Review: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (Nintendo Switch)

Star Wars:Bounty Hunter for Nintendo Switch is a remastered version of the 2002 title of the same name. I use the term “remastered” loosely, as it’s not heavily promoted that way, keeping the original outing mostly intact with some mild graphical improvements. With that said, let’s find out how this adventure fares 22 years later.

I’m a Star Wars fan. I grew up watching the original trilogy, and although my favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back, I also enjoyed the new movies and shows (yes, I liked the Acolyte). One of the greatest things about Star Wars is that it’s not confined to a series of movies, or even shows. There are volumes of books, regular comics, and a whole heap of video games that explore and expand on the lore of that galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is one such entry.

This particular outing tells the story of Jango Fett. If you’re unfamiliar, he’s the father of famed bounty hunter Boba Fett. Not only that, he’s the template that led to the infamous Clone Army, with countless clones created that resemble Jango. We first met this character in the 2002 film Attack of the Clones. But how did Jango find his way to Kamino—the planet of cloners—and wind up as the basis of an entire army? Bounty Hunter tells that very story.

That narrative is one of Bounty Hunter’s strengths. The plot is both interesting and engaging as you follow the adventures of Jango across the galaxy, including tangling with dark-side folk. Cutscenes bring the story to life with fully voiced sections featuring the likes of Count Dooku and Emperor Palpatine. Although the characters aren’t voiced by their film counterparts, the actors do a great job. Jango’s voice, however, is truly authentic, provided by the one and only Temuera Morrison. Morrison played Jango Fett in Episode II and now plays the role of Boba Fett in more recent on-screen outings.

The third-person gameplay presents players with a mix of enemies to dispose of and areas to traverse. The action varies between gun-slinging battles to more stealth-based missions. There are also plenty of puzzle-like moments during which you need to work out how to proceed through a seemingly dead end. Once you don a jetpack, the game opens even further, providing the gift of flight. It’s a joy to float around as an angry Mandalorian.

One of the highlights is Jango’s ability to scan NPCs in the vicinity to check for outstanding bounties. If there’s a price on someone’s head, you can taser them and reel them in. It’s easy to pull off yet somehow satisfying. These extra quests, along with other collectibles, also add to the game’s longevity.

There are a few elements that mar the experience, most likely because of Bounty Hunter’s age. For example, there’s no map. I tend to get lost easily in third-person outings like this, meandering about until I recognize something and realize I’ve been there before. Which way am I supposed to go again? An in-game map would enhance the experience immensely, but maybe that wasn’t a thing in 2002.

Another sore point is the lack of a save feature. I play a lot of games, and I switch between them frequently. When a game doesn’t have a built-in save feature, it’s frustrating. Levels aren’t short, either, so you need to dedicate time (or just put the Switch in sleep mode) until you can come back to finish it off. Bad luck if you feel like a round of Suika Game or Star Wars: Hunters.

That said, this is an enjoyable outing. While the graphics are dated by today’s standards, things look good overall. The combat is fairly basic in terms of gunplay mechanics, but satisfying. And, as mentioned, the jetpack is just plain awesome.

Overall, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a classic title that, while imperfect, offers a fun, action-packed outing. The story is the game’s selling point, recounting the untold tale of Jango Fett’s entanglement with the galaxy’s darker side. A true remaster that added features like save points and a map would have been appreciated, but this slightly improved in-situ version still mostly holds up.