Aspyr will soon be bringing another remaster toStar Warsfans, in the form of a polished-upJedi Power Battles. This remake of the 2000 classic already has a fair few bells and whistles to its name, but there’s still a lot thatEpisode 1: Jedi Power Battles' remaster could offer.
Recently, a remaster for the 2000 side-scrolling action-platformerEpisode 1: Jedi Power Battleswas announced. The classicStar Warstitle isn’t as well remembered as theBattlefrontgames orStar Wars: Bounty Hunter, games that have also been remastered by Aspyr, but it is nonetheless beloved by many fans. The remaster will bringPower Battlesto current-gen consoles with a 4K, 60FPS sheen—and will hit shelves on July 19, 2025.
How Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles' Remaster Can Make The Biggest Splash
A point of immediate concern for some fans uponPower Battles' announcement was the involvement of Aspyr, the studio behindBattlefront: Classic Collection’s launch fiasco. However, Aspyr not only has experience with otherStar Warsports, but saw something of a redemption later in the year with a solid remaster ofBounty Hunter. Moreover, there’s no sign thatJedi Power Battleswill have online functionality, so it’s unlikely that much will go awry. On the other hand, though much has been promised, there are still more that fans should cross their fingers for with this remake.
Jedi Power Battles' 13 New Characters Should Bring Something Fresh To The Table
13 new characters havebeen announced forJedi Power Battles' remaster, in addition to the news that the original’s secret characters will be available from the beginning. So far, according to PlayStation’s blog, ‘Rifle Droid, Staff Tusken Raider, Ishi Tib, and Weequay’ will be available to unlock. It’s likely that the only new characters will be those already available as assets in the original, which describes the above, but this still leaves many options. Jawas, Gungan Warriors, and/or Droidekas are all solid candidates for this role—though if Aspyr decides to make wholly new assets, other Episode I Jedi (like Yaddle or Yarael Poof) would be fun picks.
The Remastered Jedi Power Battles Should Take Cues From Dreamcast
According to PlayStation’s blog, Aspyr’s enhancements toJedi Power Battleswill be ‘based on the expanded post-PlayStation release’. This implies that Aspyr will be using the bones of the port found onthe beloved Sega Dreamcast, which many fans consider to be the superior version. Though it’s nice that some PlayStation UI will be preserved, fans should bank on Aspyr taking more from the Dreamcast than from the PS1, as the latter was notably jankier.
Moreover, Aspyr needs to focus on optimization—which has been a problem formodernStar Warsgames.Battlefront:Classic Collectionhad an incredibly bloated file size, and even the more well-received remasters have had their file content increased by multitudes. Aspyr has so far promised ‘smoother jumps, better balance, and new main menu art’, but how this will play out has yet to be seen. Given jank is attached to this game’s reputation, a thorough clean-up is certainly in order.
More Accessibility Features To Cope With High Difficulty
Jedi Power Battlesis notoriously difficult, and that’s by no means a bad thing. However, it’s become pretty standard for remasters of retro-tough games to include accessibility options. Given that Aspyr already has a finished game to work with, the studio could consider going all-out with difficulty options, allowing players to mod AI, damage levels, and stage RNG as much as they please. In addition, Aspyr could give these options ceilings above the standard game, allowing those looking for a challenge to dial things up to a comical extent.
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (2025)
WHERE TO PLAY
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 GalaxyPlay 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 Co-opBattle side-by-side with a companion in 2-player couch co-op for the entire 10-level campaign and bonus mini-gamesClassic & 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
