Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered Review – On the Hunt Again

The underworld of scum and villainy is a captivating aspect of the Star Wars universe. Fans are intrigued by the idea of exploring the shadowy corners of a galaxy far, far away, inhabited by ruthless and daring figures, including bounty hunters and criminals. This fascination contributed to the positive reception of Star Wars Bounty Hunter when it was first released in 2002, before the debut of “Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” It’s been a long time, spanning several console generations, since Star Wars revisited the iconic armor of Jango Fett. However, Aspyr Media has now remastered Star Wars Bounty Hunter for multiple consoles, introducing new features that enhance the gameplay experience. But are these enhancements enough to make this the definitive version of Star Wars Bounty Hunter for all players?

Game Name: Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Publisher(s): Aspyr Media
Developer(s): Aspyr Media, Lucasfilm Games
Release Date: August 1st, 2024

If you’ve never played the game before on any of the older consoles, you’re in for a treat of Star Wars Legends storytelling. Star Wars Bounty Hunter is set around 10 years before the events of “Attack of the Clones,” but shortly after the events of “The Phantom Menace.” The enigmatic Darth Sidious commands his apprentice, Count Dooku, to find a suitable candidate to serve as the template for creating a clone army. To achieve this, the Sith apprentice recruits the bounty hunter Jango Fett to track down and eliminate a Dark Jedi named Komari Vosa. However, as Jango pursues his bounty, other bounty hunters are also contracted for the same mission, resulting in a deadly contest across various planets. The outcome of this conflict will have far-reaching implications for the entire galaxy.

What makes the plot of Star Wars Bounty Hunter so engaging is how many elements tie directly into “Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” Characters we see in the film appear in different capacities throughout the game’s six chapters, with varying degrees of importance to Jango Fett. There are no changes in this remaster from the original game, so if you never got to see how Jango Fett acquires Slave I or meets the bounty hunter Zam Wesell, this is the best way to experience it. The cutscenes between gameplay sections have been polished, along with the overall visual presentation. Textures look cleaner, and environments are brighter and more vibrant. Fortunately, this version of the game is a native port to newer consoles, rather than an emulation of the original game.

A significant difference in this remaster is the game’s controls. While the original Legacy controls are available, the Modern control style is the best way to play Star Wars Bounty Hunter. The button layouts are optimized for newer controllers, particularly on the PlayStation 5, allowing for quicker swapping between weapons and tools. Locking onto an enemy is as simple as pressing the analog stick, while aiming and scanning require holding down a shoulder button. This setup feels much more intuitive, especially during intense firefights with numerous enemies. Additionally, using the scanner in Jango’s helmet now slows down time, enhancing gameplay and strategy.

This is a substantial change that makes many of the game’s more challenging sections significantly easier when hunting for bounties. Often, key targets you need to capture or kill are hidden among groups. In the original game, it was a major hassle to scan every enemy for bounties while they were attacking you. However, in the remastered version, the ability to slow down time makes this much more manageable.

This feature allows you to gain the upper hand on enemies targeting you from a distance. You can move while time is slowed, enabling you to dodge shots and quickly switch to blasters for a counterattack. For completionists, this addition to Star Wars Bounty Hunter is invaluable. It’s great for bounty hunting, tackling difficult sections, and recovering from tricky situations when low on health.

Yet, not every new addition to the game is as helpful or impactful. The new Flashlight tool is intended to illuminate dark areas you encounter in each stage, but it often proves unnecessary. The overall presentation of Star Wars Bounty Hunter is already brighter and more vibrant, with dark areas still being clearly visible. The original game had a significant issue with overly dark areas, making navigation difficult. While the Flashlight is well-intentioned, you’ll rarely find a need to use it. It doesn’t make the areas you shine it on any brighter than how they appear in the remaster. If there were an option to adjust the intensity of the light, it might be more useful, but as it stands, the Flashlight feels entirely irrelevant. The game likely would have been fine without its inclusion.

Besides these gameplay changes, the stages in Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered remain largely untouched. The layout of the areas, the enemies you encounter, and the bosses you face are all the same as in the original game. However, some of the same bugs and glitches persist. Occasionally, you’ll see enemies jumping off platforms or getting stuck in parts of the environment. While this can be amusing, it becomes a significant problem when it involves bounties you need to capture.

In some instances, a bounty you want to capture alive may fall off a platform and become stuck in an unreachable area, forcing you to lose a life to reach them. Restarting from a checkpoint may not always resolve this issue, necessitating a restart of the entire level. Such moments are frustrating but are fortunately not common. More often, the quirks with enemy behavior can work to your advantage. For example, you might find yourself on a platform where enemies can’t aim upward or jump to attack you. While these moments can be hilarious, they are still a flaw in the game’s experience.

Fortunately, using your jetpack and firing blasters at foes remains a lot of fun. One of the best aspects of Star Wars Bounty Hunter is how it makes players feel powerful as the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter. Using Jango Fett’s twin blasters is as enjoyable as gliding between platforms with the jetpack. While there are multiple other weapons to discover and use against enemies, you’ll find yourself relying on the twin blaster pistols for most of the game. Aiming down sights with the new Modern controls feels great and often provides more accuracy than other weapons. It’s also satisfying to launch a missile at a target from a distance. This feature still looks impressive and feels great in the remaster, with a bit more polish than before.

But what about extra content? Unfortunately, this is where Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered falls short. While all the extra content from the original release is intact, there’s only one new bonus unlockable: a Boba Fett costume that was originally planned for the game’s first release. This costume becomes available upon completing the main story. Although it’s cool to look like Boba Fett in a game featuring Jango Fett, the costume doesn’t offer any additional perks.

It feels like a minor reward after finishing the main game unless you go back to claim any missed bounties or secrets. The outfit appears in in-game cinematics but not in the pre-rendered cutscenes. It would have been more engaging if the Boba Fett outfit provided some type of bonus to your jetpack or blasters, making the game feel different after unlocking it and returning to previous stages. Unless you’re interested in hearing Boba Fett speak with Temuera Morrison’s voice, there’s little additional value here.

This lack of new content makes Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered feel somewhat underwhelming, particularly for those who played the original game. While collecting bounties and finding secret tokens still offers familiar unlockables, there’s nothing brand-new exclusive to this version. There are no additional “making of” behind-the-scenes features, no gallery of the game’s 3D models, or any other additions to make this remaster feel like a more substantial package. For some, the visual upgrades and control changes may be sufficient to justify the remaster, but for others, the absence of new extras might feel like a missed opportunity.

Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered is the best version of Bounty Hunter available right now. The updated visuals enhance the environments and characters, making them look better than they have in years, and the new controls improve the gameplay experience significantly. While the new Boba Fett outfit is a nice nod to an idea that didn’t make it into the original release, it’s a modest addition to the bonus content you can enjoy after finishing every chapter.

For those who missed the game in 2002, this remaster offers a fun experience that revisits a time when the Star Wars Expanded Universe was a major part of the franchise. Although some lingering technical issues from 2002 remain, they don’t significantly detract from what many consider a classic Star Wars game that everyone should experience. It’s a straightforward game making its way in the galaxy, now with a fresh shine.

Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered releases on August 1st, 2025, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC (Steam).

Review Disclosure Statement: Star Wars Bounty Hunter Remastered was provided for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

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