Star Wars (スター・ウォーズ Sutā Wōzu) is a video game released in Japan in 1987 by Namco under their Namcot label. It was developed for the Family Computer (Famicom for short) and Hiroyuki Kawada was one of the developers.[source?] The game is a side-scrolling platformer in which the player controls Luke, as he travels in order to join the Rebellion against the Empire.
Opening crawl
| EPISODE IV A NEW HOPE |
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Continuity
Gameplay from Star Wars
While the game is based on A New Hope, Namco took several liberties with its storyline. For instance, Luke must rescue some of the main characters from the movie (R2-D2, C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and Han Solo), who are trapped on distinct planets. Luke travels using the Millennium Falcon (which in the movie was piloted only by Chewie and Han) in order to find them. On each planet, the boss appear to be none other than the Sith Darth Vader, who is typically impersonated by shapeshifting entities who will sometimes transform into a giant scorpion, a Wampa, a shark, or a pterosaur in order to continue attacking. Vader himself is eventually fought for real on the Death Star, as well as on Yavin 4.[2]
The planets themselves are portrayed very differently than in the mainstream franchise's universe (Kessel contains ruins that resemble that of Ancient Egypt, for example),[2] and some don't appear in the film[3] (such as the icy planet, which, although named "Tina" in-game, is the same as Hoth according to Jason Fry).[4]
Other differences include the use of a lightsaber and the Force, the latter of which Luke learned very little of until Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. In addition, Luke's in-game appearance is black haired, although instruction manual illustrations and box art depict him with yellow hair, closer to his actual sandy-blond hair color.[2]
Transforming Vader
According to both "Game On!," an article published in Star Wars Insider 135, and the game manual, the fake Vaders were "intended as illusions representing Luke's fears, like the Cave of Evil scene in Empire Strikes Back."[5] However, those "illusions" were able to kidnap Luke Skywalker's allies and hold them prisoner.
Media
Cover gallery
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Organisms
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Droid models
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Events
Locations
Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
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Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Sources
"Game On!" — Star Wars Insider 135 (reprinted in Special Edition 2016 and The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume 3)- The Best Star Wars Games of the 8-bit Generation on StarWars.com (original link is obsolete)
- The Weirdest Star Wars Games on StarWars.com (original link is obsolete)
Notes and references
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John. The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, 2, S.M.G Szczepaniak, 2015. ISBN 1518655319. "Namco's Star Wars for FC came out 4 Dec 1987"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars (1987 video game)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Email from Jason Fry on July 9, 2012 — Used with permission
- ↑
"Game On!" — Star Wars Insider 135
External links
- Star Wars video game (Japan) in the StarWars.com Cargo Bay (original site is defunct)
- Star Wars (1987 video game) on MobyGames (backup link)
- Star Wars (Namco) on Strategy Wiki (backup link archived on February 20, 2021)
- Famicom Star Wars manual (PDF) on Video Game Den (backup link archived on January 5, 2017)
