Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Super Star Wars:
The Empire Strikes Back

Production information

Rating(s)

ESRB: Everyone (E), ELSPA: 3+

Platform(s)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console

Attribution information

Director(s)

Kalani Streicher^[1]

Designer(s)

Kalani Streicher^[1]

Programmer(s)

Peter Ward and Ryan Ridges^[1]

Artist(s)

Harrison Fong (Art Supervisor)^[1]

Composer(s)

Paul Webb^[1] (Based on John Williams)

Chronological information

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, sometimes called Super The Empire Strikes Back or simply Super Empire Strikes Back is a platform game for the Super Nintendo (Super Famicom in Japan) which follows Super Star Wars and precedes Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It is largely based on the second film of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.

The game's manual added a number of names and details not spelled out in the game itself.

Opening crawl[]

Episode V
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

It is a dark time for the
Rebellion. Although the Death
Star has been destroyed,
Imperial troops have driven the
Rebel forces from their hidden
base and pursued them across
the galaxy.

Evading the dreaded Imperial
Starfleet, a group of freedom
fighters led by Luke Skywalker
has established a new secret
base on the remote ice world
of Hoth.

The evil lord Darth Vader,
obsessed with finding young
Skywalker, has dispatched
thousands of remote probes into
the far reaches of space....

Plot and gameplay[]

While the game roughly followed the plot of the film, several changes were made to accommodate gameplay. Characters fought their way from scene to scene and are confronted by multiple enemies. Other changes included Han Solo being carbon-frozen while searching for C-3PO, rather than captured, and Luke Skywalker fighting Cloud Cars in his X-wing fighter while approaching Cloud City.

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back followed closely the standard set by Super Star Wars, with multiple playable characters and Mode 7 quasi-3D vehicle sequences. Controls were very similar to the first game, but with an enhanced double-jump. Unlike its predecessor, the player was able to use Force powers. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca were all playable characters. Darth Vader and a Giant Wampa appeared as bosses. The game included a password system so users could effectively save games without needing any onboard cartridge memory.

Levels[]

Hoth 1
Wampa Cave 1 - Boss: Giant Wampa Creature
Hoth 2
Wampa Cave 2
Hoth 3 - Boss: Imperial Probe Droid
Echo Base 1
Snowspeeder
Outside AT-AT
Inside AT-AT
Top of AT-AT - Boss: AT-AT Head
Echo Base 2 - Boss: C-A-T (Combat Attack Transport)
Echo Base 3 - Boss: AT-ST
Asteroid Field
Dagobah 1
Dagobah 2
Dagobah 3 - Boss: Swamp Creature Habogad
Cloud City 1 - Boss: Tibanna Hover Transport
Ugnaught Factory - Boss: Ugharro mining crusher
Carbon Freezing Chamber - Boss: Carbon Freezing Chamber Generator
Cloud City 2 - Boss: Boba Fett, Slave I
X-Wing to Cloud City
Cloud City Reactor - Boss: Darth Vader

Weapons[]

Enemies[]

The game manual refers to some bounty hunters by their singular names, but since multiple versions appear in one scene this list assumes they are more than one of the same species or droid model.

AC1 surveillance droid
Acid Plant
Airtroopers
AT-ST walkers
AT-AT walkers
Armor Droids
Cloud Cars
Dagbats
Dagobian caterpillars
Dagopillers
Darth Vader's Security Force troopers
Darth Vader's Security Force troopers with E-Web blaster
Darth Vader's Security Force Grenadier troopers
Dengar look-alikes
Droid Guards
Speeder Bike Snowtroopers
Fire Bat
Gands
Grenadier Droids
Grenadier troopers
Gundarks (as "Gundarc")
helios
Hoth hogs
Hover Droid (small)
Hover Droid (large)

Appearances[]

By type

Characters	Creatures	Droid models	Events	Locations
Organizations and titles	Sentient species	Vehicles and vessels	Weapons and technology	Miscellanea

Characters

C-3PO
Lando Calrissian
Chewbacca
Boba Fett
Jabba the Hutt (as "Jabba the Hut") (Mentioned only)
Leia Organa
R2-D2
Palpatine (as "the Emperor") (Mentioned only)
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo
Darth Vader
Yoda

Creatures

Droid models

Events

Galactic Civil War

Locations

Bespin
- Cloud City
  - Platform 327
Dagobah system
- Dagobah
  - Dragonsnake Bog
Hoth
- Echo Base
- Echo Station 3-T-8 (as "Echo Station 3-T-A")
Hoth asteroid field

Organizations and titles

Alliance to Restore the Republic
- Alliance Military
  - Alliance Army
    - Rebel trooper
  - Alliance Fleet
Bounty hunter
Galactic Empire
- Imperial Military
  - Stormtrooper Corps
    - Airtrooper
    - Stormtrooper Grenadier (First appearance)
    - Snowtrooper
    - Speeder Bike Assault Force (First appearance)
    - Darth Vader's Security Force (First appearance)
    - Vader's Special Force Trooper (First appearance)
Jedi Order
- Jedi Knight (Mentioned only)
- Jedi Master
Princess

Sentient species

Gand
Hutt (as "Hut") (Mentioned only)
Trandoshan
Ugnaught
Wookiee
Yoda's species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Acid Plant
Carbon-freezing
Ice Plant
The Force
- Force cloak (as "Force Vanish")
- Force Stun (as "Force Freeze") (First appearance)
Rebel flight suit

Behind the scenes[]

For a relatively brief period in gaming history, some particularly large games were advertised based on their contents in megabits, some of which required special cartridges to hold. This game was advertised as 12 megabits, while Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the next in the series, would be advertised as 16 megabits. The game was released in Japan by Victor Interactive Software as Super Star Wars: Teikoku no Gyakushuu (Super Star Wars: The Empire's Counterattack).

The manual includes a screenshot of a cut carbon freezing chamber level that came after the X-wing level, showing Luke fighting bounty hunters. The book also shows an item to increase the length of Luke's Force Meter that was not in the final game.