When Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles was released nearly 25 years ago, it featured a roster of heroes–and a few villains–from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar Binks was not among the playable characters in the game’s original form, but he will be featured in the game’s upcoming release on modern consoles. In the reveal trailer below, Jar Jar finally gets a chance to become an action hero.
Jar Jar shows far more skill and fighting prowess in that trailer than he ever displayed in The Phantom Menace or any of his subsequent appearances. Regardless, Jar Jar’s ridiculous side is also on full display when he runs away from a pack of charging animals on Naboo. Courage was never Jar Jar’s strong suit, but it might be fun to play all the way through the game as this unsung hero.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are the two primary controllable characters in Power Battles. However, the game will also allow players to use Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Queen Padme Amidala, Captain Panaka, Ki-Adi Mundi, a battle droid, and Darth Maul. It’s also been tweaked by developer Aspyr to give the Jedi screen-accurate depictions of their respective lightsaber colors. For example, that means Mace Windu will be getting his purple lightsaber.
Players will be able to fight each other in Power Battles’ Versus mode, or they can face the Trade Federation side-by-side in co-op gameplay. This release will also feature Big Head Mode and other cheats that can be used during the main game.
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles will hit Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 23, 2025. If the game follows the same pattern as Aspyr’s previous Star Wars games, there may eventually be a physical edition available through Limited Run Games as well. You can find this title and more in our roundup of 2025’s upcoming games.
