Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

1993 · Action Platformer · SNES

About Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1993) is the SNES sequel to Super Star Wars, following the film with Luke, Han and Chewbacca, new Force powers and Mode 7 battles on Hoth.

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Depth

Based on the 1980 film, it follows the formula of Super Star Wars with multiple playable characters and Mode 7 quasi-3D vehicle sequences, including an attack on the AT-ATs that Super Gamer called "absolutely stunning". Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca return, though the character select option is gone, and the controls add a double jump. Each character now has a primary and secondary weapon: Han can throw grenades, Chewbacca has a new spinning attack, and Luke can deflect blaster fire with his lightsaber. After a mission on the swamp planet Dagobah, Luke can also collect Force powers to use in later levels, and Darth Vader is the final boss.

Critics praised the graphics, sound and cinematic presentation faithful to the film, but criticised the controls, the hard difficulty, blind jumps and the large numbers of enemies, some hitting from off screen. AllGame gave it four and a half stars, valuing the password feature for making it less frustrating, and Power Unlimited gave it 92 per cent for its challenge and fun. Complex later ranked it the 20th best SNES game, calling it the best Star Wars game on the system though the hardest of the three.

Making Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

LucasArts and Sculptured Software developed it and JVC Musical Industries published it for the Super NES in 1993, the sequel to Super Star Wars. It was well received: IGN gave it 7.5 for its enhanced Mode 7 graphics and ranked it 91st among SNES games, and Nintendo Power rated it the fourth best SNES game of 1993. In 1996 THQ announced a re-release for February 1997, alongside Super Return of the Jedi, to coincide with the Special Edition films, and it came to the Wii Virtual Console in 2009. Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi followed in 1994.

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Trivia

A Mode 7 asteroid chase was cut for lack of cartridge space.
An EGM contest winner, Jeff Crosno, had his face put on a Rebel soldier in a Hoth cut-scene.
Unlike its predecessor, Nintendo was not involved in publishing it.
It was the UK's top-selling SNES game in February 1994.
GamePro named it the best SNES game of 1993.