Video games and space combat are an essential part of Star Wars and its enormous legacy, and the best thing is that space shooters based on the universe in Star Wars have very rarely disappointed: sagas like Rogue Squadron or X-Wing are one of the best that LucasArts has released in its history. As it is. Mind you, the impact of Star Wars , Atari’s mind-blowing arcade with 3D vector graphics hasn’t been matched yet.
Launched for arcade halls in 1983 and later adapted to different home systems, Atari’s Star Wars was a simply spectacular space shooter experience: through vectors, we sat in the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s own X-wing with the purpose of blowing up the Death Star and, in the process, taking all the Tie Fighters that came our way.
A very intense space combat experience, in first person and with digitized phrases and sounds from the Star Wars movie . And is that if the gameplay or the technical section were at the forefront of the time, torpedoing the reactor of the colossal space station of the Empire listening to the voice of the old Obi Wan is an added bonus to the experience.
And best of all, somehow – and not without enormous limitations – Atari managed to assemble the legendary climax of Star Wars in arcades and all kinds of systems, from the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 to the ZX Spectrum, going logically by the mythical Atari 2600 and each of its successors. And it is that few managed to immerse us so much and so well in that galaxy far, far away during the 80’s as Atari.
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Star Wars, from movie theaters to arcades
Despite its short name, Star Wars was not the first video game based on the Space Opera imagined by George Lucas: In 1978, the following year of the premiere of The Wars in theaters, Kenner launched Star Wars: Electronic Laser Battle, something that today we could define as a dedicated console. For its part, Parker Brothers will be the first to adapt both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
In all fairness, the almighty Atari in her prime was the one that started bringing the blockbusters from the movies to the arcades and consoles. The first licensed video game based on a film license was its adaptation of In Search of the Lost Ark -also by LucasFim- and ET’s official video game the Extra-Terrestrial was to be a key part of its 1982 Christmas campaign. Fortunately, the experience Atari’s Star Wars was on another level.
That said, 1983 was a critical year for Atari: not only had not damped enough the blow with the failure of ET the Extra-Terrestrial released a few months earlier, but was in the middle of the storm known as the Crisis of the video game of ’83 . Still, the true value of the company remained clear: not only did it have powerful licenses, but it was also capable of pulling off great games.
The secret behind the technical miracle of playing Star Wars with 3D graphics? A man ahead of his time: Ed Rotberg , responsible for the equally spectacular and ambitious first-person shooter Battlezone from 1980. In both cases, he opted for using vector graphics that gave depth and perspective on black backgrounds – due to the limitations of the period – they offered a very cool neon effect. Needless to say, that was much more conducive to the space setting of Star Wars.
In statements by Rotberg to NEXT Generation magazine, what will become Star Wars began to take shape in 1981 under the codename Warp Speed . That said, Ed Rotberg left the company – along with many others – before Atari signed the license with LucasArts, so the project was completed, adapted and polished after the fact and internally.
For Star Wars and Atari to join forces was a dream come true for fans of video games at a time when Atari did not have a monopoly on the industry, but almost. And that it arrived at the arcades in two furniture models, including a brand new covered cockpit, completed the magic of getting at the controls of the legendary Luke Skywalker X-wing.
A Star Wars experience packed with spectacular details
The gameplay of Star Wars is extremely simple and very smooth. Both when flying relatively freely through the open space and when dodging the dangers and threats of the trenches of the Death Star . The sensitivity of the controls, by default with the inverted axes, is ten and the amount of moving elements on the screen is spectacular.
Although Star Wars is the arcade classic in which we will have to repeat the different levels in a loop with their corresponding increase in difficulty, which was common in arcade games at that time, it was right when dividing the three types of phases . A) Yes:
- The first section consists of a battle in open space , with the Death Star in the background and as a subtle but effective reference to guide us. The objective: to overcome the Tie Fighters and Darth Vader.
- The second section takes place on the surface of the Death Star. At this point we will have to avoid turrets, towers and all kinds of projectiles.
- Finally, we enter the trench that leads us to the reactor of the space station. The real litmus test: the flight space is reduced and, in addition to the turrets, we must avoid all kinds of obstacles. Finally, unleash a shot in the gap, knowing that in case of failure it will be necessary to get back into the trench.
From the beginning, Star Wars allows the player to choose between three very well calculated levels of difficulty . Not only will the level of our shields or the aggressiveness of our enemies depend on these, but also the size of the turrets or barriers that we will run into when crossing the trench. Logically, the greater the difficulty, the more intense the experience. And beware: there is a fourth level of difficulty in the game that is not selectable.
Images of the three sections of the game: the open space, the surface of the Death Star and the reactor trench
In Star War s we only have a single life that, in turn, is reduced to the preset number of impacts that our shields can withstand. As an addition, and as the arcade tradition dictated, depending on our score we could restore up to three shields by exploding the Death Star. And, logically, the amount of points earned in Atari’s Star Wars are related to the level of difficulty. A fair deal for the player.
And despite the fact that its visual section today could be considered very minimalist , as soon as we toss a coin we are overwhelmed by the amount of details in the game. Because Star Wars not only knows how to shine with its own light through its vector graphics, its intense space combat proposal or its own gameplay: Atari achieves everyone who is dazzled by Star Wars based on fanservice.
Details that range from calling the scorecards ” The rebel forces of the Princess Leia ” to the aforementioned digitized dialogues with the voices and advice of Alec Guinness, the screams of excitement of Harrison Ford or the beeps of R2-D2 among many. Not to mention classic movie spatial sounds or stunning vector visual finishes.
Regarding the music, a very interesting detail: like the sounds, they are digitized versions of John Williams’ scores , but there is a nuance: they are reproduced randomly, in stereo and with a slogan, each song would not be repeated for seven minutes. Logically, those who have the key to the machine will be able to adjust the music or disconnect it.
The emerging fever for Star Wars and the outstanding way of adapting one of the best scenes of the classic trilogy resulted in a well-deserved international commercial and critical success . Atari produced and distributed thousands of machines and it became an obsession for the Japanese public for months. Let’s remember that our Japanese friends caused a currency crisis not long before when they passed the Space Invaders fever.
Atari’s legacy of space combat
Star Wars was a thunderous success, but not even the Force could prevent Atari’s downfall. The first titan of the arcades and pioneer of the consoles tried to adapt as best he could to the most delicate period in the history of video games. And although he lost the battle, his legend lives on.
When Atari moved to cross-platform development in the mid-1980s, their conversions and compilations of Star Wars games were a notable boost for the brand itself. Mind you, the emerging LucasFilm games division, originally called LucasFilm Games, not only had the advantage of having the license, but a very, very special touch for combat simulators.
X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, un clasicazo de LucasArts
Already like LucasArts , the world of video games continued to amaze us with all kinds of Star Wars experiences that took the witness of the Atari arcade and expanded it to spectacular levels. Above all, through the highly acclaimed Star Wars: X-Wing series culminating in the mind -blowing X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter from 1997.
Beyond games based on original plots, LucasArts has led us into the trench of the death star piloting Luke’s X-wing countless times. Showing off in each one of them and bringing news to the player. Highlighting, for example:
- A Super Star Wars in which the Super Nintendo hardware and its brand new Mode7 were put to spectacular use.
- A Star Wars: Rogue Squadron that made it clear that the third person also allowed the iconic moment to be experienced in all its glory.
- A SEGA Star Wars Arcade , later adapted to the Mega Drive Add On 32X, which retained the classic arcade feel.
- And, skipping many intermediate steps, a LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in which the 1983 vectors give way to the building pieces. Getting the essentials right: the feeling of pure emotion.
Perhaps playing Atari’s classic Star Wars has lost the original force of almost 40 years ago. But what is essential, what is truly important, is still present in a legacy that does not stop growing and expanding. Because getting into that spectacular cockpit and causing the Death Star to explode is an experience that only those who were hard at the arcade will enjoy, but piloting an X-wing in virtual reality in Star Wars: Squadrons is nothing, but that nothing bad.
