STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

Still got the CD version of this game, and re-installed it a few months back. However, I have difficulty playing it anymore without using cheats- unfortunately, this game (or at least the version from the CD I have, which came in a multi-pack with several other Lucasarts games) suffers from a lack of control customization. I used to be accustomed to its controls, but too many years of WASD+Mouse have taken their toll and made it difficult to go back. And unlike DooM and Duke Nukem 3D, Dark Forces' engine was never made open-source, so there are no source ports for enhancing graphics or implementing better controls. However, if you can adapt to a keyboard-only play style, or find a decent remapper scheme for gamepad play, I highly recommend this game. It was the first time I had ever seen an FPS that went beyond the generic "get to the exit, kill the boss" level structure, and introduced some of the coolest characters in the pre-Disney Star Wars canon. And if you're into mods, be sure to take a look at "Condition Red"!

Star wars : dark forces should not need any introduction : as one of the best FPS of its time and one of the very best FPS Lucasarts ever produced, its fame is unmatched even to this day. However, for those who really don't know, Dark forces could be dismissed simply as a simple doom clone by some, but in reality have some unique features that set it apart from the competitors in its time. Its gameplay, as said before, is mostly design as a doom-like ( or boomer shooter). However its outstanding level design, puzzles and its enemies, both well design and in good variety, give the game a unique feeling of immersion and fun that really stand true to the test of time. Speaking instead of story, art design and soundtrack, they reconstruct the star wars universe in a excellent way, and help the player immersion greatly. On top of that, Dark forces doesn't truly have downsides (if we don't consider how gog delivers it, mostly unchanged and you'll have to mess a little bit with Dos Box in order to have a more suitable experience, but technically this way those who couldn't play the in its time, now they can enjoy it the game the way it was meant to be played). Finally, it goes without saying that this game should be in any library : a throwback masterpiece that any fans of both Doom like and star wars (or anyone, really) can enjoy and love especially today and not to be forgotten... oh! and may the force be with you!

It's Dark Forces, what's there to say about it that hasn't already been said, really? It's a bit dated now, admittedly, but still very playable. Download this if you want to play this in 4k: https://theforceengine.github.io/blog.html

Thus far, two options for playing Dark Forces existed. Either in DOSBox, which is bundled with the GOG version, or in DarkXL, which is a source port. The latter option wasn't bad but quite buggy. Thankfully, the author of DarkXL recently released The Force Engine, which is a reverse-engineered source port featuring a GPU renderer, save system, perspective-corrected pitch, fully remappable controls, and more. Using this source port, Dark Forces is finally able to shine. The biggest improvement is the save system. Originally, the game only had a checkpoint system with multiple lives. Between unforgiving platforming, deadly mines everywhere, and some nasty enemy placement, running out of lives and soft-locking yourself out of progressing the campaign was very much a possibility. With the save system, this is no longer a concern, which elevates the game greatly. Dark Forces itself is plain good. The levels are vast, nicely textured, and even though progression can be cryptic at times, their architecture always follows a logic. Both sounds and music are true to the movies, and the same goes for the story -- one even gets to steal the Death Star plans in the first mission, and in less than five minutes no less (eat your heart out, Jyn Erso!). In general, despite the graphics being so basic, Dark Forces absolutely nails the Star Wars atmosphere. Dark Forces is a game made during Star Wars's golden age, and just oozes the classic feel of the original trilogy throughout. The shooting never stops being fun, as both the enemies and weapons are nicely varied. To my own surprise, I've also enjoyed the puzzles, which introduce some much needed variety without being overly difficult. In short, if you're a Star Wars fan and like FPS, Dark Forces is well worth playing, provided you're using The Force Engine. It also serves as a great introduction leading into Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, which is an even better game.

I think Dark Forces has aged pretty well, all things considered. It was a solid "doom clone" to begin with and if you like doom chances are you won't dislike Dark Forces either. Just don't let yourself get disencouraged by the sewer level or the concussion rifles later on in the game. There's some pretty cool stuff in this game and the designers made EXCELLENT use of assets from the original movies. In contrast to doom, you can look up and down, crouch and jump. Most weapons also offer a secondary fire mode and there's some neat little gimmicks like wearable gasmasks, night sight or a head lamp. DF Features the classic labyrinth style game design and will have you look for keys, switches and even passwords. Some of the levels can be a bit tricky to figure out, but they're all well designed and feature some cool star wars locations. This is a pure shooting game. Designers back then had not yet thought about adding force powers or even a light sabre. You'll have to look for that in Dark Forces 2. There's no multiplayer either, neither deathmatching nor coop-play. This is strictly a singeplayer game. Playability on modern systems: Dosbox should do fine, but there's also been a port released recently. It's called the Force engine and works like a treat, adding comfy features like a nice old mouselook, absolutely improving the gameplay experience. I think it even lets you include mods and further planned features will include editors of all sorts.