Star Wars: Bounty Hunter released almost two decades ago to mixed reviews. While it had a strong concept, it felt limited by the technology available at the time. This could be said for several Star Wars titles across various media, but Star Wars: Bounty Hunter deserves a second chance.
While a sequel or remake feels unlikely, a new Star War: Bounty Hunter that fits snuggly into the Star Wars canon would be perfect right now. There are a couple of Star Wars games still on the horizon, plus rumors of a Mandalorian video game, and Bounty Hunter’s addition could round out the experience of the next couple of years well. With the consistent popularity of Jango Fett’s clones, as well as Mandalorians like Din Djarin, a new installment could be the perfect tie-in for related TV shows and other media.
Star War: Bounty Hunter's Legacy
The original game focused on Jango Fett and a bounty set up by Darth Tyranus, known publicly as Count Dooku, in preparation for the clone army later used by the Republic. These same clones have been in multiple animated series, most recently The Bad Batch. Leaning into their origins with a Mandalorian bounty hunter could be an exciting way to tie the current storytelling of Star Wars into its extended media from 20 years ago.
While it wouldn’t necessarily make sense to use Jango Fett like the original Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, The Mandalorian on Disney+ has shown that there is no shortage of foundlings worthy of donning Beskar armor. On top of this, the interstellar nature of Mandalorian culture has allowed several different species to fall under its umbrella in the past.
Deepening the Star Wars universe and lore this way should be a primary focus, rather than mingling too much with past characters. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order did this with Darth Vader, and The Mandalorian did this with Luke, Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. Tapping other characters for logical cameos during or after the age of the Empire could help the series feel more grounded, but unique qualities and divergence from the main canon are important to help a game really stand out.
Star Wars' Future
Leaning into the idea of diversifying the way Star Wars tells its stories, a follow-up to Star Wars: Bounty Hunter could also embrace anime art styles. The franchise’s animated series have been adored by fans for years, as their willingness to tell both serious and fun narratives of Star Wars in a digestible way for younger audiences go a long way. Star Wars: Visions will likely be received just as well, and a future Bounty Hunter game could capitalize on this.
There’s always room to upgrade things in Star Wars, and this could be one way to do it. Fans have given vehicles like TIE fighters upgrade ideas, so an official Bounty Hunter game that pushes the creative boundaries of the world as much as possible would be a great treat. Classic characters and styles are always going to be supports to fall back on, but Star Wars' ability to grow and further develop the stories that fans know is part of what makes it great.
Setting the tone for the future is important. While games like the original Battlefront 2 are worth playing in 2021, not every title is going to age as well. Star Wars adapting some of its classics for the time it’s currently in will help them be defined by more than just the decade they release in. Game remasters are just as important, but new additions that revamp classic stories will likely be how the franchise succeeds going forward.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is available now for GameCube, PS2, PS3, and PS4.