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| Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
 North American NES box art | |
| Developers | Lucasfilm Games Sculptured Software NMS Software (GB) |
| Publishers | |
| Designers | Mike Ebert Kalani Streicher |
| Programmer | Ken Grant |
| Artists | Harrison Fong Armand Cabrera Jon Knoles |
| Composers | Paul Webb Mark Cooksey (GB) |
| Series | Star Wars |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System,Game Boy |
| Release | NESGame Boy |
| Genres | Action,platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is anaction-platform game based on the 1980 filmThe Empire Strikes Back, released for theNintendo Entertainment System in 1992. It is the sequel to the originalStar Wars game released the previous year, also on the NES.
It is the second of three video games released under theEmpire Strikes Back title that were developed directly for home video game systems. It was preceded by aversion for the Atari 2600 and succeeded bySuper Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for theSuper NES.
The Empire Strikes Back was eventually ported to theGame Boy, being reprinted and distributed by various publishers over the course of three years. On July 26, 2019, the NES and Game Boy versions were officially re-released in both standard and Collector's Edition sets withDisney andLucasfilms's approval in limited quantities on unlicensed replica game cartridges byLimited Run Games.[citation needed]
After the game was completed, the developers were occupied makingSuper Star Wars for the Super NES, so a corresponding NES sequel covering the filmReturn of the Jedi was never developed, nor released.[1]
The game features multiple objectives, such as destroying an ImperialProbe Droid, escaping aWampa-infested ice cavern, fighting during theBattle of Hoth, locating MasterYoda on Dagobah to train with him, and attempting to rescue allies inCloud City fromDarth Vader.
Unlike in the previous game,Luke Skywalker is the only playable character. He is able to fight with ablaster pistol or alightsaber, and can also board asnowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth. As Luke becomes stronger inthe Force throughout the game, he develops multiple Force Powers that aid him along the way.
The game's ending differs drastically from thefilm's ending, as the player is required to both rescueHan Solo and defeat Darth Vader in combat in order to finish.
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | NES | |
| Wizard | N/A | B[3] |
| Power Unlimited | 75%[4] | N/A |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Nintendo Power Award '92 | Best Overall Game[2] |
Glenn Rubenstein ofWizard magazine praised the game's plot for its faithfulness to its source material. Although he criticized thefighting andplatforming elements as tedious, he said "the more diverse sequences more than make up for it."[3]Power Unlimited gave the Game Boy version 75% writing: "Empire Strikes Back for the Game Boy is mainly more of the same, compared to its predecessor Star Wars. Nevertheless, it is a fun game, although the worlds are very similar."[4]
Patrick Lozano: Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back both came out for the NES, but was there an 8-bit version of Return of the Jedi? /Gamepro: No. Just when LucasArts would have started on Jedi for the NES, it set its sights on making the first 16-bit Super Star Wars game.
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