The game's manual added a number of names and details not spelled out in the game itself.
Will You Accept the Challenge of a Jedi Knight?
Pursued across the galaxy, you and your Rebel Forces now marshall new strength on the remote ice world of Hoth. Although tracked by probe droids, attacked by ice monsters, and confronted by an army of gigantic Imperial Walkers, you must not give in. You are the Alliance's only hope. Learn the ways of the Force, then test your skills in this fast-based, action-packed sequel to the hit game, Super Star Wars.'
While the game roughly followed the plot of the film, several changes were made to accommodate gameplay. Characters fought their way from scene to scene and are confronted by multiple enemies. Other changes included Han Solo being carbon-frozen while searching for C-3PO, rather than captured, and Luke Skywalker fighting Cloud Cars in his X-wing fighter while approaching Cloud City.
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back followed closely the standard set by Super Star Wars, with multiple playable characters and Mode 7 quasi-3D vehicle sequences. Controls were very similar to the first game, but with an enhanced double-jump. Unlike its predecessor, the player was able to use Force powers. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca were all playable characters. Darth Vader and a Giant Wampa appeared as bosses. The game included a password system so users could effectively save games without needing any onboard cartridge memory.
Luke Skywalker on Hoth
The game manual refers to some bounty hunters by their singular names, but since multiple versions appear in one scene this list assumes they are more than one of the same species or droid model.
- AC1 surveillance droid
- Acid Plant
- Air Assault Troopers
- AT-ST walkers
- AT-AT walkers
- Armor Droids
- Cloud Cars
- Dagbats
- Dagobian caterpillars
- Dagopillers
- Darth Vader's Security Force troopers
- Darth Vader's Security Force troopers with E-Web blaster
- Darth Vader's Security Force Grenadier troopers
- Dengar look-alikes
- Droid Guards
- Speeder BikeSnowtroopers
- Fire Bat
- Gands
- Grenadier Droids
- Grenadier troopers
- Gundarks
- Helios
- Hoth hogs
- Hoth jellyfish
- Hover Droid (small)
- Hover Droid (large)
- Ice Bat
- Ice-breathing Wampas
- Ice Cat
- Ice Piranha
- Ice Plant
- IG-88 assassin droids
- Ion eel
- Imperial spider droids
- LOM-series protocol droids
- Mechanical claws
- Mini-bats
- Orbot Droids
- Porcuspines
- Rolling creatures
- Snow Bear
- Snow Mynock
- Snowtroopers
- Snowtroopers with E-Web blasters
- Stargerms
- Swamp Gator
- TIE Fighters
- Trandoshans
- Turrets
- Ugnaughts
- Viper probe droids
- Vader's Special Force Troopers
- Zero-G assault stormtrooper
For a relatively brief period in gaming history, some particularly large games were advertised based on their contents in megabits, some of which required special cartridges to hold. This game was advertised as 12 megabits, while Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the next in the series, would be advertised as 16 megabits. The game was released in Japan by Victor Interactive Software as Super Star Wars: Teikoku no Gyakushuu (Super Star Wars: The Empire's Counterattack).
The manual includes a screenshot of a cut carbon freezing chamber level that came after the X-wing level, showing Luke fighting bounty hunters. The book also shows an item to increase the length of Luke's Force Meter that was not in the final game.
- Super Empire Strikes Back Official Game Secrets
- "Lucasfilm's Latest: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Update" — Star Wars Insider 28
- "" — Star Wars Insider 40
- "Red Five, I'm Going In" — Star Wars Insider 65