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PlayStation Basement #36 - Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

This review was originally published on the Console Purist Facebook group on May 4th, 2019.

It’s Saturday, and that means it’s time for PlayStation Basement! PlayStation Basement is a weekly review of an odd or obscure game for the original PlayStation. Games are rated Good, Bad, or Neutral. Now, let’s go!


Today is May 4th, which lends itself to two puns: the 5/4 time signature of “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet and “May the Fourth be with you”. The former is a great jazz song; the latter is Star Wars. There aren’t any jazz-related games I can think of, so today I have a Star Wars game for you.

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire was released in 1996 for the PlayStation in America, an updated version of the 1995 PC version. It also came out in Japan (1996) and Europe (1997). The game was published by LucasArts and developed by Factor 5 as a sequel to 1993’s Star Wars: Rebel Assault. Both games are FMV-based light gun shooters. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.


The cover art serves its purpose. It’s basically the same in all regions. We have the Millennium Falcon, a Y-Wing, and some Imperial ships in a space dogfight. I like that it’s a clean cover, and metallic colors look nice on the black background.



Rebel Assault II uses a combination of FMVs, pre-rendered sprites, and 3D models to make this early PlayStation Star Wars world. The FMVs look pretty nice and actually use some props from the films. The acting isn’t the best, but I found it amusing. The 3D models look good too, especially for the time. From what I understand, these models replaced some sprites that were in the PC release. I’m not surprised that they would want to replace the sprites; some of the pre-rendered stuff looks cheesy, especially when juxtaposed with an actor using green-screen. The effects of blasters and explosions also look cheap. Overall, Rebel Assault II looks good graphically, but the missteps arise during the actual game levels. It’s certainly a mixed bag.


LucasArts has usually done wonders with sound, and Rebel Assault II is no exception. The sounds and musick of the film are all here. The voice acting is crisp and clear too. Too bad it’s not just a radio drama.


The gameplay of Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire is where the game seriously falters. As I’ve mentioned, this is a rail shooter. There are two different level types: spaceship levels and ground levels. In a spaceship, you move the ship and crosshair with the d-pad, dodge lasers, and shoot back at incoming TIE fighters. On foot, the game controls like a slower Time Crisis with similar hiding features. The foot missions did not seem to recognize my light gun; the game knew I was shooting, registering a flash, but no shots appeared. The levels were fairly easy, so aiming with the d-pad was not the worst.


My biggest criticism is the vehicle controls. I had trouble maneuvering out of harm’s way and trouble aiming correctly. The ships lurch awkwardly and suddenly. The worst level I tried had to be one in which the main character is flying through a tunnel in the Millennium Falcon. The pre-rendered backgrounds feel alien in a sense; your vehicle is clearly not in the same realm as them, so it is hard to dodge oncoming debris. Combined with the awkward path that has been set for you, it really makes this unfun. I can’t say the rest was particularly interesting either. When it comes down to it, hokey graphics and ancient designs are no match for good gameplay, and you don’t need to be Force-sensitive to realize that.

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire receives a Bad.

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Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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