STAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Remastered Review – A Middling Remaster

As a diehard Star Wars fan, I’m thrilled to see the remastering saga carry on with the iconic title, Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. Back in the early 2000s, this PlayStation game was almost visionary, boasting a pseudo-3D visual style and lightsaber combat that relied on combos. The unique fusion of action-platforming with beat-em-up elements significantly expanded the diversity of Star Wars video games at the time. Reflecting upon Jedi Power Battles in light of a potential successor to the classic 90s Super Nintendo games, I can’t help but feel an increased affection for this game. To be honest, it feels like a spiritual sequel to those beloved 90s titles, although there are areas where it falls short.

Before discussing its flaws, let’s first examine what Aspyr has enhanced and incorporated into this remaster. Originally launched on the PlayStation, the Dreamcast version is regarded as superior; this remaster is built using the Dreamcast version’s source code. Aspyr has blended aspects from both versions, most notably retaining the UI elements from the PlayStation version while also maintaining certain graphical details within the levels.

As a dedicated fan, I’ve always admired how Jedi can effortlessly deflect blaster shots. The thrill of executing this skill perfectly, given the precision needed in timing, is truly exhilarating!

The graphics boast enhanced resolution and crisp detail, as one would anticipate in a remastered game. However, the absence of an option to switch to classic graphics is regrettable. Similarly, it’s unfortunate that there are no save states and only one save file per account. Regarding fresh content, 13 new playable characters have been added to the original roster from the Dreamcast era, making a total of 22 characters. It’s exciting for fans of Mace Windu that they can now customize their lightsaber colors to match the ‘canonical’ version, which is particularly appealing for those who favor Mace Windu’s distinctive purple saber.

Talking about lightsabers, this game offers a convincing experience as a Jedi (or Sith) thanks to its straightforward yet fulfilling combo system. Each Jedi has three unique attacks that can be combined once they’re unlocked. While some players might want all combos available from the start, I appreciate the element of progression that comes with unlocking them in the game. Additionally, you gain an upgrade for either health or force power upon completing a stage with a character.

Jedi exhibit distinct Force powers that significantly alter their gameplay styles. Although some attacks may seem alike among the characters, it’s their unique Force abilities that make the difference more apparent. For instance, Obi-Wan uses a rapid Force Saber Dash to swiftly eliminate groups of droids in one fluid motion, which is ideal for an aggressive area-of-effect approach. In contrast, Ki-Adi-Mundi relies on mind control to momentarily stun opponents, reflecting his strategic and patient personality.

In simpler terms, when playing “Jedi Power Battles”, Jedi can deflect blaster shots, a move that’s quite thrilling because of its precise timing. However, I found an issue with the game’s progression system – each account only has one total save slot for all game progress. This means that if you start a new game and confirm without careful consideration, it will wipe out all your saved progress. Unfortunately, I made this mistake while leveling up Qui-Gon Jinn three times. It’s very easy to lose all your hard-earned progress by accident. The developers could have addressed this issue in the remaster by allowing multiple save slots.

Great news! All the hidden characters from the original Dreamcast release are accessible right away in this remaster, which is certainly convenient. I’m a fan of Ki-Adi-Mundi’s mind tricks, but I find that many of the secret characters you unlock later aren’t as diverse or engaging as the Jedi. The droids and Tusken Raiders, for example, have similar blaster and melee attacks, while others like the Droideka offer unique abilities. It’s fun to play as Jar-Jar Binks and hear his iconic howl when falling from a Coruscant skyscraper. Beyond their different attacks, each character has distinct attack power, speed, and health, which gives them enough individuality.

“All the secret characters from the Dreamcast version are available right from the beginning”

Navigating through all those hidden characters can be quite challenging, especially given the clunky and awkward controls and level design. I’m not referring to the traditional control scheme, though I admit it’s an appreciated addition (albeit nearly unplayable). The updated controls still feel stiff and unresponsive. A prime example of this is the frustrating dash skid that every character performs when stopping after a run. This skid animation prevents you from jumping or attacking until it ends, often leading to early game losses. Over time, one can adapt to it, but it underscores an outdated rigidity in movement that’s hard to ignore, given the game’s high demand for precise platforming skills.

The game offers a unique blend of levels, each presenting distinct platforming and enemy challenges, allowing players immediate access from the start. One moment you’re navigating the towering skyscrapers of Coruscant, where one mistake means certain doom, and the next you’re casually traversing rotundas and balconies. Driving an AAT still provides a thrill, and it remains enjoyable today despite its brevity. Running over droids and destroying enemy AATs is exhilarating due to the impressive swivel gun and vehicle handling, although the regular character movement could use more fun factor. One point where ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’ detractors might agree is the realistic setting and environments, and Jedi Power Battles strives to embody this in its action-platformer, beat-em-up style.

As a diehard fan of Episode 1, constantly grinning as I navigate through the movie’s events and settings, I found myself unable to fully immerse in the experience as I had hoped. For instance, the absence of a clear shadow when jumping makes it hard to gauge distance accurately. Moreover, characters seem to plummet like a falling brick, making last-minute corrections practically impossible at the very end.

Additionally, you’ll encounter fall damage issues, as the game occasionally demands three-dimensional movement within its side-scrolling environment. Unfortunately, numerous ledges and balconies are obstructed by invisible barriers, making it difficult for players to determine which areas are off-limits or unreachable. This often results in frustrating collisions with these invisible walls. However, the remaster’s enhancements to jump height and distance do help alleviate some of the platforming annoyances. While Aspyr has made efforts to streamline the experience, the fundamental controls and level design remain challenging to improve.

As a gamer, I’ve come across some puzzling level designs that left me scratching my head. For instance, on the Trade Federation Ship, the camera angle shifts dramatically when you enter the bridge area, suddenly suggesting a change in direction from right to left, which can be quite confusing since the gameplay had been moving from left to right up until then. I’ve found myself repeating the same mistakes, wasting precious lives and time, as I blindly continued to the right only to find myself back in earlier zones, battling respawned droids again and again. Similarly, there are times when scripted events disrupt the flow of gameplay, such as an unexpected exploding platform or a barred entryway that suddenly appears, making it hard to predict and adapt to these changes on the fly.

On Coruscant, there’s an occasion where I find myself precariously perched on a moving car. Regardless of my efforts to dodge a fatal fall, the platform I stand on gets struck by another unexpected vehicle. These situations are mostly about trial and error and extremely hard to prepare for if you’re not familiar with the game, leading to a frustrating trial and error experience.

In addition to the challenging level layout, there are several aspects that make gameplay more frustrating. These include scenes that can’t be skipped, a limited number of lives per level, and occasionally, checkpoints that are spaced too far apart. Having the option to save anywhere within a level could have eased some of these problematic design choices, but since the Mega Man X Legacy Collection lacked this feature, it’s not surprising if Aspyr doesn’t include it in Jedi Power Battles either.

If you enjoy action-platform games, particularly beat-em-ups, or you’ve got a friend for teamwork, ‘Jedi Power Battles‘ can be an entertaining experience!”

“For those who like action-packed platform games, especially the beat-em-up genre, and those who appreciate cooperative play, ‘Jedi Power Battles‘ can provide a fun time!

Lastly, I must discuss the challenging boss encounters. The mini-bosses and final level bosses pose the greatest challenge in Jedi Power Battles, serving as a significant spike in difficulty. Often, there is a med pack or two within each boss arena to help with the battle against stun-locking enemies. The double flamethrower droids were particularly frustrating due to their persistent stun-locking and hard-to-hit hit boxes. It can be challenging to gauge the distance between the flames and your character, and imprecise movement controls don’t make things easier. Additionally, the Tatooine escort level with Anakin was quite tough because of the tight rubber banding between Anakin and your character, along with friendly fire, which creates a dreadful situation in escort mission design.

Instead of delving deeper into minor problems I’ve encountered, I believe you can grasp the general idea. While Aspyr has done an admirable job in addressing the bugs and glitches from the original game, Jedi Power Battles continues to struggle with its inherent design flaws in level creation. Despite offering enjoyable action-platforming beat-em-up gameplay or when played cooperatively, these drawbacks quickly overshadow any nostalgic appeal or novelty it may possess.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

2025-01-26 21:12

Read More