MindfulHow do you remaster an overlooked cult classic like Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles? By leaning into how "fun and quirky" it is, says the developerThe even goofier side of The Phantom Menace.Image credit: VG247/Aspyr Article by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on Jan. 21, 2025 The surprise remaster of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is right around the corner. I and other retro Star Wars gaming sickos are celebrating already, but before its January 23 release across all modern platforms, I had the opportunity to shoot Aspyr some burning questions about the process of revisiting such an overlooked Star Wars oldie.The developer-publisher is no stranger to remastering classic Star Wars games, and even though 2024's Battlefront Collection faced a rough kickoff due to some baffling choices and overall lack of polish at launch, its hit rate has been remarkable: Episode I - Racer, KOTOR 1 & 2 (Switch), The Force Unleashed (Switch), and Bounty Hunter, among others, all successfully refreshed the originals for old and new fans alike. We've yet to see whether Jedi Power Battles is a Forced-powered win or another fall to the dark side, but color me excited.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Chris Bashaar, Director of Product at Aspyr, was kind enough to shed some light on why and how Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games remastered the (originally divisive) arcade-like beat 'em up. The developer has been steadily working its way through LucasArts' rich back catalogue, and even though games like The Phantom Menace have been rescued by Disney and Lucasfilm as straightforward re-releases instead, most of the Star Wars titles we millennials blasted through in the late 1990s and early 2000s are getting a new coat of paint.Elsewhere, Aspyr has also been killing it with the recent remasters of Soul Reaver 1 & 2 and Tomb Raider's original trilogy (soon to be followed up by IV-VI), so Star Wars hasn't captured them if you're worried about that. Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrThe following Q&A has been editorialized, trimmed, and rearranged for clarity and cohesion."The decision to bring it back stemmed from the perfect combination of fan nostalgia, the games 25th anniversary, and the opportunity to introduce it to a new generation. Lucasfilm Games has been an incredible partner, and together we recognized that now was the right time to celebrate this cult classic," Bashaar explained. While the 'direct tie-in' Phantom Menace game (developed externally by Big Ape Productions) was released in 1999, Jedi Power Battles, a wacky retelling of sorts of the first prequel movie, was internally developed at LucasArts and dropped the following year. With the Battlefront Collection also dropping during a marked anniversary (the original's 20th), we have to wonder what might be coming from Aspyr this year...Of course, 2005's Revenge of the Sith tie-in, another underrated fan-favorite, comes to mind, but Bashaar sidestepped the question, stating Aspyr the team was "just focused on bringing Jedi Power Battles to players." All right then, keep your secrets (the Disney snipers are scary, we get it). He did note, however, that "Lucasfilm Games has been an incredible partner" so far.I believe most fanatics of this game, myself included, will admit Jedi Power Battles wasn't like good good, but it's looser approach to the property and charming bits won you over if you stuck with it (it's infamously hard, at least in its original PS1 iteration). At Aspyr, Bashaar notes that "several members of our team grew up playing Jedi Power Battles... That personal connection really fueled the passion behind this remaster. Its not just about bringing back a gameits about honoring the fun, quirky spirit that made the original so memorable." If you've paid attention to the trailers (we're sharing the co-op-centric one below), it's easy to see what he means by that.Players who only experienced the PS1 version might also be confused by some of the visuals and overall art work the remaster sports. It actually isn't a huge 'redo' of that initial release, but a direct upgrade of "the Dreamcast version because it was the most refined iteration of the original game." Again, he's not wrong, check out this longplay of the Dreamcast release; on top of looking sharper and running much better, a number of changes were made to tricky areas and jumps. The team has, however, kept some of the superior UI elements from the PS1 release around: "We upscaled its textures, re-baked lighting, and improved overall visual fidelity, all while staying true to the games aesthetic. We also preserved some elements from the PlayStation release, like parts of its iconic UI, to keep that nostalgic connection intact."A big selling point of the remaster is all the new playable content that comes with it, which fully transforms the game into a generous 'couch co-op' package that doubles down on playstyle variety and flexibility to experience all the levels. Since most of the new character and cheat additions work with assets that were already there, was it all leftover and unfinished from the original development or brought to life by Aspyr for the first time?"We are adding all-new content, including 13 newly playable characters. We wanted to expand the game in ways that felt organic to the Star Wars galaxy. These elements were carefully crafted to enhance the gameplay experience while staying true to the spirit of the original. We are all about additions not revisions so nostalgic players are going to feel that classicness back 25 years ago." You can even play as Jar Jar Binks and make him fall to his death repeatedly! Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrA downside to the unlockable characters in the original (Captain Panaka, Padm Amidala, and Darth Maul) was that they couldn't be leveled up, not even to get extra HP and more Force capacity. It seems that hasn't changed for none of the remaster's bonus characters, as they're designed as a challenging, extra way to experience the game: "The 13 new playable characters are part of a New Game + experience without progression, unlockable by beating the main campaign once. Except for the Loader Droid, which requires a cheat. Youll have to stay tuned to get that code." Prepare accordingly for wilder runs.Another big question mark every time a new Star Wars game (old or new) releases is where Lucasfilm is at regarding the public perception of events and content depicted in them, as the Story Group has been safeguarding a firm canon continuity for well over a decade now. All retro Star Wars games are either considered Legends or their own, what-if, madcap thing. Jedi Power Battles is clearly one of the latter. But still, this franchise is strictly controlled, so how does that work when you're remastering a very silly game?"Lucasfilm Games worked closely with us to ensure everything aligns with the Star Wars galaxy. Their collaboration allowed us to add new content, like characters, that feel authentic to the franchise." I mean, I'm fairly sure random mercenaries aren't able to uppercut and send Jedi Knights flying, but yes, that's an Ishi Tib model that looks like a background alien from the movies. I dig this mix of attention to detail and flexibility. Let Star Wars be silly and over-the-top more often! Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrThe general 'silliness' of Jedi Power Battles also extended to its sound effects, with Yoda's classic laugh playing for absolutely no reason (other than it being really f**king hilarious) every time you picked up an item or power-up. The good news is that none of those have been cut or remade, and the same goes for John Williams' fantastic Episode I soundtrack. "All the original audio and music remain unchanged to preserve the authenticity of the experience," Bashaar confirmed.Last but not least, we asked Aspyr about the matter of those wonky platforming sections (which, in all honestly, are part of the original game's challenge) and whether something has been done about them. It wasn't an easy thing to figure out and decide on, it seems: "This is a very heated debate for us at Aspyr. While yes, those mushrooms on Naboo are particularly tough to navigate, especially as a first time player, the designers made those jumps with a very particular intent. If you break down the jump mechanics, forward momentum doesnt apply on a double jump. This is very unique to Jedi Power Battles compared to other contemporaries. If we alter jumps, or the jumping mechanic, the knock-on effects start to remove the charm of the design. What I can say is, single-jump those mushrooms and itll be a much easier platforming section." It must be noted the Dreamcast port already saw big improvements to many sections, but long story short: Git gud. Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrStar Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is coming to PC (Steam and GOG), PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S plus One, and Nintendo Switch on January 23.