5 Star Wars Games That Deserve A Remake (And 5 Better Left In The Past)

Star Wars has had plenty of games released over the years, ranging in quality and focus. Some of them recreate specific events and storylines, while others are used to flesh out the larger universe. With one of the best ever, Knights of the Old Republic, getting a modern remake, it’s worth looking back at the larger history of the franchise and reflecting on the ones that would be best served by a remake.

In fact, a few Star Wars games would really benefit from modern advancements that could expand on the gameplay and lore. In other cases, there are some Star Wars titles that would lose a certain amount of their unique charm or simply wouldn’t fit into the modern canon. Here are the five Star Wars games that deserve a remake — and which ones should be left alone.

Deserves A Remake: Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles

A side-scrolling multiplayer action game, Jedi Power Battles was a memorable highlight of the PS1 era and deserves a modern remake. The platformer featured a deft mix of action and platforming, along with a surprisingly tricky difficulty curve that ensured players had to master their respective Jedi to have any hope of winning. Loosely adapting Phantom Menace, the game’s action was an especially compelling riff on Jedi for the time it was released.

Although there has been a remaster released, Phantom Menace could benefit from a larger remake. A new version could expand the character roster, introduce different enemy types, and even play with the potential Force abilities that players can master. Jedi Power Battles was a tight action title that could seriously benefit from the kind of expansion a remake could provide.

Should Be Left Alone: Super Star Wars

A side-scrolling action game with an infamously difficult game design, the Super Star Wars trilogy is a delightfully brutal game that doesn’t necessarily need a remake. The adaptations of the original trilogy included a lot of new levels and layers to reflect the expanded run-time, with Super Star Wars‘ Sandcrawler, The Empire Strikes Back‘s Dagobah, and Return of the Jedi‘s Endor all being incredibly tricky to beat.

Super Star Wars is great, but it’s also very much of its era. Modern gaming conventions would likely soften the challenge of these titles, which were compelling in part because of just how tough they were. While these games definitely deserve a re-release or a remaster, there’s no reason to actively remake the game and change the experience.

Deserves A Remake: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

One of the best Star Wars gaming franchises, Rogue Squadron is a great arcade flight sim. Across three games, the series provided players the chance to fly several different types of ships, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Rogue Squadron is exactly the kind of game that could benefit from modern gaming advancements, easily justifying a remake.

Enhanced graphics, fresh ships, and a larger pool of stories to pull from could give the developers new ways to play with the concept. The flight mechanics would be tighter with modern control schemes, and it would be an easy fit with VR mechanics. A Rogue Squadron could take what worked about Star Wars: Hunters and give it a genuine campaign that’s fun to engage with.

Should Be Left Alone: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy serves as an interesting historical relic in the modern era, with too much baggage to justify a modern reimagining. Jedi Academy is set very firmly in the continuity that has been more or less replaced by the modern Star Wars universe, as it focuses on a Jedi student of Luke Skywalker’s school. The rudimentary action gameplay would be better perfected in later titles.

While Jedi Academy feels like an important stepping stone towards the advancements of games like Force Unleashed and Jedi: Fallen Order, it would also feel redundant with those games out. The plot also takes on a much more somber element in the modern continuity, given that Luke’s Jedi school is wiped out by Kylo Ren. Any prospective player character in a Jedi Academy retrofitted to work in the current Star Wars canon would be doomed by that same canon.

Deserves A Remake: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

A unique spin on the Star Wars franchise that embraced the gritty edges of the civilized galaxy, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter had some great game mechanics that could easily be expanded in a sequel. Focused on Jango Fett before the events of Attack of the Clones, the game follows the bounty hunter as he goes on a number of missions. The game’s expansion of the prequel era is a compelling exploration of a part of the franchise the films and shows can rarely delve into.

A remake could expand on those aspects and lean further into the game’s unique bounty hunting mechanic. Taking cues from open-world sandbox titles like Assassin’s Creed, players could be tasked with hunting down a number of targets while driving the plot forward. The game’s emphasis on blasters, jet packs, and explosives would also be a welcome change of pace from typical lightsaber-driven action.

Should Be Left Alone: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire was a fascinating release when it came out, as it was a then-rare expansion of the Star Wars universe. However, in the years since, the game’s unique qualities have been matched and surpassed by other entries in the series. As a result, many of the things that would make Shadows of the Empire worth remaking would be somewhat negated by the other recent entries.

Even the game’s big claim to fame, being a background story within the events of the original trilogy, has been done elsewhere. The main character, Dash Rendar, also feels somewhat one-note compared to other modern series protagonists like Din Djarin from The Mandalorian. While Shadows of the Empire was an intriguing title at the time, it’s the kind of game that feels redundant given how the franchise has expanded over the years.

Deserves A Remake: Star Wars: Republic Commando

A tactical squad-based shooter set during the events of the Clone Wars, Republic Commando has a lot of potential for a modern remake. With an emphasis on multiplayer, Republic Commando was a great team-based action title that expanded the war in some exciting ways. With the setting fleshed out in the years since, thanks to shows like Clone Wars, a new version of Republic Commando could easily expand that setting even further or throw players into some of that era’s most explosive battles.

Republic Commando seems like an ideal game to bring onto modern consoles, especially in an era where games like Helldivers and ARC Raiders have put emphasis on team mechanics. A Republic Commando remake could expand the soldier archetypes and mission types, fleshing out the adventure in some exciting ways. Republic Commando would be a terrific game to give a fresh coat of paint, especially if it took inspiration from shows like The Bad Batch.

Should Be Left Alone: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

A surprisingly dark and very compelling adventure, the Force Unleashed games were highlights of their era — but they shouldn’t be brought back into the modern day. Focusing on the secret apprentice of Darth Vader, The Force Unleashed was a clever way to explore the Star Wars universe from a fresh perspective. However, the modern continuity would be difficult to square away with these characters and their connections to established characters.

The Force Unleashed‘s gameplay has been improved by modern series like Jedi: Fallen Order, so there’s little incentive to remake them from a purely gamer perspective. While Starkiller can be a compelling character, he’s one who only really works in his specific character arc. He would also risk feeling overpowered in a modern setting, throwing off the narrative in some crucial ways.

Deserves A Remake: Star Wars: Lethal Alliance

A largely forgotten PSP and Nintendo DS action-adventure game, Lethal Alliance had enough good ideas to deserve another chance with a remake. Focusing on the Twi’lek Rianna and her droid Zeeo, Lethal Alliance followed her adventures as a mercenary who finds herself caught in the build-up to the discovery of the Death Star. The focus on a minor character with no Force powers was a clever way to raise the stakes of the established canon, similar to Rogue One.

A remake of Lethal Alliance could play into the storytelling of Andor and Rogue One, highlighting the important role of unknown figures in the overarching story. The emphasis on gadgets and blasters is a welcome change of pace from the rest of the franchise, and could easily be expanded in a remake that gives more depth to Rianna as an antihero in the universe. Lethal Alliance was a fairly underplayed entry in the series, and would be a great subject of a remake.

Should Be Left Alone: Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi

One of the strangest Star Wars games ever, Masters of Teräs Käsi was a fighting game that had somewhat bland controls, but that benefited from the Star Wars license. The game’s forgettable mechanics make it little more than a footnote in the history of the genre. It also has an odd expansion of the lore to justify regular people facing off with Jedi in 1-on-1 duels that would be even harder to explain, given the modern version of the franchise.

Masters of Teräs Käsi was memorable, but it’s also far from the best example of the franchise in gaming. While a remake could be interesting, it would also likely fail to account for many of the elements of the franchise, like the powers of the Jedi. While there’s potential for a fighting game set in the franchise, a remake of Masters of Teräs Käsi would be the wrong way to go.