Play Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire Online
Dash Rendar’s running, gunning, and speeder-biking through Star Wars’ greatest hits—Hoth AT-ATs one minute, Coruscant’s grimy underbelly the next. Janky but full of chaotic charm, like the N64 era bottled up.
Shadows of the Empire was my first real taste of Star Wars in 3D back on the N64, and it still holds up as this weird, ambitious mix of genres. You play as Dash Rendar—basically a discount Han Solo—bouncing between on-foot shootouts, speeder bike chases, and even snowspeeder battles ripped straight from Empire Strikes Back.
The Hoth level nails that frantic AT-AT fight, but then you’re suddenly sneaking through Coruscant’s sewers or blasting through Mos Eisley’s rooftops. The controls feel a little janky now (that blaster auto-aim either saves you or gets you killed), but there’s something charming about how it throws everything at the wall. Hidden challenge points in each level unlock cheats, which was my excuse to replay Tatooine’s speeder bike race over and over.
It’s not the deepest Star Wars game, but the sheer variety makes it feel like a playground of ’90s LucasArts ideas. Just don’t expect the story to make sense if you haven’t read the book.
Download Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire ROM
You can download this ROM to play Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire offline using an Nintendo 64 (N64) emulator (Top Emulators).
*This ROM is provided for backup and educational purposes only.
