Star Wars: Dark Forces

The Good
Dark Forces was the first fps that made sense to me. I wondered why demons would just hang around in dark corners and why Nazi’s let their castles get so run down, but Dark Forces had a pretty strong internal logic. Dark Forces fit pretty well into the Star Wars universe. Touches of back story, such as finding the Death Star plans (and cool hologram) were fun, and the game’s story seemed plausible. Some major characters from Star Wars were here and only Boba Fett seemed forced into the story.

There was also a nice selection of weapons ranging from the trusty Bryar Pistol, to the fast but wildly inaccurate Stormtrooper rifle, to the Trandoshan ion cannon (I recognize that some of the names are wrong- sheesh!). Levels were mostly good. I hated the look of the sewage level but really liked the Ice planet. AI was non-existent (just like in the movies) but enemies covered a wide variety of Aliens and Imperials.

Sound and music were great. I recognize the music was midi, but it was good midi and fit the tone of the levels. Sound effects were great! I loved shooting the weapons and listening to their unique “zaps” and it rocked hearing Imps shout “Stop Rebel scum!”

The Bad
No in-game save and poor graphics. Now a note about the graphics, they were decent when I originally played the game, but upon replaying the game recently, I had great trouble suspending my disbelief. It was hard to identify a small cluster of gray pixels as being a turret, except when said turret lit me up.

Other than that (I'm yadda yadda yaddaing my usual rant about cliches in first person shooters), Dark Forces was and is a great game.

The Bottom Line
Duh, it's the classic Star Wars first person shooter. No big surprises here.

The Good
I had played other FPS games of the time, but "Dark Forces", like many other reviewers here, was the first I played to completion. The storyline was exciting- keeping me guessing about what was happening next, and where I might be going. The enemies, from stormtroopers to bounty hunters, offered variety in attacks and tactics, and the graphical engine for the time was outstanding- easily surpassing the other non-true 3D engines that were being produced. Dark Forces came alive with dynamic lighting and rooms that served purposes. I will never forget the various guard rooms I encountered, the pumping stations, control rooms... and once even the head, where stormtroopers and a few seedy types were making use of the urinals.

The Bad
My only complaint about this game isn't really a complaint- just that it didn't include some of the cool places I was hoping to see, like the interior of a sandcrawler, or moving AT-AT walkers. The lack of multiplayer support did not bother me at all. Today, my grumbles include the lack of SVGA (the Mac version had that), and a poor control interface. But those are to be expected.

The Bottom Line
I would recommend this game to everyone- even modern players, even though this game is now nearly 10 years old as of the writing of this review. It set a new standard for FPS excellence in level design, balance, color and art. Truly the best early first-person shooter to be released.

The Good
Star Wars: Dark Forces is one of the most interesting FPS games of the mid 1990s that I’ve played. Released in 1995, it is not simple enough to be classified as a DOOM clone, yet it is not quite as fully realized as Half Life. It is also the first FPS set in the Star Wars universe.

The timeline of the games story takes place before and during the Original Trilogy. You play as Kyle Katarn, a former imperial officer who is recruited by Jan Ors to work for the Rebel Alliance after he discovers that the Empire is responsible for the death of his parents.

Kyle’s first job for the Alliance is given by Mon Mothma who asks him to retrieve the plans for the Death Star – which leads into the events of the first film (now retconned- see Rogue One).

After the Death Star’s destruction, the Empire begins planning its retaliation against the Rebels with General Rom Mohc leading the creation of the Dark Trooper project- which aims to create a new army of Storm Troopers armed with exoskeletons.

Kyle is once again summoned by Mothma, and this time to investigate an attack by the newly discovered Dark Troopers. At his request, Kyle is reunited with Jan and it is their investigation into the origin of the Dark Troopers that forms the basis of the games plot.

For an FPS that was released in a time when games in the genre were referred to as DOOM clones, Dark Forces has a number of elements that place it several steps ahead of its contemporaries.

For one thing, it makes excellent use of the Star Wars universe to tell the story which is done via cutscenes, in game dialogue, and mission briefings. What results is this feels like a complete story and not just a collection of levels with a Star Wars themed tacked on.

Now that I’ve mentioned the existence of the mission briefings, I should point out that the game has objectives for each mission that Kyle must fulfill in order to complete them, and sometimes they involve puzzles for him to solve – rather than just grabbing a blue or red key to unlock a door.

Another thing worth noting is that the game makes extensive of the IMUSE music engine which allows for the games music to change on cue and play suitably familiar Star Wars themes based on what the player is doing. For instance towards the end of the final mission, players can hear the same dramatic melody that was used in the first film when the Death Star was about to explode.

Dark Forces runs on the Jedi Engine, which while still being a 2.5D engine- has a number of notable advantages over the DOOM engine. The most notable of these is the ability to layer rooms on top of each other to create multi-level floors which allows for really intricate exploration. Other features include the ability to jump and look up/down.

The Bad
Just about the games only weakness is that sometimes it does not properly notify you if you’ve found an important item that needs to be used. I found this to to be particularly egregious in the snow level which takes place later on in the game. That and the engine looks best when handling levels that only take place indoors. In outdoor areas – not so much, particularly in situations where you have to aim up and down which results in the graphics appearing warped. This is an issue owing to the 2.5D limits of the engine which uses y-shearing to facilitate looking up and down.

The plot itself while engaging, does feel a tad underdeveloped especially with comparison to the games sequels and other games made by LucasArts in the 90s. It doesn’t detract much from the experience but it does leave one with a sense of wanting more.

The Bottom Line
Overall, Star Wars: Dark Forces is a highly enjoyable game in the Star Wars canon that offers plenty more than the standard DOOM clones of the time. Whether you’re a fan of Star Wars or classic FPS games- Star Wars: Dark Forces is a fun ride and a compelling reminder of how good Star Wars is when done right.