Star Wars has always been on the cutting edge of cinematic innovation, pushing the boundaries of special effects and creating a visually stunning galaxy far, far away, but maybe they didn’t have to try so hard. It turns out it’s still really fun even using some very old technology.

David and Henry Dutton at CineFix have once again recreated a film, or in this case three of them, using some old 8-bit video games graphics. You get to “play” your way through A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi the way you did on your old Nintendo.

It turns out that it is just as easy to get past some stormtroopers in simplistic game form as it is on the Death Star. Although, being told, “That is why you fail,” by 8-bit Yoda is somehow equally as devastating as it was in the film.

Special kudos for combining the rescue of Princess Leia from her holding cell with the Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Vader lightsaber duel. Also, some of the dialogue screens with the renderings of the characters are good enough to frame. And even if you are a staunch defender of the prequels, that last joke is especially great.

Okay, yes, they admit they slightly cheated by also using some 16-bit, but in fairness technology improves and things should look better after two films. Besides, are you honestly going to sit there and try and tell me you wouldn’t play that exact version of Return of the Jedi right now if you could? Obviously you would. I’d even jump on EBay and buy a Sega CD if that’s what it took.

What was your favorite scene here? Get out your typewriter and tell us below.

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Images: CineFix/YouTube