I, for one, am shocked that Aspyr took this long to remaster Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. I wrote a while back that this game is the perfect companion piece for anyone who had previously enjoyed watching The Mandalorian (even if, let’s face it, the third season ended up being quite disappointing). Being able to play as a Mandalorian bounty hunter, full of weapons and gizmos in order to kill everyone in sight, claim bounties, and partake on one of the more interesting stories from the old Star Wars Expanded Universe? A true no-brainer. Back in 2019, I would have been ecstatic about the announcement of said remaster. When the news broke out earlier this year, however, I was, at best, skeptical but also slightly hopeful.

Hopeful because, contrary to many people in the internet, I have always loved Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. Yes, it was janky. Without a doubt, its control scheme was a hassle. Yes, it was stupidly hard and unfair. But behind the layers of jank, lied a shockingly deep and lengthy action-adventure, with great level designs, secrets to unveil, an amazing story which literally revolved around dismantling a freaking drug cartel, and, well, the fact you were playing as Jango Fett. Episode II might suck, sure (even though it’s still miles better than Episode IX, and that is not even worth discussing), but Jango was everything Boba had never been able to be: cool, with a reason.

I was also skeptical because of, well, Aspyr. If there is one review I regret writing, that review was my take on their remaster of Star Wars: Battlefront. Considering how the game was tested prior to its mass launch, I tested the game under, uh, “optimal conditions”, with a stable multiplayer connection, and no bugs related to its servers. The game dropped, and I looked like a tremendous idiot. I had promised myself not to fall for another Aspyr announcement and let nostalgia blind me. So, to be fair, I picked up Bounty Hunter expecting the absolute worst. Cut content like Knights of the Old Republic 2, poor visuals like Episode I: Racer, and performance issues like Republic Commando.

The result? None of the above, to be honest. For once, it seemed like they actually did improve upon the original… at least a bit. Is this a perfect remaster? Absolutely not. Bounty Hunter is still a cumbersome game in some areas, namely the camera controls. I did notice one or two very minute glitches, which were funny, if anything else. There were one or two NPCs stuck in a T-pose during some in-engine cutscenes. I also can barely call this a visual remaster.

By all means, this is a mere resolution boost, with just very few improvements in terms of lighting, textures or performance (some slight hiccups still occur, though I’m not sure if this is because I was playing the game on the Switch). Thankfully, the game looked good enough for 2002 standards, but that doesn’t mean it’s jaw-dropping nowadays. The CGI cutscenes did receive an improvement, however. They look a bit more crisp and detailed, without any signs of grain or age. CGI Dooku has never looked better.

I would be lying if I told you this Bounty Hunter “remaster” was completely devoid of any improvements. There aren’t loads of them, but what little is included is still very welcoming. For starters, a brand new control scheme, which feels less cumbersome than the odd button mapping from back in 2002. Buttons are placed in a more intelligent manner (you don’t shoot with A, for example), there is a dedicated button to your bounty hunting visor, and you can access a neat little helmet flashlight with the press of a button, something that wasn’t present in the original. Aiming is a bit less cumbersome as well, all thanks to some slightly more sensitive camera movement when in manual aiming mode.

What will make or break this remaster to people, however, is Bounty Hunter‘s overall gameplay loop. For modern standards, this is a very diffcult game. Levels are long, checkpoints aren’t plentiful, and you have a limited set of lives in each mission. Lose five lives, game over, go back to the beginning of the level. Depending on the level (the Tusken Raider canyon level in Tatooine comes to mind), things are very tricky. Bounty hunting is also an undercooked concept, as you have to constantly toggle between your normal aiming and the bounty hunter visor in order to check if whoever’s in front of you, be it an NPC or an enemy, has a bounty worth checking out.

The fact I didn’t find any game-breaking glitch or performance issue was already a relief (even if that’s the bare minimum to be expected), but, for the most part, this is the same Star Wars: Bounty Hunter you grew up with. With the exception of a new control scheme, it’s the same underrated (but understandably divisive) game released back in 2002. I love its plot, level design, and tons of hidden extras, which encourage you to replay some levels, but I understand that the game is very brutal, and at times unfair, for today’s standards. With that being said, I’ll leave it with the same comment I gave five years ago: if you’re into The Mandalorian, or if you want to explore a shadier, more violent side of the Star Wars universe, give Bounty Hunter a go.

Graphics: 7.0 By all means, a mere resolution boost, with just very few improvements in terms of lighting or performance. Thankfully, the game looked good enough for 2002 standards, but that doesn’t mean it’s jaw-dropping nowadays.	Gameplay: 7.0 A brand new control scheme makes Bounty Hunter feel less cumbersome than back in 2002. That doesn’t mean the camera issues have been fixed, however.
Sound: 8.5 Possibly one of the game’s main highlights. The soundtrack is, well, Star Wars, you know what to expect. The voice acting is pretty good, with Temuera Morrison and Clancy Brown delivering amazing performances.	Fun Factor: 8.0 I wasn’t able to find any particular game-breaking issue or critical glitch. It’s more of an upscaled re-release than a true remaster, but it’s still an underrated gem of a game that holds up, featuring a fantastic story, level design, and tons of side content.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch. The original version is also available on PS2 and Gamecube.

Reviewed on Switch

A copy of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was provided by the publisher.