Before Cal Kestis was swinging around his lightsaber in the Star Wars Jedi games, millennials with their PlayStations could join in on the Jedi action with Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles.
The game was originally launched in 2000 as a tie-in for The Phantom Menace and is considered one of the best games of that era. Aspyr is looking to bring it back next year with a few tweaks.
Feel the Force (and More)
To mark 25 years since the original game was released, Aspyr Media has released a look at its port of Jedi Power Battles, which will be available for PC, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Here’s the official description for the remaster:
“Deflect. Defeat. Destroy!
“Take back the Theed Palace in this fast and furious lightsaber action game. You will have the power of the Force and your trusty lightsaber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.”
The game originally let players control Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Adi Gallia, and Plo Koon. Secret characters, such as Darth Maul, Captain Panaka, Queen Amidala, a Battle Droid, and Ki-Adi Mundi, were also available to play.
As their chosen Jedi, they have to play through the events of Phantom Menace, from the escape of the Trade Federation ship to the final confrontation with Maul in Theed.
click to enlarge
+ 2Key Features for the Remaster
When it comes to the remaster, the game has been tweaked a bit to fit more modern control schemes. Despite its classic status, Jedi Power Battles was also known to be a bit janky and incredibly hard to play. Many fans would even make fun of the fact that they couldn’t even get past the first level.
Since this game was released before Episode II, they had to make up some of their own details—like the color of the Jedi’s lightsabers. For the remaster, players can toggle the lightsaber colors to match that of the onscreen counterparts.
The developers have also made all of the secret characters available at the start, and they’ve also added other extra characters to be playable like a Tusken Raider, a Weequay, Ishi Tib, and a Droideka. There’s also a tease for other characters joining the roster but that will be announced before launch.
Besides all that, the game will allow for couch co-op like the original, and there will also be multiple game modes and customizable features to make sure players can get the most out of their Jedi Power Battles experience. Cheat codes are also said to work for the game.
click to enlarge + 2Another Battlefront in Our Hands?
Admittedly, the last big port of Aspyr Media, Star Wars Battlefront II, was a huge mess, and a lot of fans who purchased the game ended up disappointed. With that in mind, the pressure is now on for Aspyr to deliver with this remaster since their reputation is at stake.
Hopefully they’ll manage to foresee any future bugs that could arise, because it was said that the launch of Battlefront was mostly botched because the studio didn’t take into account the massive number of incoming players.
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles is set to release for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 4|5 on Jan. 23, 2025.
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