Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

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 crawlEdit

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 gameplayEdit

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.

LevelsEdit

1. Hoth 1
2. Wampa Cave 1 - Boss: Giant Wampa Creature
3. Hoth 2
4. Wampa Cave 2
5. Hoth 3 - Boss: Imperial Probe Droid
6. Echo Base 1
7. Snowspeeder
8. Outside AT-AT
9. Inside AT-AT
10. Top of AT-AT - Boss: AT-AT Head
11. Echo Base 2 - Boss: C-A-T (Combat Attack Transport)
12. Echo Base 3 - Boss: AT-ST
13. Asteroid Field
14. Dagobah 1
15. Dagobah 2
16. Dagobah 3 - Boss: Swamp Creature Habogad
17. Cloud City 1 - Boss: Tibanna Hover Transport
18. Ugnaught Factory - Boss: Ugharro mining crusher
19. Carbon Freezing Chamber - Boss: Carbon Freezing Chamber Generator
20. Cloud City 2 - Boss: Boba Fett, Slave I
21. X-Wing to Cloud City
22. Cloud City Reactor - Boss: Darth Vader

WeaponsEdit

• Laser blaster
• Flame blaster
• Proton Seeker
• Rapid ion gun
• Plasma Wave Blaster
• Lightsaber (as Luke Skywalker only)

EnemiesEdit

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.

AppearancesEdit

Behind the scenesEdit

The game was released on June 1st, 1993, exactly one year after Super Star Wars and one year before Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.^[source?]

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.

BibliographyEdit

• "Lucasfilm's Latest: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Update"—Star Wars Insider 28