Is the Force strong with this one?
Deflect. Defeat. Destroy! Take back the Theed Palace in this fast and furious lightsaber action game. You will have the power of the Force and your trusty lightsaber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Jump Into Side-Scrolling Arcade Action in the Star Wars Galaxy – Play as Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, or Qui-Gon Jinn facing off against droids and other familiar foes from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Or, play as one of the previously locked characters such as Darth Maul, Captain Panaka, Queen Amidala, Ki-Adi Mundi, and the Battle Droid, now available from the start! Bring a Friend in Classic Couch Cooperative Play – Battle side-by-side with a companion in two-player couch cooperative play for the entire 10-level campaign and bonus mini-games. Classic and New Game+ – Use classic or modern control schemes, toggle your Lightsaber colors to match the films, enjoy new playable characters such as the Tusken Raider, enter classic cheat codes like Big Head Mode, and discover more surprises in this 25th anniversary celebration of Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles.
I never played the original Jedi Power Battles, so I didn’t know what to expect here. I remember briefly playing the official Episode 1 tie-in game, but that was a pretty mixed bag overall…so I wasn’t sure if this would be a decent game or a cash-in. So let’s dive deep into full Force mode here…
First of all, I have to say while I didn’t like all the trade war politics of the first film (especially since we seem to be living in a weird real version of it now in 2025), I still enjoyed it despite Jar Jar…But one great thing that film did was introduce the biggest badass in the Star Wars universe, Darth Maul. So it’s great to see that he is unlocked from the start here, when he was originally locked until later in the game.
The game has 10 levels to complete as you fight your way through droids, soldiers and other lightsaber-wielders. The formula is pretty simple, while the controls are easy to get to grips with and have a modern equivalent which feels a lot smoother than the OG controls.
New content such as new playable characters are a welcome bonus to the overall package. While certain elements may seem dated such as the AI and the camera, Aspyr have done a decent job in bringing this often forgotten PS1 title to a new audience. The visual upgrade is decent and while you can tell it’s a 25 year old game, Aspyr have done well here to give it a nice upgraded lick of paint.
The Verdict
While it’s far from the best Star Wars game out there, Aspyr have done their best to bring Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles to a new crowd, while adding in a few QoL changes and extra content alongside the upgraded visuals. Plus you can play as Darth Maul from the start, I mean…it doesn’t get much better than that, does it?