A long time ago on a CD drive far, far away…
Emerging back in the formative years of first-person shooters of the “Doom” clone era way back in 1995, “Star Wars: Dark Forces” was a triumph of game design, 70 fps speed, and functional playability that has just received a dynamic KEX engine makeover courtesy of NightDive Studios in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.
With the release LucasArts’ original “Dark Forces,” gamers become the resourceful renegade Kyle Katarn, an operative with the Rebellion during the timeline of “Star Wars: A New Hope” who is trying to aid the rebels in halting the Empire’s production of the imposing, heavily armored Dark Troopers using all manner of rocket launchers, traditional blasters and land mines. Yes, THOSE are the same Dark Troopers we’ve seen marching around in the Disney+ series, “The Mandalorian.”
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Here’s the official description:
”Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster’ is a fully remastered version of the classic action first-person shooter developed by NightDive Studios. Players will assume the role of Kyle Katarn, a defector of the Galactic Empire turned mercenary for hire. The game is now fitted with a significant degree of movement and interactivity, a large selection of items and power-ups, and engaging environments to enjoy accompanied by 4K 120 FPS support, Trophy and Achievement support, and more. ‘Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster’ is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.”
One of “Dark Forces”‘ most desirable features that elevated it far beyond other similar titles within the genre was its smooth fusion of first-person shooting levels, colorful visual design, and interesting storytelling elements interlaced with fully-voiced cutscenes that immersed players in daring sci-fi missions.
NightDive’s modern reboot of “Dark Forces” allows for pure old-school “Star Wars” thrills on all current platforms to collect your keycards and go berserk with a trusty blaster, all while enjoying better 3D graphics, improved lighting effects and texturing, added playable levels, revamped widescreen resolution, and re-rendered cutscenes.
To top off this impressive refresh, player controls are adapted for both dual analog gamepads and mouse-and-keyboard setups.
“Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster” is available now.
