cool. It was labelled unimaginative by some and lacking excitement. The graphics were also good in places and not in others which gave a lack of consistency to the quality of the experience.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1984)
This arcade upgrade for the original Star Wars machine or original unit had a slightly different graphics presentation. The game was, again, broken in to a number of stages from across the film that take place on Endor and also in space. In this release you get to ride a speeder bike as well as the Millennium Falcon and an AT-ST. Very exciting!
It featured a different play perspective on the arcade machine than in the original incarnation which put off some of the more seasoned vector graphics fans. There was also reported control challenges. However it did have sound samples from the film which made it very immersive.
Death Star Interceptor (1985)
This incarnation of the Episode IV Death Star assault is set across 3 stages. Stage one is your launch in to space with an exciting Star Wars theme tune to boot. You have to keep your vehicle inside the rings on the screen. The second stage is dodging other vehicles and debris until the Death Star gradually comes in to view (as seen above). As you finish your approach, you will head towards the Death Star and in to the trench in the run up to the good old exhaust port. The trench scrolls towards you as you travel dodging lasers, TIE Fighters and other structures. If you make it through, you get to shoot the torpedo and finally witness the destruction of the Death Star. The game then repeats with a higher level of difficulty.
The reception to the game was mixed, but mostly positive. The Commodore users were left with a game that was vastly inferior than the Spectrum version and this caused conflict (there was plenty enough already between users of these systems!), The graphics were praised, especially the 3rd trench screen with its ‘3D’ effect. The game was criticised by some for being too difficult, however others liked the challenge.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1985)
Here is another arcade release that was designed as an upgrade for the original arcade game from 1982 or the second installment from 1984. As in previous releases, this game was also highly ported and released over a number of years on a variety of platforms. The game features the Battle of Hoth and the journey of the Millennium Falcon through the asteroid. This is essentially the build of the game with other sub sections within it. The upgrade means that the story line is extended but also there are enhancements in the visuals.
This release came after ROTJ on arcade machines and therefore had limited success. People were already paying good money to play without arcade owners needing to pay for an upgrade that sounded older than the most recent film and it didn’t come with a new unit, simply cover up stickers. Therefore many owners simply didn’t bother upgrading. It was however much better received than ROTJ was with a return to the original vector style graphics.
Star Wars (1987)
So here is a Star Wars release for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) system. The Famicom was the Japanese Nintendo Entertainment System earlier equivalent and so this game would have had a large potential market. It is also a rarer game as it was only released in Japan (makes sense!). The game is based on the first film but does have material that come from all three. It is a side scrolling platform game with two levels of difficulty that takes you from planet to planet as Luke Skywalker using the force and wielding a lightsaber.
The game is almost toe curling in its difficulty and, of course, there is no save in home consoles at this time. It was often difficult to work out what you had to do to progress from one section to the next. There were few clues and before the age of internet and gamer guides, many players became frustrated. But perhaps the most cardinal sin? Luke has black hair as there were not enough colours available to make him blonde!
Star Wars: Droids (1988)
Its been hard to find out much about this last gem of the 1980’s. From what I can glean from various databases is that it was an adventure game where C-3PO and R2-D2 escape from various rooms as they are attacked by other droids. It was also tied in to a 1980’s cartoon of the same name, although the story line was not featured in the cartoon at any point.
From what I have managed to find on various console databases, it was not a popular title as it was considered boring and too focused on younger gamers. Maybe the market was ready for bigger things from consoles such as the NES which was released in 1985. It’s difficult to know.
Stay tuned for part two of this Star Wars Games listing which will look at the continued release of games across even more platforms in to the 1990’s!
Retro Princess 