Description
Dark Forces marks
LucasArts' first attempt to enter the First Person Shooter market. Instead of licensing the
Doom engine, like many competitors, LucasArts created its own internal "Jedi" engine. The Jedi engine contains advanced features over similar tech, including the ability to look up and down, jump, crouch, and limited support (in the build used for
Dark Forces) for rooms (sectors) over rooms. 3D models also make occasional appearances inside the game, as turrets or Kyle's ship dropping him off or picking him up from each mission.
The player takes control of Kyle Katarn; an Imperial officer turned mercenary, now hired by the Rebel Alliance. After a prologue mission where he steals the Death Star plans from a remote facility, he is tasked with investigating the sudden destruction of a hidden Rebel base. This leads him to face off against Imperial General Rom Mohc and the various iterations of his "Dark Troopers" - cybernetic soldiers with the armor and firepower to turn the tide of the war.
Dark Forces features 14 substantial levels as Kyle works to disarm the Dark Trooper project. Many levels reference characters or areas from the
Star Wars trilogy, such as a visit with Jabba the Hutt, a trip to Coruscant, and a battle through the interior of a Star Destroyer. Every level has objectives for Kyle to complete (rare, for First Person Shooters of the period), ranging from grabbing a clue and getting out alive, to planting charges around a facility to demolish it. Cutscenes appear between key missions to update the plot.
The
Star Wars license gets plenty of use, and the game features Imperial officers, stormtroopers, and a collection of aliens seen in the films as enemies. Blaster rifles and thermal detonators are used as weapons, along with other firearms inspired by the tech of the films.
Dark Forces also uses the iMuse engine to dynamically change the music during action scenes, with much of the music based off, or directly replicating,
John Williams' original film score.
Dark Forces is entirely a single-player campaign, and no multiplayer is included or supported.
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
| High Score |
DOS |
May, 1995 |
5 out of 5 |
100 |
| Secret Service / New S Service |
DOS |
May, 1995 |
290 out of 300 |
97 |
| MikroBitti |
DOS |
Apr, 1995 |
90 out of 100 |
90 |
| Shooterplanet |
DOS |
Aug 06, 2007 |
82 out of 100 |
82 |
| NowGamer |
PlayStation |
Mar 01, 1997 |
7.5 out of 10 |
75 |
| Absolute Playstation |
PlayStation |
Jul, 1997 |
7 out of 10 |
70 |
| Digital Press - Classic Video Games |
PlayStation |
Sep 13, 2005 |
6 out of 10 |
60 |
| GameSpot |
PlayStation |
Dec 23, 1996 |
5.4 out of 10 |
54 |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) |
PlayStation |
Feb, 1997 |
4.9 out of 10 |
49 |
| The Video Game Critic |
PlayStation |
May 18, 2005 |
F |
0 |
Forums
There are currently no topics for this game.
Trivia
Dark Forces used the legendary scream sample. If you tripped (Or jumped) off a tall structure Kyle Katarn would scream: "Uuuuarrrgggghhhh!!!!" This scream sample has been used in countless of productions, and there are countless of websites dedicated to the art of spotting it.
