Star Wars has dabbled in just about every genre known to humankind.

Everything from flight sims to platformers, beat-em-ups to role-playing games. There’s not much Lucasfilm haven’t tried, so now they’ve taken to blending them together with Jedi Power Battles.

Set during the events of The Phantom Menace, you can play as the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu to fight through Trade Federation Battleships, the Swamps of Naboo and Coruscant in a race to fight Darth Maul.

Part platformer, part side-scrolling beat-em-up, with combos, training and one on one battles, this PS1 original really gets you into the grind of Star Wars, deflecting blaster fire, using force powers to protect you and double jumping to new heights.

It works well and it’s immediately clear to see why the game has been given a new lease on life, especially following the recent trend of side-scrollers with the Turtles and Power Rangers. It’s probably the easiest to pick up Star Wars game since the LEGO saga, but it’s also a game that’s very much a product of its time.

The problem with Jedi Power Battles is the game could really have done with a from the ground up, honest to goodness remake as the game often shows its age with its animations, repetitive level design and frustrating difficulty. The combat is also really hit and miss at times, giving you power gauges on defending and many strikes not feeling particularly effectual.

Camera perspectives on certain levels are also super awkward, sometimes making it difficult to see where you’re jumping and some environments almost blocking half of your vision entirely, a classic trait of the OG 3D action adventures that took longer than it should to iron out.

For that hit of nostalgia or to get a feel for what games were like of the time, this is preserved in exactly the way you would have remembered it – for better or worse. Sure, the visuals have been upscaled, there’s improved lighting and the textures are smoothed, but everything still looks incredibly jagged and rough to the point where the game barely feels official.

Jedi Power Battles was never considered to be one of the great Star Wars games and it’s something of a miracle it’s been brought back at all as the difficulty curve is often times blood boiling and the level layout borders on the repetitive and boring, often locking you into certain sections until you destroy X amount of enemies.

The game at least tries to mix things up by offering some different objectives for each level, such as rescuing several individuals before reaching the end of a level or protecting a character from incoming hordes. You can also play the levels in any order you like which at least means if you’re struggling on one, you can try another. This, complete with an easier difficulty, at least makes it more approachable than it was before.

And fortunately, you do have a larger roster of characters to choose from now and if you pick Queen Amidala, it’s almost like having a mini cheat code as you can blast enemies with pistol fire from range, taking away the need for a lot of the hand to hand combat the game’s difficulty really thrives on. And if you pick Darth Maul, the mobs of enemies that swarm you can be eaten up in half the time.

That’s definitely the biggest bonus and benefit to this upgraded version of the game – trying out new characters and their new abilities. There’s even a Big Head Mode, meaning this leans closer to a LEGO Star Wars, less a Jedi Outcast, but beyond that, this game is mostly exactly the same as you would have played in the early 2000s. And if you didn’t, it’ll be hard to convince you it was worth bringing it back in 2025 for a remaster.

Sure, it does all the things you’d hope for from a Star Wars game, like let you wave a lightsaber around, destroy defenseless droids, all while jumping around on an oversized star ship with John Williams titular themes pumping in the background. But it just feels like there are so many other better choices for Star Wars games out there than this one.

Don’t get me wrong, there absolutely feels like there’s a void and a place for a game in this genre set in the Star Wars universe, which is where a full remake probably would have been the better choice here, but between the game’s half-hearted feeling strikes, confusing force system that’s never fully explained, and really annoying combat sequences that see you go through the motions, it all just feels a tad underwhelming.

Not to mention the game’s bizarre obsession with playing, what sounds like Yoda’s voice, everytime you grab a powerup. Yoda isn’t even playable but his presence is definitely felt.

It’s certainly not to the same level, quality and standard as Night Dive’s recent take on Dark Forces or even Aspyr’s previous efforts with Knights of the Old Republic and Bounty Hunter. But I guess there really is just something to be said for having this game at all in 2025 and it at least feels pertinent to preserve a memory of a game that many people had a good time with. Even if it was more of a Star Wars cult hit than a classic.

But since we are in the mindset of bringing back any old obscure Star Wars game with remasters, adding a few more bells and whistles on top, can we get Masters of Teräs Käsi next please! I need to do high kicks with Luke Skywalker on a Tuscan Raider. Stat.

Verdict

Star Wars Episode 1 Jedi Power Battles is still incredibly dated despite its updates and upgrades, to the point where it feels like only those who grew up with the game will have much fun here. While there absolutely is a gap in the market for a side-scrolling lightsaber-em-up in 2025 and this can be enjoyable in short blasts, its awkward camera, control, brutal combat and repetitive levels can be hard to get through. That said, Aspyr deserve full credit for making the game more approachable for new players with easier difficulties and a wider character roster.

Pros

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Star Wars Episode 1 Jedi Power Battles is out now on PC, Xbox, PS and Nintendo Switch.

Played on PS5

Code Kindly Provided by Aspyr for review purposes