Namco released the Star Wars 1987 video game for the Family Computer in 1987. The development team announced the project on the 2nd of May 1987 with a photo showing George Lucas shaking hands with Namco founder Masaya Nakamura.
This title stands as one of only two games in the entire franchise to remain exclusive to Japan because no international distribution followed the initial launch. Most Western audiences never saw this version during its original run alongside other Japanese-only releases like Star Wars: Attack on the Death Star.
The game introduces villains that do not appear in the 1977 film including Clados Vader who takes the form of a shark and Sasori Vader who resembles a scorpion. Wampa Vader mimics the creature from the films while Gyaos Vader draws inspiration from the kaiju of the same name in the Gamera franchise.
Players control Luke Skywalker through a side-scrolling platform environment where he wields a lightsaber as his primary weapon against enemies. Collecting diamonds after killing an enemy grants Force points which activate special maneuvers like floating or speeding up movement.
Programmer Yoshihiro Kishimoto drew strong inspiration from Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Master System to shape the core mechanics of this Star Wars title. Kishimoto adapted these elements to fit the Star Wars universe while maintaining influence from the earlier platformer in movement patterns and enemy encounters.