It's hard to believe that the Star Wars franchise goes back to the 1970s, and that even includes the video game library, which swept into the pop culture mainstream in the 1980s. The fact is that some of the first video games were based on variations of the three movies that made up the original trilogy. Most of the attention goes to the original film and the sequel, but there were also variations and spinoffs in the collection based on the lore in general.
The video game section of the Star Wars entertainment universe was just as far ahead of the curve as the movies were. Fans of vintage Atari and coin-operated games can now play some of these 1980s Star Wars titles on their home computers and modern consoles.
6 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1982)
A memorable image from so many childhoods was the dot-matrix Atari picture of the surface of Hoth and Luke Skywalker's land speeder. It wasn't exactly the most sophisticated creation, and it certainly looks dated now, but at the time this was a cutting-edge video game on a popular home-console system.
The premise was simple. Luke had to ride his speeder and use certain weapons to destroy the AT-AT walkers as they approach the rebel base, just like in the opening scene from The Empire Strikes Back. It was a critical and commercial success, selling a whopping 2 million copies in 1982 alone and leaving a legacy that ensured the future of side-scrollers, strategy games, and FPS titles.
5 Star Wars (1983)
Also from Atari, but considerably different that the game the company released the previous year. It's also based on the first movie as opposed to the second one, simulating Luke's famous bombing run. This was a rail shooter, so similar to an FPS but the viewer is stationary, with figures moving on the screen instead.
The player is piloting an X-wing fighter and other than the fateful comb drop, they also get to shoot at TIE fighters. Star Wars first appeared in arcades but it was so popular that it was ported to Atari and the Commodore 64 computer system. It was cited by several critics and journalists as one of the best video games of 1983.
4 Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi – Death Star Battle (1983)
As the name suggests, this game is based on the third movie in the original trilogy, and it was the first game of its kind in that regard. Players got to control the Millenium Falcon, and just like in the film they have to survive and break through a blockade before preceding the Death Star itself in an attempt to destroy it.
Back in the day, the game was limited to consoles from the Atari family of products and never appeared in arcades or other systems. The same artist who designed the movie poster, John Berkey, also created the cover art for the video game.
3 Star Wars: Jedi Arena (1983)
Another big first, but this time, it was lightsabers. It wasn't exactly the most detailed or realistic depiction of the awesome Jedi weapons, but at the time the novelty was enough to make the game popular despite its flaws.
Fans of both video games and Star Wars were also anxious to see the follow-up to previous games. They had already seen platformers and rail shooters, and this was another completely different take, this time a top-down view of the sparring area. The game was an elaboration of the training exercise that Luke played in the first movie but involved two players instead of one.
2 Death Star Interceptor (1985)
It's interesting to see what a difference only two years can make. Not only were the graphics and visuals improved by the time Death Star Interceptor was released but even the music was better, using licensed tracks from the original score by John Williams. Unlike other Star Wars games of this era, it was developed for the Atari consoles, the ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64 home computers.
Other details that reference Star Wars are present here, like the presence of a Galactic Empire that gas to be defeated by the player, who pilots a ship resembling an X-wing. Delving more into the lore and backstory, this might be the first game to depict a peripheral story at an unspecified time in the galaxy's history, and it might not take place in the Star Wars universe at all. However, this game is always filed among others in the franchise and there are too many similarities to be accidental.
1 Star Wars: Driods (1988)
Based on an animated series of the same name which was mich better known, Droids was a game that wasn't exactly a big seller but got a lot of positive critical reviews and enjoyed a solid fan response. It combined puzzles, action, and platforming, with the player guiding C3P0 and R2D2 along as a companion that's also a playable character at certain points.
An early version of an RPG along with overlapping with several other genres, players could pick up and interact with items throughout the game and could throw thermal detonators at enemies. Droids was another game designed and intended for home computers, which was a strong indication of the way the industry was moving as the decade came to a close.