What’s the story?: The sequel to LucasArts’ 1992 hit Super Star Wars, Super Empire Strikes Back continues the classic platforming action found in the original. Just like the first, a few “Mode 7″ vehicular levels are thrown in to mix up gameplay, but these missions are less fun. For the most part, events from the movie are portrayed in the exact order they occur in the film, with a few alterations to the game’s story. You play as Luke Skywalker the majority of the time. Han Solo and Chewbacca make a return in the game’s later stages as playable characters.

A more important upgrade in SESB would be the addition of a double jump. As long as you have your Lightsaber out, Luke will perform two death dealing somersaults. The double jump is a key offensive maneuver that adds to the gameplay department of any platformer and is a great addition in SESB.

Like SSW before it, SESB has some great 2D animations and backgrounds to help bring you into the Star Wars universe. While its 2D visuals are impressive, it’s John Williams’ incredible score for ESB that really adds that Star Wars feeling to the game. From the “Imperial March” to ”City in the Clouds,” after a sitdown with SESB, you’ll be humming these classics to yourself all day…if you weren’t already.

Another positive: Just like its’ predecessor, Super Empire Strikes Back effectively uses cut-scenes to deliver the game’s story.

Whats not to like:The Hoth levels last for what seems an eternity. I love Hoth in the movie, but there’s no reason for 10 or so stages of the game to take place there. For example, “Inside the AT AT” is one of the stages?! Get real LucasArts. And then get me off this damn ice ball!

The most frustrating thing about the game is its difficulty. Even while playing on the normal difficulty setting called  ”Brave”, this game is freaking hard! Enemies attack from all directions without rhyme or reason. If you’re planning on setting up for a difficult jump, chances are something will appear at the last second to knock you down. I’d actually go as far as saying completing SESB on “Jedi” difficulty is almost impossible. – In fairness to SESB,  it seems like every game JVC\LucasArts has created with the “Super Star Wars” engine is only enjoyable on Easy. Swallow your pride you must, for selecting “Brave” or “Jedi” will lead to the path of broken controllers.

The video below shows off some of SESB’s fantastic graphics, as well as some key story moments including Chewbacca’s battle with Boba Fett, Han shooting up the Carbonite Chamber (!?!?), and, of course, Luke vs. Vader for the game’s finale. Yes, I cheated and used the infinite thermal detonator code but it’s okay; Like Batman on the NES, Super Empire Strikes Back has got to be one of the toughest games ever and I wanted to show you guys the Darth Vader fight this year. Check out the overall below.

Score
Overall
Although it didn’t have as great of an impact as the original, Super Empire Strikes Back does enough right to make it a worthwhile trip through the galaxy. Its new gameplay additions (Force Powers & the double jump), and its ESB setting inserted into the good ole’ SSW engine make it a worthy play for any Star Wars fan. Its extreme difficulty and unbalanced level structure are the only things keeping this one from besting its Master. If you own a SNES, this original cartridge is a cheap one worth the dough. It’s also available on the Wii VC for the regular SNES price of $8.00. Either way, learning the ways of The Force is fairly inexpensive. Just remember to concentrate, or the experience you will hate. Meet an early end you will. Sorry I am for the Yoda.
User Score: (2 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)  Loading ...