Star Wars Day: Exploring the Commodore 64 Universe

Today is a notable day as fans celebrate international Star Wars Day each year on May 4th.

The date comes from a playful English pun. The iconic phrase from the films, “May the force be with you,” is cleverly interpreted as “May the fourth be with you!”

In honor of this day, let’s take a moment to revisit some of the standout Star Wars titles available on the Commodore 64.

Star Wars (1988, Domark)

Rather than opting for the Parker Brothers edition from 1983, this version offers a significantly enhanced gameplay experience with better details.

The game consists of three primary stages:

1. Space Battle – Players face off against TIE Fighters, defending the Death Star while evading Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter.
2. Death Star Surface – The objective is to eliminate turbo laser batteries and access the trench.
3. Trench Run – Players navigate the trench, dodging obstacles and turbo lasers, to fire a torpedo into the Death Star’s exhaust port.

The Domark version boasts improved graphics, audio effects, and even a digitized voice clip saying: “The Force will be with you!”.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1988, Domark)

This installment of the trilogy features four scenes that follow key movie moments:

1. Probe Droids – Luke Skywalker must prevent enemy probe droids from transmitting Rebel base data.
2. Battle of Hoth – Players must fend off AT-AT and AT-ST walker assaults.
3. Space Battle – The Rebels must escape while evading TIE Fighter attacks.
4. Asteroid Field – Han Solo and Leia navigate the asteroid field to evade Imperial forces.

The graphics in this game are vibrant yet straightforward vector-based, akin to the original Star Wars (Domark).

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (2022, Megastyle)

This is the most recent fan-made version of Star Wars on the Commodore 64, honoring the anniversary of May 4th.

40 years following the release of the Atari and Intellivision games, Megastyle proudly unveils a fan rendition of the original Parker Brothers game “Empire Strikes Back.”

The player assumes the role of Luke Skywalker in a Snowspeeder, tasked with battling AT-AT walkers on the icy planet of Hoth. The aim is to delay the enemy’s attack on the power generator of Echo Base for as long as possible.

With its stunning visuals, this classic title remains appealing.

---

In addition to the games, several ambitious projects like visual and musical demos have emerged:

Star Wars PETSCII (2017, Debris/Deetsay)

Uncle Petscii’s Droids of Star Wars (2021, Triad)