As technology improves, ideas improve along with it if you have a good idea and a newer platform to show it off on. It might be beneficial to flesh it out some more, to take advantage of the possibilities. In 1997, the framework of Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures was ported to a sister property, and the year brought with it some valued improvements in Star Wars: Yoda’s Stories.

Much like Indiana Jones’s Desktop Adventures, the procedurally generated explorations return, only this time it is the George Lucas property of Star Wars that is getting the treatment. Fans of the previous game will find this more of a cosmetic change than a massive overhaul. With the player inhabiting Luke Skywalker venturing off to different planets to stop the Galactic Empire and their dastardly schemes. Collecting items, activating teleports, battling scum and villainy will all feel familiar to those who played the first game, and vice versa.

There have been some improvements to the formula in Yoda Stories, the most obvious one being that, after completing five missions, five times (so fifteen in total): You recreate the Dagobah fight scene from Return of the Jedi and unlock new upgrades. Better Green Lightsaber, Starting with the force, and even another life. These are unlocked permanently, making subsequent stories a lot easier. You get to explore to more diverse environments as opposed to Indy, Hoth, Dagobah and other iconic locations from the original trilogy. It does allow for more variations on the level look and feel of the stories, adding a little more spice. Along with encountering characters from the films, such as the eponymous Yoda, who fills Luke in on the mission and offering a key item to get the player started. Along with Storm Troopers, Jawas, Ewoks et al. The sound effects retain their charm while the iconic theme blasts on the start of each new mission, fully evoking the films they are based on.

The combat is pretty much like Indy’s desktop adventures, with the whip now being replaced with a lightsaber. It is functionally similar, still pointing at baddies with the arrow keys and hammering the space bar, but it is best to pick up a better weapon. Unlike Indy’s infinite Luger, the blasters here have limited ammo and can be used up and you can lay your hands on some Thermal Grenades can take out multiple enemies, if they are on screen, and it would not be a Star Wars game without The Force which can also be equipped and can be beneficial for pushing. A greater focus is placed on travelling vehicles, and they allow you to hop to and from planets, if the story permits it, making the adventures feel grander. Even then it is not like that these adventures will take longer than an hour, even if you get stumped on a particularly fiendish puzzle.

Yoda’s Stories retain that moreish replayability of what came before, and the characters of Star Wars benefit from that distinct cartoonish style that the desktop games offer in spades. For its purpose of being a time killer, Yoda’s Stories offers endless excitement against the Galactic Empire. Outwit and outmatch adversaries while visiting galaxies far far away. If you require some Jedi training during your lunch break, it might be a good idea to check out Yoda’s Stories.

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