Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (video game)

"The adventure begins"

- Tagline

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace is an arcade-adventure game released by LucasArts in 1999, coinciding with the release of the movie.

Visually, the gameplay is similar to 3rd-person "over the head" view games, but actions such as jumping, climbing, or pushing objects are very limited, relying mostly on interaction and riddles. The player at separate times controls Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, and Captain Panaka. The game also offers a variety of weapons.

Opening crawl
The game has two opening crawls. The first is identical to that of the movie:

The second crawl appears after Level IX, following Palpatine's proposal to call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum :

Plot
The plot closely follows that of the movie, although it expands on some minor events that could have been silenced or cut from the movie, or shows them from a different character's point of view (for example, it follows Amidala's 'adventures' on Coruscant during Anakin Skywalker's interview in the Jedi Temple, something that is never shown or mentioned in the movie since it follows Anakin).

There are also some apparent inconsistencies or contradictions to the storyline, in order to generate a new narrative (for example, unlike the movie, in the game Jar Jar is imprisoned on his return to Otoh Gunga and the player has to rescue him to continue the adventure).

Once Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi escape the trap by the Trade Federation, they start roaming the Saak'ak ship in order to reach the hangar and escape. Their way is blocked by battle droids, however. The player controlling the Padawan reaches the hangar to see their ambassadorial ship, Radiant VII, be destroyed.

The two Jedi escape to the surface of Naboo but are separated. Qui-Gon finds a native, Jar Jar Binks and try to find his Padawan. When they are joined, Jar Jar leads them to Otoh Gunga. On their arrival, however, they realize that Jar Jar was an exile and since he returned, he is imprisoned. Obi-Wan tries to free him and leave together in order to reach Theed with a Bongo.

In Theed, they find out that the streets are roamed by battle droids. They reached the Queen Amidala but then an explosion separates the Padawan with Amidala with the rest of the forces and it's up to him to protect her while reaching the hangar. The team finally reunites and the ship leaves the planet.

Due to a hyperdrive problem, the ship lands on Tatooine. Qui-Gon with Padmé go to Mos Espa in order to find a replacement. There he meets with a boy slave, Anakin Skywalker, who is preparing his podracer for the next day. During his stay in Mos Espa, Qui-Gon broke into Neg's apartment in order to save an Ithorian hostage and pledged to a desperate Ithorian mother that he would rescue her son, Tomo, who Neg had taken as a slave boy. Jinn also saved the merchant Vek Drow from an attack, and the latter offered him a hyperdrive replacement. He also helped fixing Anakin's podracer by buying machine parts he needed. In the arena lounge before the race, a professional hit man named Jym Lang had been hired by Jabba the Hutt to assassinate the unsuspecting, half-drunken Teemto Pagalies in the betting room. However, Lang was manipulated against committing the murder by Qui-Gon's mind trick. Shortly before the race, a thief stole a part from Anakin's racer, but Qui-Gon finds him and claims it back. Finally Anakin wins the race and the company leaves the planet for Coruscant.

However, while nearing the ship, Qui-Gon is assaulted by a mysterious Sith-like figure, but he manages to survive and escapes on the ship.

On Coruscant, the two Jedi escort Anakin to the Jedi Temple to be interviewed by the Jedi Council. Panaka and Amidala are left alone, however, a mercenary hired by the Trade Federation hunts the Queen, who must rely on Panaka for her protection. They even visit the Coruscant Underworld in order to escape the pursuit.

After contacting Senator Palpatine and addressing the Senate, Amidala returns to Naboo with Panaka and the two Jedi. There, they fight to retake the planet. Queen Amidala fights her way until the palace where Panaka and other soldiers enter the building and begin their search for Nute Gunray.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are fighting Darth Maul, during which the two Jedi get separated.

Captain Panaka and the Queen find and arrest Nute Gunray, but not before being attacked by numerous battle droids and finding security keys.

Obi-Wan find himself away from Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul, only being able to observe the battle from a distance in the Theed Generator Complex. He fights his way through the Trade Federation defenses who are guarding the reactor core. The Padawan must rely on his dexterity to jump from platform to platform until he reaches the duel. Qui-Gon gets stabbed in the chest not shortly after Obi-Wan manages to catch up. Kenobi now must face Darth Maul alone. He manages to slay the Sith Lord and exchanges some last words with his fatally injured master. Kenobi promises Qui-Gon Jinn to train Anakin. Shortly thereafter, Qui-Gon dies.

Levels

 * Trade Federation Ship
 * Swamps of Naboo
 * Otoh Gunga
 * Gardens of Theed
 * Escape From Theed
 * Mos Espa
 * Mos Espa Arena
 * Desert Encounter
 * Coruscant
 * Assault on Theed
 * The Final Battle

Cover gallery
This is a gallery of the different cover variations of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Voice cast

 * Joe Alaskey – Important Merchant, Interpreter, Watto's Flunky
 * Dominic Armato – Coruscant Male 2, Naboo Soldier 3, Naboo Soldier 6, Ticket Vendor, Alien Citizen
 * Clint Bajakian – Jabba the Hutt
 * Bob Bergen – EV-767, Alien Pedestrian, Coruscant Thug 3, Gungan Citizen 2
 * Gregg Berger – Darth Maul, Mat Rags, Battle Droid, Coruscant Guard, Race Fan
 * Mary Kay Bergman – Tomo, Female Merchant, Ithorian Mother, Lost Boy, Naboo Crone
 * Dave Beron – Coruscant Male 1, Race Fanatic 2, Soldier 8
 * Ahmed Best – Jar Jar Binks
 * Julianne Buescher – Concerned Boy
 * Greg Burson – Boss Nass, Guard Door, Injured Soldier 1, Jabba's Porter, Shop Owner
 * Nathan Carlson – Helpful Citizen, Sleeping Man, Tourist, Underground Worker
 * Scott Capurro – Fode
 * Scott Cleverdon – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Nute Gunray
 * Jeff Coopwood – Panaka, Neimoidian Controller
 * Grey Delisle – Padmé Amidala, Gungan Child
 * Nick Jameson – Palpatine, BC-55, Gungan Male, Injured Soldier 2, Rodian Thug, Tense Soldier
 * David Jeremiah – Kreg, Informant, Naboo Soldier 1, Tatooine Citizen, Techie
 * Tom Kane – C-3PO, Barbo, Jym Lang, Prisoner, Thug Leader
 * Douglas Lee – Grendle, Coruscant Thug 1, Home Owner, Naboo Soldier 5
 * Jake Lloyd – Anakin Skywalker
 * Peter Lurie – Anabar, Bum, Naboo Soldier 4, Scavenger, Twi'lek Tourist
 * Bill E. Martin – Bith Merchant, Gungan Guard, Fisherman, Lizard Boy, Naboo Soldier 2
 * Greg Proops – Beed
 * Kevin Michael Richardson – 2-3G, Captain Rutger, Vek Drow, Gungan Citizen 1, Race Fanatic 1
 * Andy Secombe – Watto
 * Carolyn Seymour – Shmi Skywalker, TC-14, Concerned Mother
 * Heidi Shannon – Jira, DC-10, Brat, Computer Console, Female Thug
 * Michael Sorich – Mawhonic, Teemto Pagalies, Palace Official, Security Door
 * Tasia Valenza – Ann Gella, Coruscant Female, Gungan Female
 * James Ward – Angry Fan, Coruscant Male 3, Alien Guard, Gungan Jailer, Soldier 7
 * James Warwick – Qui-Gon Jinn

Alternative options
"Try me!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, before killing a room of Gungan guards

In various levels of the game, the characters can commit vast amounts of evil actions without restarting the game level, and without making the characters orient any more toward the dark side. Such options are:
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi can destroy TC-14, along with other harmless droids and unarmed personnel on the Trade Federation ship.
 * Kenobi can massacre almost the entire population of Otoh Gunga, including females and children (but not Boss Nass, Jar Jar, or any of the other bosses.).
 * Kenobi can kill allied soldiers and civilian men, women, and children in Theed.
 * Qui-Gon Jinn can kill civilians in Mos Espa.
 * Qui-Gon can briefly flirt with Ann Gella and Tann Gella in Mos Espa.
 * Qui-Gon can kill all of Jabba's court except for Jabba himself if he uses a thermal detonator on Jabba's pet.
 * Due to an in-game bug, Qui-Gon can kill Maul on Tatooine. Interestingly, this will result in the player failing the mission, although on rare occasions this may not happen, and if Qui-Gon returns to Mos Espa's entrance, the guards will attack him for killing someone.
 * Panaka can shoot anyone and anything he wishes on Coruscant, taking their items instead of trading for them. He can also kill the protocol droid at the entrance to the city tours to avoid having to give her Republic Credits.
 * Padmé Amidala can kill her own guards (but not Panaka) and civilians. She can also shoot down Nute Gunray instead of capturing him.

Behind the scenes

 * Mace Windu was at one point meant to be a playable character and players originally were intended to be able to drive an AAT-1 and a STAP-1 in the game, but these options did not make the final cut. A side quest involving Klatooine paddy frogs was cut from the final game, as were the related characters Jabba's porter and Jira. An entire planned level of the game driving the tribubble bongo in the Planet Core also did not make the final cut; neither did a conceived Gungan Battle level starring Tarpals.
 * Most NPCs in the game will either hold a dialogue with the PC or refuse to. Mat Rags is the only NPC who is programmed to make a random decision on whether or not he will.
 * The only characters voiced by the same actors as in the films are Watto, Anakin, and Jar Jar.
 * For reasons unexplained, Skywalker Ranch insisted Gamorrean guards on Tatooine be cut from the game. They were replaced with an as-yet unnamed gray-skinned species, to which the Scavenger belongs.
 * Some NPCs were designed to look like Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, David Bowie, and Sean Connery. Gillian Anderson and David Bowie inspired the appearance of tourists on Coruscant. Sean Connery inspired the appearance of a Naboo prisoner in Theed. David Duchovny inspired the appearance of a hobo in the Restricted Area of Coruscant.
 * Several events and quotes of the game mimics the original trilogy. For example, several thugs in Mos Espa claims that they have a death sentence in five systems, much like Cornelius Evazan. A Jawa sandcrawler can be found in Mos Espa Arena, its inhabitants killed by Tusken Raiders.

Critical Reception
Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace received generally mixed reviews, and was praised for the graphics, exploration, action and sound. However, the game was criticised for its gameplay controls and the over-the-head camera angle. The PC version holds an aggregate score of 63.35% and 56.42% for the PlayStation version at Game Rankings. The PC version has slightly better and detailed graphics than the PlayStation version.