Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles Review (PS5) – Maclunky, this is.

It’s always a treat to try out a new Star Wars game. You could argue of course that Jedi Power Battles isn’t all that new, releasing way back in 2000 when this reviewer was a mere fourteen years old, but 24 years later it still feels like an event when you get to spend a video game playing with lightsabers upon the Death Star. It certainly isn’t lost on me just yet, even if the magic of Star Wars as an entity isn’t quite as exciting as it once was. 

Still, my era was the prequels. The first Star Wars film I ever saw was The Phantom Menace, and hold it and the following two in high regard, even if the consensus says otherwise. Jedi Power Battles slots you right in the middle of that era and it’s all the better for it, even in a game that may have its setting all it really has going for it.

If you are youthful enough to have played JPB way back when, you’ll know what to expect here. Side-scrolling Star Wars action in a 3D world. It’s linear and full of action from the outset, with force powers and the like readily available the second you jump in. It’s a shame then that it feels clunky and otherwise, well, rubbish to play. Jedi Power Battles is pure nostalgia-bait and has not a whole lot else in its arsenal to talk about. Hence this review being slightly shorter than my usual. It’s proving tough to discuss the positive moments and the negative ones. It’s such a middling, meh experience that it’s hard to really grasp that without just throwing an emoji in and being done with it all. 

OK, from a visual standpoint yes it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the classic version. There’s reflections on the floor and the Death Star interiors (among others) look just as pristine and shiny as ever, Vader must have employed some damn good cleaners for this place because it just always looks so damn crisp, as if he’s got his parents coming to visit at any given moment. 

Another somewhat good thing, if you’re really looking, is the implementation of a modern control system that offers, naturally, a more familiar way of controlling an action game. Analogue sticks, jump on X, attack on square and circle etc..It allows newcomers to jump in with little effort, though the controls remain frustrating in combat purely because I’m certain the buttons aren’t reacting quick enough to your inputs. Whilst your trusty lightsaber can take care of most in its wake it still feels heavy and cumbersome to attack. I’ve blocked droid attacks only for them to hit me anyway and my health to go down for some inexplicable reason. 

Using your lightsaber you can deflect blaster bolts and, if you time it correctly, will blast them straight back at the droids and put them down with very little effort needed on your part. It’s satisfying, but rarely occurs. An attempt to recreate this with droids further up the level resulted in them shooting off in random directions. Ugh. I don’t remember that one in lightsaber training. Deflect sometimes, they will.

It’s the inconsistency of JPB that makes it so frustrating to play. The Force is helpful, but again is stuck behind a bar that can empty, making you feel like a Jedi every now and then rather than the entire time. And it gives Force powers to Queen Amidala, which I have ridiculous problems with to be honest. Let’s make a real Star Wars game or let’s not eh? Then again, you can play as Vader or Darth Maul and still tear it through the Death Star like Anakin tearing through padawans. Make it make sense. Ugh.

And I’m pretty sure Qui-Gon’s powers don’t even work. Ugh. 

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, hell, just ask JJ Abrams. But here it’s probably best Jedi Power Battles never returned because it simply can’t keep up with the Star Wars games of today, hell, maybe games today as a whole. It’s frustrating, inconsistent, and paced as well as The Rise of Skywalker. Remember when they found that weird thing they had to look through that was exactly the size and shape they needed it to be to progress? Yeah, what a stupid movie. God what happened to Star Wars? It used to be so joyful.

Wait what? Oh yes, the review. 

Yeah don’t buy this. The nostalgia hit will last a few minutes until you realise you’re playing a game that should have stayed in the 2000’s with B*Witched, Deep Blue Something and Ronan Keating.

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles is available now on PS5 (review platform), PS4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC

Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Lucasfilm Games

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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