Star Wars (1991 video game)

For an overview of Star Wars video games, see List of LucasArts Star Wars games

Star Wars is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System in 1991. The object is to pilot a landspeeder around Tatooine, explore caves, assemble all the necessary characters, gather a lightsaber and shields for the Millennium Falcon, navigate through a meteor shower to the Death Star, battle stormtroopers, and destroy the Death Star.

Japanese version
The Japanese version of Star Wars released in 1988 by Namco, released for the Famicom. This version is a common side-scrolling platformer in which the player controls Luke, as he travels in order to join the Rebellion against the Empire.

Story inconsistencies
While the game is based on Episode IV, Namco took several liberties with the its storyline. For instance, Luke must rescue some of the main characters from the movie (R2-D2, C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and Han Solo), who are trapped in distinct planets. As such, Luke travels using the Millennium Falcon (which in the movie was piloted only by Chewie and Han) in order to find them. Also, on each planet, the boss is none other than Darth Vader, who will sometimes transform into a giant scorpion in order to continue attacking. As for the planets themselves, some of them don't really exist in the franchise's universe (one of them contain Egyptian ruins, for example "=the Massassi ruins of Yavin 4 ?") and some don't appear in the actual film (such as the icy planet, which is most likely Hoth).

Other differences include the use of a lightsaber and the Force, the latter of which Luke learned very little until Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Gameplay
For the most part, the game is a typical side-scrolling platformer. Luke uses the lightsaber as his primary attack, and he can also use the Force to execute special maneuvers like floating, speeding and stopping time, among others. When the characters are rescued, they will help Luke by providing hints and other actions that are important to progress through the game. Between planets, the game switches to a first-person shooter perspective as the Millennium Falcon is forced to fight a wave of TIE fighters that prevent the player's entrance to the next planet. The final level involves using the X-wing against the Death Star. The X-wing travels through a long corridor; at the end, proton torpedoes will be shot automatically in order to destroy the station. If the player fails to get to the end before time runs out, the Death Star will destroy Yavin 4 and the game will be over. The game is particularly difficult, since the game gives 3 lives and two continues, and Luke dies upon any contact. The Millennium Falcon can sustain three hits before being destroyed.

Each character has different attributes. Obi-Wan Kenobi can resurrect Han Solo or Princess Leia five times. R2-D2 can display a map of Death Star hallways.

Enemies include:
 * Jawas
 * Banthas
 * Sandpeople
 * Flying insectoids
 * Womp rats
 * Giant slugs
 * Bounty hunters
 * Boba Fett
 * Imperial stormtroopers
 * Various droids