Play Star Wars (Japan) (Victor) Online

Star Wars for the NES came out in 1987, a Japan exclusive published by Victor and developed by Lucasfilm Games. It was one of many licensed games from that era trying to capture a big movie on the small screen, and it had the usual limitations you'd expect from an 8-bit adaptation.

You control Luke Skywalker through a series of side scrolling and top down stages that loosely follow the plot of A New Hope. The main goal is to progress through each level, from the deserts of Tatooine to the interior of the Death Star, fighting stormtroopers and avoiding obstacles. Signature mechanics include a lightsaber combat that feels slow and requires precise timing, and a blaster you can use in certain sections. The game is notoriously difficult, with stiff controls and enemy patterns that demand memorization. Finishing a level, especially the trench run, feels less like a skilled victory and more like a relief.