Play Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back Online

Summary

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back landed on the Game Boy as a faithful port of the 1992 NES action‑platform title, eventually seeing three different publisher runs before being resurrected in 2019 by Limited Run Games on unlicensed replica cartridges. The re‑release, approved by Disney and Lucasfilm, paired the handheld version with its NES sibling in both standard and Collector’s Editions, giving a nostalgic nod to the original hardware.

Playing as Luke Skywalker, the handheld game lets you toggle between blaster and lightsaber combat, hop into a snowspeeder for the Battle of Hoth, and gradually unlock a handful of Force powers as you progress. The controls are stripped down for the tiny screen, but the core feel of swinging a lightsaber and blasting AT‑AT walkers remains intact.

Critics noted the game’s strong adherence to the film’s plot, with Wizard’s Glenn Rubenstein praising its narrative fidelity while calling the platforming a bit tedious. Power Unlimited summed it up as “mainly more of the same” yet still fun, pointing out the similarity of the worlds across levels.

Storyline

Based on the 1980 film, Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back for Game Boy puts you in Luke Skywalker’s boots as you destroy an Imperial Probe Droid and flee a Wampa‑infested ice cavern. The next stage thrusts you into the Battle of Hoth, where you must survive the Imperial onslaught. Afterward you travel to Dagobah, locate Master Yoda and train under his guidance. The game then sends you to Cloud City, where you attempt to rescue allies from Darth Vader’s clutches. Unlike the movie’s ending, the handheld version requires you to both rescue Han Solo and defeat Vader in combat to complete the adventure.