Qui-Gon manages to convince Nass to spare Jar-Jar's life and they depart for Naboo's capital, Theed, where Obi-Wan is again separated from Qui-Gon and Jar-Jar, forcing him to navigate his way through the Gardens of Theed. Upon travelling to Otoh Gunga, Jar-Jar is imprisoned, leaving Obi-Wan to navigate through the city to rescue him while Qui-Gon attempts to negotiate for his release with Gungan leader Boss Nass. There, Obi-Wan meets with Jar-Jar Binks, an exile of the Gungan city Otoh Gunga, who reunites him with Qui-Gon. They reach the hangar bay and escape in separate ships to the swamps of Naboo. Realizing that Gunray plans to assassinate them, the Jedi escape the room and fight their way through the ship, battling the Trade Federation's army of battle droids. However, after they arrive on Gunray's ship, the meeting room begins to fill with poisonous gas. Hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully, the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Finis Valorum, sends two Jedi, master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with the Viceroy. The Trade Federation, led by Viceroy Nute Gunray, has established a blockade of the planet Naboo in the midst of an intergalactic trade dispute. The story features several boss fights, such as a Tusken Raider Chieftain, Jabba's Pit Beast, and Sith Lord Darth Maul. The storyline mainly surrounds Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. For example, it follows Queen Amidala and Captain Panaka's journey on Coruscant during Anakin Skywalker's interview in the Jedi Temple-something that is never shown or mentioned in the film since the film follows Anakin's point of view. The plot closely follows that of the film, although it expands on some minor events that were not present in the original film, or shows them from a different character's point of view. For its time, the game managed to attract a cult following.
Featuring varied environments, expansive character feedback and development, and a decent artificial intelligence system, The Phantom Menace is considered to be a 'gem' in the classic gaming community. The game received high praise for its RPG-style gameplay, appealing graphics, and story, however, criticisms for its camera angles and voice acting were prevalent.
The game was a commercial success, selling over 337,866 copies of the PC version alone by 2000. The game also features open environments to explore at the player's leisure, and dozens of NPCs with unique dialog. Each playable character has a unique weapon and ability. The game is set during the timeline of the film, with players taking on the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and several other characters from the film. More open-ended than the majority of 3D games at the time, the project was notably innovative for its decade. The game is set in several different settings seen within the film, and contains heavy RPG elements alongside its largely adventurous action-oriented game world. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is an epic space fantasy action-adventure role playing video game released by LucasArts and based on the film of the same title.