“Super Return of the Jedi” didn’t measure up to its predecessor, but it was still a quality game.
In the game, multiple characters from the film were playable, in a side-scrolling adventure pitting the Rebellion against the Empire. All the locales were pretty much from the film itself, and of course all the music and sound-effects were strictly Star Wars.
Throughout the game, upgrades for the primary weapon, the blaster, were available, which would equip the blaster with new configurations including a spread pattern or homing rockets to more effectively dispatch Imperial troops. Luke also had a lightsaber which could be used to mow down enemies. The lightsaber was not nearly as powerful in “Super Return of the Jedi” as it was in “Super Empire Strikes Back,” but Luke’s Jedi powers could be utilized more effectively in this final chapter; the coolest Jedi power was the ability to hurl his green lightsaber across the screen and control its path of destruction.
“Super Return of the Jedi” was not as good as “Super Empire Strikes Back,” primarily because the blasters and lightsaber were not nearly as powerful in the capstone game for the trilogy. Another detractor which kept “Super Return of the Jedi” from being as good as its predecessor were the number of levels in which vehicles were piloted (landspeeders, snowspeeders, speeder bikes, etc.). Of course, the levels in which the player had to assume the role of Wicket the Ewok were irritating at best.
One cool aspect of “Super Return of the Jedi” was a hallmark of SNES games; when the character didn’t move for some time, he would do something to pass the time, such as changing the charge pack in a blaster.
While “Super Return of the Jedi” didn’t measure up to its predecessor, it was still a quality game in its own right, because in the end it was a Star Wars game, and how can you go wrong with that?