A new PSN leak has revealed that a Star Wars game on the PS1, from 1995, is returning next month on April 16 via the PS4 and PS5. The game, a PS1 console exclusive at the time, is going to be included for free via PS Plus Premium when it releases. That said, those without an active subscription to the most expensive tier of PS Plus will still be able to enjoy the game on PS4 or PS5 or both when it releases, they will just need to buy it like any other game. A price point for the re-release has not leaked, but it will presumably be $9.99 like many previous PS Plus Premium classic games.
The mystery Star Wars game in question is Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire, which was made by LucasArts and Factor 5 as the sequel to 1993’s Star Wars: Rebel Assault. Set in the Star Wars Expanded universe, Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire, was contentious when it was released. It earned many middling reviews in addition to a few outliers that rated the game quite negatively as well as quite positively. At the time, the game’s visuals and use of cutscenes was praised, but many found it difficult to play due to the control scheme.
“The story opens in the vicinity of the Dreighton Nebula, where Rookie One is part of a Rebel scouting patrol,” reads an official blurb about the game. “He’s investigating disappearances of Rebel spacecraft near Dreighton, a region rich with mythology about vanishing spacecraft. Legends of the region go back to the days when early hyperspace travelers lost their bearings and disappeared in the currents, eddies, and storms of the nebula. During the Clone Wars, two opposing combat fleets, at the height of battle, were swallowed up by the Dreighton Nebula, leaving it as the battle’s only true victor.”
An official description of the game continues: “Featuring original, live-action Star Wars footage, Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire hosts a multitude of ground-breaking improvements, including intuitive and challenging arcade game play; fifteen land, sky and space missions; an original Star Wars story; full-Screen high-quality video; four skill levels from easy to hard; a digital John Williams Star Wars soundtrack; and authentic sound effects by Skywalker Sound.”
As for how we know know the game is coming to PS4 and PS5, it is because it has been scrapped from PSN. That said, at the moment of publishing, none of the implicated parties have commented on the leak. In the meantime, take this leak like any other, which is to say, with a grain of salt.
