Shadows of the Empire - Video Game Review

In 1996, the Nintendo next generation console was released to the public. Nintendo 64 was a technological breakthrough for its real time 3D environments—and although its storage capacity was limited at the time, the console allowed creators to release some iconic games that to this day are staples of the industry. Shadows of the Empire was among them—the video game just as ambitious as the multimedia project of the same name. Although nowadays gamer standards in terms of graphics and gameplay have exponentially increased, Shadows of the Empire remains a true gem; its multi-adventure structure (the storyline divided into four main parts preceded by an opening crawl that ties into the major project storyline, with various levels to clear for each one) allowing the players from hopping on a Snowspeeder to relieve the Battle of Hoth first hand to racing the streets of Tatooine on a swoop bike makes this game fun to play to this day.

The Battle of Hoth

Part I begins with the player taking on some probe droids, AT-STs, and finally the monstrous AT-ATs by zipping through the snowy planet of Hoth onboard a Rebel Snowspeeder. Battle of Hoth is probably one of the most exhilarating levels in all of Star Wars video gaming. The authenticity of the level, particularly the moment where the player has to take down each AT-AT by firing the tow cable and looping around its legs, ultimately causing the beast to trip and fall to the ground, is spot on.

The Battle of Hoth continues with Escape from Echo Base. In this level, the player controls the smuggler-turned-hero Dash Rendar through the ice tunnels of Echo Base. The mission is simple: restore the power to the shield doors so our hero and his fellow droid Leebo can get off Hoth aboard their iconic ship, the Outrider. The level is a nice warmup to get used to the clunkiness of the controls—the shooting and movement can cause some frustrations as the player might accidentally fall off the cliff or have a hard time getting used to the limited aim range. Probably the only real challenge of Escape from Echo Base is facing the AT-ST on foot and with only a puny blaster.

The Asteroid Chase is the last level of The Battle of Hoth, and it’s a pretty short one. The player is in control of the Outrider’s gun turret, trying to take down loads of TIE fighters and TIE bombers before they cause too much damage to the heavily modified YT-2400 light freighter. Despite the level’s low challenge and length, The Asteroid Chase is classic Star Wars—seeing the Outrider fly through Hoth’s asteroid field next to an Imperial Star Destroyer and a swarm of TIEs was truly delightful.

In Search of Boba Fett

Part II of Shadows of the Empire finally dives into the actual story within the multimedia project. A brief cutscene between Black Sun’s Prince Xizor and his bodyguard Guri reveals the plot for executing Luke Skywalker, which then transitions into the location of the first level: Ord Mantell Junkyard. Dash is in search of Boba Fett, and his intel leads him to yet another infamous bounty hunter, IG-88 who will be the boss of the level. Ord Mantell Junkyard tests the player’s coordination as Dash is forced to jump (or duck) obstacles while on a high speed narrow train car—all while blasting a few flying droids. After dangerously moving from one train car to the next and taking down more enemies, Dash Rendar finally faces the first true challenge of Shadows of the Empire. IG-88 is a brutal boss to defeat if you don’t constantly move around the battle area—his regular blaster and pulse cannon attacks can get you killed in no time—but with smart arsenal choices and some accurate hits the bounty hunter will fall quickly.

The next and last level of In Search of Boba Fett is probably the longest of the entire game. Gall Spaceport (for those of you who have read the novel and the comic series, you will recognize the story tie-in) has the player carefully travel narrow mountain ledges and dark corridors with deadly fans while taking down Imperial stormtroopers, probe droids, deadly astromechs, automatic turrets, while also flipping a few switches here and there to progress in the level. Half way through Gall Spaceport players get to use a jetpack and fly around the canyon—probably the most fun aspect of the level and the game as a whole. If the player manages to survive through this crazy long level (not to mention, once running out of the few available lives, it’s game over, and you are back to the beginning!) Dash Rendar is finally face-to-face with Boba Fett. He is without a doubt one the hardest enemy the player will encounter—his constant flying and effective attacks making it a living nightmare. And if that wasn’t enough, once Fett is “defeated” the player has to take down his ship, Slave I. What an insane level.

Hunting the Assassins

Part III begins with a short but fun level as the player runs the streets of Mos Eisley on a swoop bike on a mission to take down Jabba’s swoop gang and stop them from killing Luke Skywalker. Readers of both the novel and the comic series will remember this iconic scene. In the game it is further enhanced as the player gets to control the hero, Dash Rendar while listening to the amazing soundtrack by composer Joel McNeely. The second half of the game has no goons to defeat, but a narrow race through Beggar’s Canyon, which is very reminiscent of the later video game Star Wars Episode I: Racer for its fast and narrow track.

The second level of Part III is aboard the Imperial Freighter Suprosa, where Dash Rendar has to retrieve a supercomputer containing secret data for the second Death Star (planted on purpose by Xizor as explained in the novel). The level has the player run around the freighter in search of the computer while taking down loads of stormtroopers and other foes, with the exception of having a series of malfunctioning blast doors and other obstacles that make it harder to get to the mission’s target. The boss for the level is a Loader Droid with extending mechanical arms that constantly follows the player on a seek-and-destroy pattern.

Lair of the Dark Prince

The final part of the game goes hand in hand with the novel (and the comic)’s final act. Dash and Luke head to the Imperial sewers to infiltrate Xizor’s palace and rescue Leia. The two split up, and Dash (now controlled by the player) has to navigate the disgusting sewer, jetpack style, in search of a way into the palace. The level is full of Xizor’s red guards, droids, but the most frightening foe is without a doubt the giant Dianoga—whose multiple eyes and tentacles are as horrifying as they are lethal.

Xizor’s Palace visually transitions the adventure to a much darker tone—the palace’s shadowy corridors matching its owner’s evil personality. The highlight of this level is its boss: Gladiator. Xizor’s giant droid is the toughest boss of the game—the three phases of this fight gradually get harder as the mechanical nightmare loses parts but not motivation to destroy the player.

After destroying the palace with strategically placed explosives during the previous level, Dash and Leebo prepare for the grand finale: Skyhook Battle. This final level is as epic as how the battle itself was portrayed in the novel and comics. Once again, the player controls the Outrider’s gun turret to fight off swarms of Star Vipers (Xizor’s forces), then finally take over the ship to fly towards the skyhook to ultimately destroy it by firing at its turrets and reactor core. The game ends with a nice cutscene tying right into the main Shadows of the Empire story, revealing the ultimate fate of our heroes.

Although there have been some “upgrades” to the PC release, particularly the 2D, subtitled cutscenes replaced by 3D, dubbed ones (with some iconic voice acting in the mix, including legend Tom Kane as Leebo), the gameplay remains the same—and that’s where the age of the game is most noticeable. Nonetheless, being able to still play this game to this day (it’s been available on Steam for quite some time) is a blessing, and it’s the perfect way to take part of the larger story that is Shadows of the Empire.

Have you played Shadows of the Empire? If so, share your favorite moments with a comment below or on our social media channels!