Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi

What if Star Wars met Tekken? That is exactly the question Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi answered, and the answer was, to put it mildly, controversial. Here, in 1997, LucasArts tried what no one had before: pitting the saga's heroes and villains against each other in a one-on-one 3D fighting game.

The concept sounded enticing. You pick your favorite characters, Luke Skywalker, Leia, Han Solo, Boba Fett, or Darth Vader, and let them measure their strength in the arena in duels inspired by the fictional martial art Teräs Käsi, thanks to which even ordinary fighters could stand up to lightsaber-wielding Jedi. The character models and backdrops from the Star Wars world looked decent for their time, and the fan appeal was undeniable.

The problem lay in the fighting system itself. The controls felt clumsy, the animations stiff, and the character balance raised eyebrows. Compared to the reigning kings of the genre of the day like Tekken or Soul Blade, the game lagged behind in fluidity and depth, which earned it a rather cool reception from critics. For many it became a textbook example of how a strong license alone is not enough.

Even so, Masters of Teräs Käsi earned a peculiar place in the history of Star Wars games, as a bold if botched experiment and as a curiosity that fans still talk about today. The chance to send Vader against Boba Fett had its charm regardless of the reservations.

Today the title is interesting mainly as a historical artifact and a reminder that not every genre attempt from the LucasArts workshop worked out. For collectors and fans of curiosities, though, it is an unavoidable item.

Why play it: A curious attempt at a one-on-one Star Wars fighting game, a historically interesting experiment that today attracts more with its fan-favorite roster than with its gameplay.