Star Wars (Namco video game)

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Star Wars is a Famicom video game released in 1987 by Namco. It was only released in Japan and is to date the only game in the franchise that was released exclusively there. It is based entirely on the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This version is a common side-scrolling platformer in which the player controls Luke Skywalker, as he travels in order to join the Rebellion against the Empire.

[edit] Story differences and inconsistencies

While the game is based on Episode IV, Namco took several liberties with the storyline:

  • In order to move between planets, Luke travels using the Millennium Falcon (which in the film, it was piloted only by Chewbacca and Han Solo), in order to find them.
  • Some of the planets in the game were only mentioned in passing in the franchise's universe, such as the second stage, Kessel, which in this game contain ruins that appear Egyptian in origin. Other had simply not appeared in the film series yet, such as Hoth, and a water planet, which can be either Sullust or Mon Calamari, though it features a building similar to The Capitol.
  • The Empire is also depicted as having taken over the Rebel base at Yavin IV's Massassi Ruins, which Luke has to traverse to get the X-wing.
  • Darth Vader is the game's only boss, who transforms into different creatures in all but two of the stages.

[edit] Gameplay

For the most part, the game is a typical side-scrolling platformer with two difficulty settings: the Novice Mission and the Pro Mission. Luke uses the lightsaber as his primary attack, and he can also use the Force to execute special maneuvers like floating, speeding and stopping time, among others. Energy to activate Force powers can be obtained through diamonds collected after killing an enemy. When the characters are rescued, they will help Luke by providing hints and other actions that are important to progress through the game.

Between planets, the Millennium Falcon is forced to fight a wave of TIE Fighters that prevent the Falcon's entrance to the next planet. The games switches to a first-person shooter perspective.

The final level involves using the X-Wing against the Death Star. While the film's climactic sequence occurred inside a long trench, the game's version can be roughly described as vertically-scrolling overhead maze-like stage, complete with dead ends and intersections. At the end, there is the reactor's duct where the proton torpedoes will be shot automatically in order to destroy the station. If the player fails to get to the end within a limited amount of time, the Death Star will destroy Yavin IV and the game will be over.

The game is particularly difficult, as the player only has three lives and two continues (activated with enough diamonds), and Luke dies upon touching an enemy. The Millennium Falcon can sustain only one hit before being destroyed, which could be prevented using one of three deflector shield bursts.

[edit] External Links