Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, & PC)

Aspyr is still on a roll, dipping into the archaic Star Wars-themed games from way back when and attempting to catch lightning in a bottle once again. So far, they’ve had varied success; some retro games have actually cleaned up great. But there still remains the bugging annoyance of remasters changing very little. A few touch-ups here and there to polish the visuals and controls, and the classic is rolled out for the modern age. But these “touch-ups” are beginning to grow on gamers who want more effort into bringing some of their old favorites to the contemporary world. 

Unfortunately, Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles suffers the same fate. Hardly much has changed for the better. If anything, the most significant effort seems to be porting the PS1/Dreamcast original to current and next-gen consoles. It runs smoothly, for sure.

You’ll run into very few to no performance issues. But the core story and gameplay remains the same. Perhaps it would have been fine if the original title had been a solid entry. Sadly, the frustrating combat and platforming from the original persist in the remaster. In the long run, it leaves us wondering what Aspyr’s path moving forward will be. 

Anyway, let’s get down to business and explore what you can expect from the newest retro remaster from Aspyr: Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles review loading… 

From the Top

Remember Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace? Yup, the 1999 film that didn’t exactly enjoy a warm reception post-launch. Well, Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, which came out in 2000, is based on that film. Or at least a loose adaptation, mostly of the characters and a few of the settings in the film.

So, you can expect to meet legends from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui Gon-Jinn, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Ki-Adi Mundi, Darth Maul, and Queen Amidala to Captain Panaka. You’ll also play through familiar locations, from the Theed Palace on Naboo to the Trade Federation Battleship. If none of these are familiar, don’t worry. Knowledge of the film is hardly essential to make the most of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles.

Well, to be blunt, there isn’t much of a story anyway. Save for the light references here and there, you’ll hardly find an expertly woven plot to keenly follow. The cutscenes themselves are nearly non-existent. It’s clear a coherent plot was hardly the focus, and it’s not at all surprising given the era the original title hails from.

In 2000, gamers were perfectly content with a loose adaptation of a film without the profound storytelling and compelling dialogue of today. Still, being a remaster, some effort could have gone into reducing the repetitiveness of some of the one-liners. There could have been some character development, too. Instead, Aspyr adds 13 new playable characters. That’s about what’s new on the story front. 

The Force is Strong

Being a 3D sidescrolling beat ‘em up, your main focus will probably be combat. Wielding your trusty lightsaber, you’ll slash enemy droids of the Trade Federation. There are three moves, with their respective buttons, including short and long-range attack and defense.

So, you do have good enough options to choose from. Attacks can feel clunky, unfortunately. There’s a frustrating low input lag between your attacks and animations playing out. It leaves little room for accuracy or anticipating your next move, leaving you in limbo. State of limbo being, of course, button mashing and hoping your attacks land. 

You use your lightsaber to block incoming laser bolts. It serves as a counter-attack, too, as successful blocks hit back the enemy, inflicting damage. When blocks land, they can feel satisfying, especially with the precise timing involved. Further in, you’ll unlock combos so you can inflict more damage.

By then, combos will be hugely welcome as the combat starts to grow on you. Lastly, you have the Force special abilities, which vary depending on your character. But, again, the combat controls themselves are often clunky. When you factor inputting combos into the equation, they feel even more sluggish.

The Dark Side

I should mention that besides droids, you do fight legions of different enemy types. There are battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures. Better still, they attack in different ways, from shooting laser bolts to punching you in the face. Often, they’ll spawn in waves that can quickly become overwhelming.

When you’re controlling a Jedi lacking AoE powers, well, you’ll be done for. Plus, with the finicky controls, you hardly find clever ways to dispense them off. With the local co-op mode, though, you could recruit the extra help and wade the waves of droids more easily. However, you probably will need a staunch Star Wars fan because the Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles experience gets worse.

You’ll run into platforming sections that are in desperate need of refinement. Because of the original title’s era, you’ll be dealing with outdated platforming. Back then, it didn’t matter, as the 3D scrolling was the epitome of the technology. However, game development has come so far now. There’s no reason to suffer through measuring your jumps only to miss them and fall to your death because of the level design.

Worse? You could glitch out mid-jump. Still, some sections simply are unfair, when you’re certain of a jump but still end up missing it. Apparently, Aspyr has tightened platforming from the wreck it was on the PS1 and is slightly better on the Dreamcast. Yet, platforming remains as frustrating as ever, and sections you desperately want to skip through without any remorse.

Fresh Coat of Paint

Lastly, let’s talk about the graphics. At first glance, well, you might conclude that nothing has changed. See, Aspyr is committed to faithful recreations of classics. So, they barely change much. Only making environments detailed and textures finer. But the result is still low-poly and low-resolution.

There’s barely any impressive section you can attest to. Characters are blocky, while the textures are muddy. But backing up a bit, pulling up the original title, and comparing the original Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles to the remaster, side by side, you can spot some slight differences.

Meanwhile, there are glitches. Droids can get caught in walls yet still have a leg up on you. They’ll spawn too late when you’ve practically closed distance, assuming you have cleared the stage. As for the UI/UX, it leaves a lot to be desired. You have crappy fonts and unintuitive menus. 

No Such Thing as Luck

I could go on and on about all that’s wrong with Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. If you’re playing it with no knowledge of the original, you might be in for disappointment especially because you’d probably be expecting a proper modernized game. However, it’s clear that Aspyr had their sights someplace else.

They aimed to port the original game to modern consoles without altering anything significant. It makes sense, though, given Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles history. The initial launch of the game on the PS1 was horrendous, which led to the Dreamcast version a few months later. Gamers enjoyed the Dreamcast version much better, given its playability.

But the game still remained a frustrating experience, which oddly enough became the joy of playing it. Its clunkiness and annoyance were so bad it became comical. In that respect, I guess the remaster has been curated to capture the same effect. Perhaps gamers who enjoyed the original will be looking to jump back into one of the worst Star Wars games for nostalgia’s sake.

Verdict

It’s still illogical why Aspyr chose to remaster Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. The original wasn’t a great title. The platforming was damn near unplayable, while the combat was clunky to the point of frustration. However, Star Wars fans and gamers alike found its low-bar gameplay fun.

But that was 25 years ago when the beat ‘em ups of that era didn’t have much expectation beyond “fun.” Now, there are far more profound games with rich stories, addicting platforming, ecstatic battles, and more. Compared to the modern games you can play today, Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles will likely be at the bottom of the barrel.

However, there’s that ever-persistent craving for nostalgia that just might reel you into this one. Particularly if you enjoy the original’s shenanigans and the hilarious cheat codes, well, there might be a hidden gem here for you. However, if you’re keen on a competent game, even if it’s a retro title with tight controls and smooth gameplay, you might be better off elsewhere. 

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is currently going for $17.99 on the respective platforms. It’s a rather steep price, given the very few additions and barely any improvements on the story, combat, and platforming. So, probably also wait for a sale if playing the game can wait a bit longer.