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Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (video game)

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Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari, Inc.
Domark
Designer(s)Dennis Harper
Programmer(s)Dennis Harper
Artist(s)Susan G. McBride
Composer(s)Synthia Petroka
SeriesStar Wars
Platform(s)Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is an isometric scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Atari, Inc. in 1984. It is based on the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, as Atari's second Star Wars arcade release. It uses raster graphics (pixels) rather than the vector graphics of the preceding Star Wars (1983) and the later The Empire Strikes Back (1985) arcade games.

From 1988 to 1990, Domark released several home computer conversions for the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST,[1] Commodore 64, and Amiga.[2]

Over the decades, the arcade game has been re-released several times as an unlockable extra within more modern games, or as a replica arcade cabinet.

Gameplay

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The arcade attract mode shows the first stage.

Return of the Jedi is presented from an isometric 3/4 perspective.[3] Players control vehicles using a flight yoke controller with trigger fire buttons, similar to the preceding Star Wars arcade game.[4][5] The game is divided into multiple stages based on sequences from the film.[3]

In the first stage, Princess Leia pilots a speeder bike through the forests of Endor. The player must navigate between trees, evade enemies, and shoot scout troopers or lure them into traps set by Ewoks. The second stage pilots the Millennium Falcon approaching the Death Star II space station, to shoot and navigate through an energy shield opening. This is followed by another speeder bike stage. In later stages, Chewbacca commandeers an AT-ST walker, dodging log traps and battling enemy walkers. The perspective sometimes switches mid-stage to the Millennium Falcon battling TIE fighters. The final sequence flies the Millennium Falcon inside the Death Star to navigate tunnels, destroy TIE fighters and laser turrets, reach the reactor core, and escape the ensuing explosion.[3]

After destroying the Death Star, the game loops, restarting at the first stage with increased difficulty.

Versions

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In 1988, Domark published conversions of the arcade game for various home computers.[6] The game was released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.[7] In 1990, Domark published Power Box for Atari ST and Amiga, which is a compilation of Tengen's conversions of the trilogy of Star Wars arcade games.[8]

Development

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The game was developed and published by Atari, Inc. on Atari arcade hardware featuring two MOS 6502 microprocessors (one at 2.5 MHz, one at 1.512 MHz), four POKEY sound chips (at 1.512 MHz), and a Texas Instruments TMS5220 speech synthesis chip (at 672 kHz).[5] It is a significant technological departure from Atari's previous Star Wars arcade games by using raster graphics instead of vector graphics.[4][9] A key technical feature is its early use of anti-aliasing to smooth the appearance of diagonal lines inherent in raster displays.[4][10][9] It can leverage small data storage for an enormous amount of playfield graphics. A new Atari chip for dithering further enhances graphical smoothness.[11] The distinctive flight yoke controller from the 1983 Star Wars game was reused for Return of the Jedi.[4][5]

Atari wanted to use Return of the Jedi as the flagship game for this new hardware. The isometric perspective was influenced by the popularity of Sega's Zaxxon, and Atari intended to leverage its success.[11][3] The "chief technical guy" was Lyle Rains, who assigned the project to programmer Dennis Harper. Harper wanted to stay true to the film, and action scenes are most appropriate for the hardware so he flipped between dual settings. He was inspired by Mike Hally's Star Wars and recreated its towers and Death Star trench. He said, "We wanted it to have rich, colorful backgrounds and a deep kind of gameplay."[11]

The game was released in 1984, a period of intense difficulty following the video game crash of 1983.

Reception

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Arcade

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Critics have compared the isometric viewpoint and scrolling action to Sega's 1982 arcade hit Zaxxon.[3][11]

In Japan, the trade publication Game Machine listed Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as the sixth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of February 1985.[27] However, the game did not achieve the same level of commercial success as the original Star Wars (1983) arcade game, of which more than 10,000 cabinets were sold.[4] Retrospective reviews often consider it less impactful than Atari's vector-based Star Wars games.[28] IGN's "History of Star Wars Games" described it as an "anemic re-creation" of the film's final battle.[29]

Home computers

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The home computer conversions released by Domark in 1988 received generally positive reviews across many platforms.

ACE magazine reviewed multiple versions. The Atari ST version was initially praised for its "terrific" gameplay with frantic action and good sound and graphics, rating it 854/1000 (85%).[12] The review noted the diagonal scrolling was good for the ST.[12] However, a later update in March 1989 revised the score down to 678/1000 (67.8%).[13]

The Commodore 64 version received an 85% score, and the Amstrad CPC version 82%.[30]

Reviews for the ZX Spectrum version varied. Crash gave it 86%,[30] listed it under "Honourable Mentions" in February 1989.[31] Your Sinclair scored it 81% and 70% in different listings.[30]

For the Amiga version, Commodore User scored it 78%,[30] and Amiga Computing gave it 63%.[32] The One gave the Amiga/ST versions a combined score of 66%.[32][6] Amiga User International rated it 5/10.[32] The Games Machine scored the Amiga version a high 89%,[32][22] and the ST version at 77%, CPC at 75%, Commodore 64 at 73%, and Spectrum at 71%.[30]

Legacy

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Star Wars: Return of the Jedi has been often viewed as the least memorable of Atari's original Star Wars arcade trilogy, overshadowed by the groundbreaking vector graphics and gameplay of the 1983 original Star Wars and its 1985 Empire Strikes Back conversion kit.[28] Its primary technical contributions are its shift to raster graphics within the series[9] and its pioneering use of anti-aliasing in an arcade game.[4][10][9] In rankings of Star Wars arcade games, it typically places below the other two Atari games.[33]

The game is an unlockable bonus within Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, released in 2003 for GameCube.[34]

The original arcade cabinet became a collectors' item[4] and auctions have reached about US$4,000 for working units.[35] Modern replica arcade cabinets, such as those produced by Arcade1Up, bundle the Atari arcade trilogy.[36][37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi". Atari Mania.
  2. ^ "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi". Amiga Hall of Light.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Return of the Jedi". Arcade Club. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "30 Years Of Star Wars In The Arcade". Arcade Heroes. October 3, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Return of the Jedi". Arcade History. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Domark)". Atari Mania. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Return of the Jedi". SpectrumComputing.co.uk. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "Power Box". MobyGames. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "Star Wars: The Arcade Legacy". Primetime Amusements. 28 December 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Arcade Firsts!". Arcade Heroes. September 23, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Harper, Dennis (February 2010). "The Making Of: Return Of The Jedi". Retro Gamer. No. 73. p. 78. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Return of the Jedi". ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment). No. 16. January 1989. p. 72. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ a b "Return of the Jedi". ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment). No. 18. March 1989. p. 72. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ a b "Return of the Jedi". ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment). No. 16. January 1989. p. 73. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  15. ^ Russell, Stewart C. (April 1989). "Return of the Jedi" (PDF). Amiga Computing. Vol. 1, no. 11. p. 80. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Amiga Magazine Rack. {{cite magazine}}: External link in |via= (help)
  16. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Amstrad Action. No. 39. January 1989. p. 50. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  17. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Atari ST User. No. 46. February 1989. p. 48. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  18. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Crash. No. 61. February 1989. p. 60. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  19. ^ Dillon, Tony (January 1989). "Return of the Jedi" (PDF). Commodore User. No. 64. p. 65. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Amiga Magazine Rack. {{cite magazine}}: External link in |via= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Return of the Jedi" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 87. January 1989. p. 44. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  21. ^ Mark (January 1989). "Return of the Jedi". ST/Amiga Format. No. 7. p. 78. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  22. ^ a b c d e f "Return of the Jedi". The Games Machine. No. 12. November 1988. p. 77. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  23. ^ Nesbitt, Brian (December 1988). "Return of the Jedi". The One. No. 3. p. 50. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  24. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Your Sinclair. No. 37. January 1989. p. 56. Retrieved May 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  25. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Your Sinclair. No. 37. January 1989. p. 43. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  26. ^ Houghton, Gordon; Evans, Maff; Hamza, Kati (November 1988). "Return of the Jedi". Zzap!64. No. 43. p. 30. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  27. ^ "アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機" [Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)]. Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 254. February 15, 1985. p. 21. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Atari Star Wars (1983 coin-op): a masterpiece of arcade tech". Film Stories. May 4, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  29. ^ McLaughlin, Rus (September 10, 2008). "IGN Presents the History of Star Wars Games". IGN. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1988) - Critic Reviews". MobyGames. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  31. ^ "Return of the Jedi". Crash. No. 61. February 1989. p. 5. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d "Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi - HOL database". Hall of Light (abime.net). Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  33. ^ "The Best Star Wars Arcade Games, Ranked". Gamerant. April 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  34. ^ "Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike Cheats, Codes, and Secrets for GameCube". GameFAQs. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  35. ^ "Museum of Pinball Collection Auctioned Off". Pinball News. September 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  36. ^ "Star Wars Arcade Machine With Riser". Arcade1Up Europe. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  37. ^ "The Atari Star Wars Home Arcade". Hammacher Schlemmer. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
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