Aspyr’s latest Star Wars remaster, Bounty Hunter, feels like the experience we remembered thanks to some modern updates.
The rollout of classic Star Wars game remasters continues with the arrival of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. Despite getting relatively middling reviews when it first launched in 2002, it’s long been one of my favorite Star Wars games.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Remastered
Developed By: Aspyr, Lucasfilm Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Consoles, PCs, Nintendo Switch (Reviewed On)
Release Date: August 1, 2024
The story put the focus on a largely unexplored (especially during that period of time) side of the galaxy far, far away. Being a bounty hunter and traveling to the seedier parts of various planets allowed for a lot more intense, even violent, action we normally didn’t get. Players could choose to bring in targeted bounties alive OR dead, use poisonous darts to take down enemies, or even light them up with your flamethrower!
Obviously these moments are still relatively muted, with no blood or anything like that. But combined with an original story that offered up some new lore for Fett, Bounty Hunter offered something that felt genuinely fresh. Namely, you just felt like a badass when you played it, and that experience always stuck with me.
It was also the first game I ever had for the PlayStation 2. I opened both it and the console during Christmas of that year, so I’m sure there’s a bit of nostalgia coloring my impressions of the game. It’s for that reason, however, I’ve been eager to replay it and see how well it did/did not hold up.
I tried back in 2016 when they re-released the game on PlayStation 4 (as part of a four-pack of games with a special Vader-themed console). That release was more of a straight port, emulating the PS2 version of the game. Hoo boy…it was rough. Mostly, the camera made it nearly impossible to do anything. I wasn’t online much back in those days, so it wasn’t until later I realized the camera was an issue reviewers had pointed out originally. Again, something I likely didn’t pick up on as it was my first PS2 game and such camera control in general was still a newish concept.
Going into settings for that re-release to adjust things didn’t actually seem to do anything. Technically, the game was playable, but it made replaying feel more like an exercise in frustration than anything else.
When this new version from Aspyr was announced, my one and only hope was that they’d update the camera. Folks…they did it. Right off the bat in the settings you’re given an option between “Modern” and “Legacy” camera modes. Jumping into the game was immediately more satisfying and I made more progress in my first session than I had with the port since 2016!
I even said, “if Aspyr did nothing more than make the camera manageable, I’ll be happy!” It may seem like such a small fix, but it dramatically changed the gameplay experience. It makes Bounty Hunter 100% more accessible for both newcomers and returning players. Based on that update alone, I’m more than happy to recommend picking up this remaster.
That said, there are a couple more enhancements made. Obviously the graphics have been updated to work on modern devices. It still looks like a PS2 game, but the models are sharp and allows the level design to pop out a bit more than previously. They even integrated an all new element by giving Jango a new, built-in, flashlight. This way you can see easier in darker areas of the levels, while also highlighting the swanky new dynamic lighting setup they’ve included as well. Also, as advertised, players can unlock the Boba Fett skin at the end of the game for their next playthrough (something promised with the original game, that never made it into the final game).
For those picking up the PlayStation 5 version, there are a few other extra features. You’ll get the advantage of adaptive triggers (so each item used has a distinctive feel), plus the character comms coming through the DualSense speaker, and your controller lights with change to reflect your health bar. Since I’m reviewing on the Switch, I can’t talk about these features, but they sure sound neat!
As for the game itself, it’s still very much a PS2 era Star Wars tie-in. The gameplay can certainly get a little repetitive, and I wish Aspyr had updated the UI a bit more (tracking/tagging bounties being mapped to the same combat controls makes the process clunky). But coming in around 8-ish hours total, with a variety of levels to breeze through, those issues are a bit easier to deal with.
The cutscenes and original storyline are still a hoot. There’s something about the simple joy of venturing through levels on your jetpack while mowing down hordes of enemies that puts a smile on my face. Sure, there’s still some nostalgia at play, but the enhancements made actually make the game feel like how I remember playing it originally. In a lot of ways, that’s the best thing a remaster can/should do.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter may not have all the bells and whistles of more in-depth remasters (like the recent Beyond Good & Evil Anniversary Edition), but it’s damn solid. For the first time in decades the game is well and truly playable in a modern setting and looking its best.
