Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi
The famous disaster. LucasArts put Star Wars characters in a 3D fighter the same year Tekken 3 and Street Fighter III raised the bar, and it moves like it is underwater: sluggish, unbalanced, outclassed on arrival. The weapons-versus-fists idea underneath was genuinely good. The execution is why people still bring it up.
- Released
- 1997
- Developer
- LucasArts
- Genre
- Fighting
- Platforms
- PlayStation
Playing it today
Skip it unless you are curious about Star Wars gaming's most famous misfire. Masters of Teräs Käsi is a 3D fighter set between Empire and Jedi, with Luke, Han, Mara Jade and an original villain, the assassin Arden Lyn, and reviewers consistently called the movement sluggish. GameRankings averaged it at 53.8 percent, with IGN at 4 out of 10 and GameSpot at 4.4.
The one good idea still stands out: most characters switch between a weapon and bare hands mid-fight, each with its own moves. The execution around it is slow and unbalanced, and it came out the same year fighting games took a big step forward.
There is no modern version. It was never re-released on any console or storefront, so the realistic route is a used PlayStation disc on original hardware or a PlayStation 2, which plays PS1 discs. That is a lot of effort for a game most people finish with in an evening. If you want lightsaber duels, Jedi Academy's multiplayer is ten dollars and still has people playing.
Where to play it
Never re-released · checked September 24, 2026
Nothing sells it. The original 1997 PlayStation disc is the only legal way to play it.
Released on the original PlayStation in 1997 and never re-released: no PlayStation Store version, no PC port and no compilation. The disc also runs on a PlayStation 2.
List prices in USD. Stores change prices and listings; check before you buy. Where to buy old Star Wars games
Games like Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi
- Star Wars: Dark Forces1995 · LucasArts · Shooter
- Star Wars: Rebel Assault II1995 · LucasArts · Rail shooter
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire1996 · LucasArts · Action-adventure
- Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II1997 · LucasArts · Shooter
- Star Wars: Yoda Stories1997 · LucasArts · Action-adventure
- Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith1998 · LucasArts · Shooter
Sources: Wikipedia: Masters of Teräs Käsi; Wikipedia: PlayStation 2 backward compatibility.