The TIE fighter model consists of 3D polygons most previous simulators used bitmapped images instead. Two expansion packs extend the story beyond the events in A New Hope, up to the establishment of the Rebel base depicted at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.Ī TIE fighter fires past the player's X-wing during the fourth operation of the first tour of duty. The initial game's storyline concludes with the player flying as Luke Skywalker in his attack against the Death Star. Progress through the game depends on fulfilling each operation's primary objectives if the player fails an operation, he or she can attempt it again. The novella, later made part of Prima Publishing's strategy guide, presents a pilot name Keyan Farlander as the player's character for most of the operations. Additionally, a limited edition of the game came packaged with a 96-page novella, The Farlander Papers by Rusel DeMaria, that provides story information.
Briefings, cutscenes, and in-flight messages advance the plot. The story consists of three tours of duty of 12 to 14 operations each although the tours can be played out of order, operations within each tour are played linearly. Players take the role of a Rebel pilot fighting the Galactic Empire before and during the climactic battle of the first Star Wars film (A New Hope).