Ever wondered what Star Wars: The Last Jedi would look like if it was mixed with a Nintendo SNES? Well wonder no more, as animator John Stratman has given the new Star Wars movie a 16-bit retro overhaul.
Before we go on any further, consider this a SPOILER ALERT, as Stratman’s animation recreates the final climactic battle scenes of the latest film in the Star Wars series.
With uncanny accuracy and faithfulness to the source material, Stratman has filled the 16-bit take on The Last Jedi with all manner of tiny details; Kylo Ren’s lightsabre for instance is not simply a line of animated light but also contains the cross guard design of the antagonist’s unique weapon.
Clearly, Stratman was showing off his pixel art skills as well as animation abilities.
Further adding to the nostalgia of the 16-bit gaming era, Stratman uses chiptune music to accompany his animation, and characters spout dialogue boxes rather than audio.
A bountiful use of sprites is also set to conjure up memories for gamers in the 1990s of huddling around a CRT TV, SNES controller in hand trying to tackle the frustratingly challenging Star Wars games that drew upon the original trilogy to great effect.
Of course, these days Star Wars games are given sumptuous 3D affects and tap into the might of DICE’s Frostbite engine in the case of Battlefront 2. But Stratman’s animation harks back to a simple time where surprising amounts of detail could be conveyed with rather little in the way of graphics and rendering power.
Check out the video below to see how effective strong pixel art and neat animations can be when applied to the clunky ‘lived-in’ feel of the Star Wars universe.
Related: Best and worst Star Wars games
What films would you like to see receive the 16-bit treatment? Let us know on our Facebook pace or tweet @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
