The Empire Strikes Back

Gameplay

The Empire Strikes Back recreated the Battle of Hoth from the 1980 film. Players piloted a snowspeeder in first-person color vector, battling AT-AT walkers, AT-ST scouts, probe droids, and TIE fighters. The gameplay was structured in waves, with players using blasters and eventually tow cables to trip the AT-ATs — recreating the iconic scene from the film. Like its predecessor, it used digitized movie speech.

Historical Significance

The Empire Strikes Back holds the distinction of being the last commercial vector arcade game ever produced. Released in 1985, it arrived after the vector era had effectively ended. The game used the same flight yoke controller and color vector hardware as the Star Wars cabinet. While well-received by those who played it, the combination of the video game crash's aftermath and limited production made it relatively rare. Its release marked the quiet end of an era.

Fun Facts & Legacy

Approximately 1,030 dedicated Empire Strikes Back cabinets were produced, plus conversion kits for existing Star Wars cabinets. This makes it one of the rarest vector arcade games and highly prized by collectors. The game reused the Star Wars cabinet design but with different artwork. It is a fitting bookend to the vector era — the last beam traced on the last commercial vector arcade monitor.