By Marty Mulrooney
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is a remaster of the side-scrolling action game originally released for PlayStation and Dreamcast in 2000. Now, 25 years later, developer and publisher Aspyr has restored Jedi Power Battles for modern platforms with new controls, bonus characters, couch co-op and more. Like the good old days, players can fight through iconic locations from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, using the power of the Force and their trusty lightsaber to complete the challenging 10-level campaign!
I must admit, I’ve always had a soft spot for Jedi Power Battles. It was my first import game, a concept that seemed quite exciting to a 12-year-old boy at the turn of the 21st century, and nabbing a North American copy meant I would get to play it a whole month earlier than my classmates here in the UK.
However, there was a catch: my ‘chipped’ PlayStation console would only display the game in black and white via the original AV cable! I can still remember the feeling of crushing disappointment as I desperately tried to find the right setting via my TV remote. Thankfully, I eventually figured out that I needed to buy an RGB SCART cable, and before I knew it, I was deflecting blaster shots like a Jedi Master in glorious colour.
Now, just to be clear: despite this being a nostalgic game for me personally, and having become something of a cult classic over the years… it has always been a somewhat janky movie tie-in that got average reviews at best upon release. Yet it undoubtedly had something about it that kept players coming back, even when faced with its brutal difficulty spikes and stiff controls.
This remastered version from Aspyr doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does smooth off the rough edges to make Jedi Power Battles less frustrating to play in 2025. It uses the Dreamcast version as its foundation, which means the controls are a bit more responsive and the platforming is slightly more forgiving. The only downside is a lack of environmental damage. However, the main menu is based on the superior design of the PlayStation version – a wise decision.
The difficulty spikes would be impossible to properly address without remaking the entire game, so Aspyr has instead made every level and character unlocked from the start. I cannot applaud this decision enough, as it means players will now be able to experience most of what the game has to offer even if they get hopelessly stuck on a specific level; however, they will still need to complete earlier levels and unlock additional abilities for their chosen character to stand a chance later on.
An increase in the number of lives the player starts off with (especially when selecting Easy Mode) is greatly appreciated too, although it’s still easy to churn through continues during the more platform-heavy sections (which are still highly unfair). Modern Controls have been added and are recommended for new players, but in truth, they aren’t that different from the original Classic Controls. The graphics aren’t greatly improved either, but there has been a huge boost in resolution that at least makes everything look crisp and clear.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to rate Jedi Power Battles after replaying most of it alone, but then I asked my best friend if he wanted to try the couch co-op with me. It was technically a disaster, with droids attacking us from all directions as I desperately tried to teach him the controls and how to deflect blaster shots with the lightsaber. Then one of us would miss a jump, and the other would be forced to fight alone until the next checkpoint. We were shouting at each other the entire time… and we had a blast!
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is an improved version of an average game that somehow still manages to be fun despite its significant flaws, especially when played with a friend. A quarter of a century after it was first released, it still has a certain charm. It’s unlikely to win many new fans, but if you have fond childhood memories of playing it when you were a Padawan, perhaps now is the time to embrace the Force and master it…
7 OUT OF 10
Martin Mulrooney
Guest/Previous
Alternative Magazine Online 