Mm, of all the early Doom riffs this was the one for me
Good DOOM clone, but map design feels really dated.
Best looking doom clone of that era. But sadly, the game doesn't live up to the expectations that other shooters at the time succeeded at. It lacks the fun gameplay, level design and enemy variety that games like Doom and Heretic managed to achieve.
While I didn't hate my time playing this game, I just wished it offered something more than its brand recognition.
While I didn't hate my time playing this game, I just wished it offered something more than its brand recognition.
Decent Star War Doom clone. Maybe I would have gotten more into it if there was a decent source port.
This game has a niche, if it's you want a single player star wars shooter that's not about Jedi. If that's what you want, great, if not, this is a pretty good Doom clone.
it's doom
its pre-prequel star wars
its lucasarts
and by god, it is as good as it sounds
it's not without it's flaws, however. i played on normal, and the game loves to just blow you up constantly, you will grow to HATE the mines, along with some of the level design. thankfully the game is rather forgiving, as you not only have the ability to save anywhere, like in any fps of the era, but also lives. and these arent just any lives, these are revives. instantly respawn close by with 100 health and shields, keeping all your stuff and all the enemies you killed are still dead. you can find em anywhere in the level and even hoard them with savescumming for when you really need them. dont think that makes the game easy though, if it wasnt for some cheap explosive deaths, id say this hits that sweet spot of difficulty. another downside is, while i wouldn't say the enemy variety is lacking, you do see the same 3 types of enemies for the majority of the game until the last few levels, and some enemies just arent seen again (although it does make sense why) and one enemy type just ends up being useless since he goes down in a few hits and can only melee you. the most common enemies (storm troopers and imperial commandos/officers) also just kind of feel like the same thing with different skins. the level design is also rather hit or miss. when its good, its fun and really feels like exploring low poly areas of the original trilogy. when its bad, its "where the fuck do i go". the weapons are also somewhat lacking, with the best option for most of the game just being the storm trooper blaster, until you get a slightly better and more accurate blaster later on thats otherwise identical. any explosives seemed like they were more likely to harm me, and a couple of the guns just seemed like downgrades
but dont let any of this deter you from the game, this is a damn good boomer shooter and well worth a playthrough
its pre-prequel star wars
its lucasarts
and by god, it is as good as it sounds
it's not without it's flaws, however. i played on normal, and the game loves to just blow you up constantly, you will grow to HATE the mines, along with some of the level design. thankfully the game is rather forgiving, as you not only have the ability to save anywhere, like in any fps of the era, but also lives. and these arent just any lives, these are revives. instantly respawn close by with 100 health and shields, keeping all your stuff and all the enemies you killed are still dead. you can find em anywhere in the level and even hoard them with savescumming for when you really need them. dont think that makes the game easy though, if it wasnt for some cheap explosive deaths, id say this hits that sweet spot of difficulty. another downside is, while i wouldn't say the enemy variety is lacking, you do see the same 3 types of enemies for the majority of the game until the last few levels, and some enemies just arent seen again (although it does make sense why) and one enemy type just ends up being useless since he goes down in a few hits and can only melee you. the most common enemies (storm troopers and imperial commandos/officers) also just kind of feel like the same thing with different skins. the level design is also rather hit or miss. when its good, its fun and really feels like exploring low poly areas of the original trilogy. when its bad, its "where the fuck do i go". the weapons are also somewhat lacking, with the best option for most of the game just being the storm trooper blaster, until you get a slightly better and more accurate blaster later on thats otherwise identical. any explosives seemed like they were more likely to harm me, and a couple of the guns just seemed like downgrades
but dont let any of this deter you from the game, this is a damn good boomer shooter and well worth a playthrough
Yeah... oldie, had fun first minutes, then got bored
Star Wars! I am not a particular fan of the franchise other than having seen the movies. Not the Disney ones the real ones. Also I generally think first person shooters are a dogshit genre. So with that in mind I think this game is pretty bad.
The Star Wars part of it actually kicks ass though. Great digitized faces. Kyle Katarn is a very funny dude who can punch things extremely hard, takes down a big lizard with just one fist. If he'd been there in the New Hope trash compactor things woulda gone different let me tell you. This sucker predates Duke 3D and like, Goldeneye, and there's a lot of elements that I associate with those games in here. Varied mission objectives, for example, even if they're never really complicating things beyond moving through areas and hitting E sometimes. Every level has a very distinct identity visually and a unique story backing with very fun mission briefings written in character. You kill Boba Fett in this which is very funny.
Unfortunately the part where you actually play the game is deeply unpleasant. Impossible to avoid damage without memorization, guesswork and pure luck. Very little weapon variety and ammo is so scarce as to be annoying. The level designs are cool at seeming like an actual place but this means you go around hunting for tiny, impossible-to-see switches for like half the game, with the way forward often completely inscrutable dogshit. The verticality of things really works against you when looking up and down is a massive bother on the hands and eyes. Some of these issues would be helped if there were mid-mission saves, but there are not. Hope you can see those tiny pixellated mines that kill you instantly. Fuck you if you fail to make a jump in an engine that is not at all designed for platforming but we filled the levels with pits
Do not like game one bit, do think it's very ambitious, do want to see more Kyle.
The Star Wars part of it actually kicks ass though. Great digitized faces. Kyle Katarn is a very funny dude who can punch things extremely hard, takes down a big lizard with just one fist. If he'd been there in the New Hope trash compactor things woulda gone different let me tell you. This sucker predates Duke 3D and like, Goldeneye, and there's a lot of elements that I associate with those games in here. Varied mission objectives, for example, even if they're never really complicating things beyond moving through areas and hitting E sometimes. Every level has a very distinct identity visually and a unique story backing with very fun mission briefings written in character. You kill Boba Fett in this which is very funny.
Unfortunately the part where you actually play the game is deeply unpleasant. Impossible to avoid damage without memorization, guesswork and pure luck. Very little weapon variety and ammo is so scarce as to be annoying. The level designs are cool at seeming like an actual place but this means you go around hunting for tiny, impossible-to-see switches for like half the game, with the way forward often completely inscrutable dogshit. The verticality of things really works against you when looking up and down is a massive bother on the hands and eyes. Some of these issues would be helped if there were mid-mission saves, but there are not. Hope you can see those tiny pixellated mines that kill you instantly. Fuck you if you fail to make a jump in an engine that is not at all designed for platforming but we filled the levels with pits
Do not like game one bit, do think it's very ambitious, do want to see more Kyle.
Dark Forces isn't just a great FPS, but a great Star Wars game too. The aesthetic, story, and missions all capture the feeling of the original trilogy perfectly, while still finding plenty of room to chart it's own path through a galaxy far, far away.
Edit: forgot to mention I played this with the new source port, The Force Engine. Had a few visual glitches but overall it's incredible and long overdue for this game. Highly recommend using it if the DOS era clunkiness turned you off from the game.
Edit: forgot to mention I played this with the new source port, The Force Engine. Had a few visual glitches but overall it's incredible and long overdue for this game. Highly recommend using it if the DOS era clunkiness turned you off from the game.
Good game, but if bullshit level design were an art, the devs for this would be Michelangelo.
Whether Star Wars: Dark Forces is a clone of Doom or not is completely irrelevant in this review. In fact I won’t mention Doom a single time. In any case, for this review I did 4 playthroughs of this game. First, I played original DOS version on Easy, then I played The Force Engine source port on Medium, then Playstation version on Easy, and for the last one, I played DOS original on Hard.
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter from the 90s. You shoot your way through storm troopers and other unpleasantries, but it’s not a simple “get to the goal” affair, the objectives in each level are different, like getting Death Star plans in the first level, then getting to the rooftop to the space ship, or putting detonative charges in a few others. Shooting the enemies is satisfying enough, blast your enemies or shoot/throw explosives at them and strafe to dodge the incoming shots, which is especially vital on harder difficulties, since the aggression and their number increases. You have two types of health, shield that can soak energy blasts and can max out at 200, and standard health, with a max of 100, that can be damaged by physical contacts, regardless of shield, or from other attacks when that is depleted. The arsenal is gradually expanded by acquiring new guns or other weapons, such as Thermal Detonators (which are like bombs) and a Jeron Fusion Cutter which looks like a musical instument. The ammo is plentiful, so you’re unlikely to run out… unless you play on hard difficulty, since I was more proactive in dodging and shooting and I was using Stormtrooper Laser Rifle in first few levels, which is fast but not super accurate or powerful, and consumes 2 energy units per shot (though I thought it used 1 ammo until I finally noticed that on my PS1 playthrough. I guess ammo really wasn’t a concern up until that point). Even then, by the IVth mission, I had enough to get by. The selection of weapons is decent enough, I used all of them in all of my playthroughs, though obviously some more than others, for instance I saved a plasma based weapon that looks like a butterfly wing (it’s not listed in the manual for some reason, so I don’t know its name, it’s mapped to 0 key) for the toughest foes like the titular dark forces or the final boss.
Aside from weapons, there are also items that have a passive effect. From the start of the game you have a flashlight that can eliminate dark areas, but you can obtain infrared goggles that give a sort of night vision, allowing to see in the dark. There's a gas mask which really is only needed in one level and I never used it ever again. Lastly, there are Ice Cleats that remove icy physics, again only found and useful in one level. Aside from shooting, there’s also secrets to uncover, a staple of first person shooters like this, containing goodies. There are more traditional bonuses you can find, aside from usual ammo there are a few power-ups, such as Shield Supercharge, which makes your shield infinite for a short time, making you invulnerable to most damage, Weapon Supercharge which makes your weapons shoot twice as fast, revive which maxes out health & shield, and lastly 1-ups. There are lives in this game like in the good ol’ Wolfenstein 3D. I only ever lost all of them once on my initial playthrough, and all it did was send me back to the previous state I’ve been in before entering the mission. I don’t know if the punishment is more severe on harder difficulties (like losing all gear), as I’ve been conservative with my lives, particularly on hard difficulty where I only allowed myself to lose a single life per mission (2 in particularly stinky ones), though most of the time I just quit the mission, which doesn’t save your life count, which can be abused.
The enemies are eager to tear you apart, and this game contains what is probably the most inaccurate depiction of Storm Troopers. They should miss 99% of the time! But seriously, the enemies can blast you as soon as you open a door for instance, which does feel a little unfair at times. Besides the level of aggression, higher difficulties also place more enemies in levels. If you thought fisting 2 dragons in Mission X: Jabba’s Ship is bad enough how about… four? Although I did find an exploit so you can fight one dragon without alerting the other at the very beginning, but still, that’s at least 3 dragons to down. There are a few occasions where it seems like there are “infinite” enemies, particularly in mission VIII: Fuel Station, where Stormtroopers appear in corridors seemingly out of nowhere, or in a big circular area with a spinning bridge, the enemies appear at the entrances even though there’s no way for them to just appear in there. I find it odd but not game breaking. IMO the most dangerous enemies, besides Dark Troopers, are Thandoshans, with their Concussion Rifle. I still don't really know how the gun works, but it basically shoots an invisible bullet that'll burst once it hits an obstacle. They're particularly nasty on hard difficulty, where they're harder to take out and damage you a fair bit. The aformentioned Dark Troopers are a threat, which is nice. The ground ones will deflect most of your shots, I found throwing explosives at them the most efficient way to take them out. The flying ones are even more dangerous, they shoot at you with aformentioned butterfly wing gun's projectiles that hit very hard and can shoot a missile. Strafing around and dodging their shots is kind of fun, if you have enough space to strafe in that is.
One innovation this game brings is the ability to look up and down (although technically Heretic did it earlier (if you want to be even more technical, CyClones did it even earlier)). In DOS version, by default, it’s mapped Page Up and Page Down keys, which is a little unwieldy, as I have to move my hand from mouse to these buttons to look where I want. Thankfully, there aren’t many places where looking up or down is necessary, and the game automatically aims at the enemies that are below or above, though changing your vertical look can increase accuracy. You can also crouch, which is used to fit into tight areas, which is used quite a bit throughout the game. In general, the game features greater emphasis on verticality compared to other games from the time. That also brings in the ability to jump, and the game features a fair bit of platforming. It’s not too bad, and I rarely missed a jump even with lower framerate which means there’s little delay, but you still have to be wary of falling off if you don’t time your jump right.
The gameplay is honestly pretty decent… if you aren’t getting lost, which isn’t all too uncommon in this game, with its labyrinthine design. It actually made me drop the game a couple times on my first playthrough, because wandering around figuring out where to go isn’t very fun. The first roadblock is Mission III: Anoat City, where you have to go through sewage tunnels and activate switches until you figure out the correct path to the destination. Mission VI: Detention Center is a multilayered tower with some walls that can be cracked with explosives, tunnels and stuff. The path forward isn’t obvious on the first playthrough, though after you figure out the way forward, it becomes routine (the way forward I found is through some ventilation, which seems to be the safest one, there must be some other way in though). However, getting stuck and confused isn’t your only concern. Some stages feature ceiling turrets that hit hard. There are also mines, while a mild annoyance on easy, they become a more frequent problem on harder difficulties. Part of it is because of their poor placement, at times they’re buried in bonues, or around the corners, or even right next to the door you’re opening, resulting in a surprising blow to your face. The best example I can list is Mission X: Jabba’s Ship, they’re almost everywhere, and as annoying as ever. Why won't they explode other enemies? We can trip our own mine, why can't they? Besides walking close to them and backing away, you can chuck explosives at them to detonate, which is a safer strat. Their placement often ends up being cheap and unfair.
Lets move onto the game’s visuals and music, where the differences between 3 different platforms are the most apparent. The original DOS and PS1 versions run at a low resolution, with further objects being the most pixelated. DOS original does feature graphical settings to increase fidelity, at the cost of the framerate. I actually lowered them to get some frames for Hard difficulty, because I felt the FPS did hinder my ability to play the game. Mind you, I don’t really care for framerates or resolution as long as the game is playable and they don’t impede my enjoyability. Given that Star Wars: Dark Forces is a pretty old game, it can’t be helped. With that being said however, I think the graphics are honestly solid, low resolution be damned. The textures are quite nice and fairly detailed, there are even neat little details, like “EWOKS SUCK!” or “PWR CELLS” in Mission VII: Ramseed Hed or someplace else, which I find kind of cute. The level geometry is nice as well, like the canyon divide gradually expands at one point, starting with a small crack in Mission IV: Research Facility, and there are rotating, moving and spinning objects in giant ship levels and other places, not only look good and make these levels more alive, but also can hide a switch that can be activated with a timed shot. The actual polygonal models like a spaceship or turrets on the other hand look primitive, the geometry isn’t very complex and the textures are lacking on some surfaces. Not to say they look bad, but they contrast with what is otherwise a solid presentation. Of course, having a big 2D spaceship would look a bit out of place. While they look basic, they’re technically impressive, at least I would assume so, I haven’t played many 90s games that feature 3D models. For cutscenes, the game uses some FMVs, as well as 2D animated cutscenes reminiscent of LucasArts’ own point and click adventure games, and the voice acting is decent. The music takes cues from some of the films’ music, and I can’t help but think that it lacks its own identity. The music isn’t particularly memorable, aside from bits that sound like classic Star Wars music. That’s not to say it’s bad, the music tracks are fitting to the levels they’re used. One credit I can give to its implementation is that its dynamic, though not in PS1 version. The music can change to battle music if the situation gets hairy, and the transition is seamless. The music is MIDI, The Force Engine makes use of uncompressed instruments, while PS1 version seems to use fully uncompressed music. It sounds great, though there are moments where the music ends and there’s silence for a few seconds before it can play again. The sound effects are quite good however.
DOS version runs at a fairly low framerate. Now, you could argue that DOS version DOES run at 60FPS, or at least it can. And I agree, it CAN run at 60. This is a difference between the game’s distribution sites and DosBox configurations. The GOG version sets its cycle count to max, meaning it can run at 60FPS. The Steam version, which is what I played, caps cycles at 20000, which is fairly low, resulting in lowered framerate. Of course, I could’ve just set that to unlimited and play the super smooth experience. But I’m a purist like that, if the publishers set it to 20000, then they must think it should provide a good experience. Anyway, moving to PS1 version’s performance, it’s not very good. The PS1 definitely has potential, if I look at a wall, the game actually runs at 60. If the game was adapted to use PS1’s 3D capabilities, then I’m sure it would’ve made for a better time. Unfortunately, they didn’t. At times it actually runs worse than the DOS version. That is on top of PS1’s unwieldy controls, I actually dreaded playing PS1 version, the aiming isn’t precise enough and you have to hold a trigger to strafe or look up and down. Of course, The Force Engine mitigates most of the issues of the base game, you can play at a higher resolution, making the picture look sharp, and at a high framerate, and you can look with a mouse both vertically and horizontally, and other goodies like mod support. If you want to play this game, the stock DOS version is fine enough, but I can highly recommend checking out The Force Engine for the quality of life improvements. Unsurprisingly, I don’t recommend the PS1 version. PC supremacy wins! I think The Force Engine shows the potential for an official remaster, in the same vein as System Shock: Enhanced Edition or Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. While I doubt the level design would get changed or fixed, the sharper visuals and increased framerate do make for a more enjoyable experience.
Overall, Star Wars: Dark Forces is a fine enough first person shooter on its own, and it does bring some innovations and technical achievements to the table, but it’s not perfect. The level design can be confusing and the placement of mines and hazards can be an annoyance, which age it a bit. The game isn’t bad enough for me to not play it 4 times though… well, that includes PS1 version which isn’t very good, but y’know what I mean. If you’re a fan of Star Wars and/or old First Person Shooters, I can recommend this game, but be warned of its dated design.
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter from the 90s. You shoot your way through storm troopers and other unpleasantries, but it’s not a simple “get to the goal” affair, the objectives in each level are different, like getting Death Star plans in the first level, then getting to the rooftop to the space ship, or putting detonative charges in a few others. Shooting the enemies is satisfying enough, blast your enemies or shoot/throw explosives at them and strafe to dodge the incoming shots, which is especially vital on harder difficulties, since the aggression and their number increases. You have two types of health, shield that can soak energy blasts and can max out at 200, and standard health, with a max of 100, that can be damaged by physical contacts, regardless of shield, or from other attacks when that is depleted. The arsenal is gradually expanded by acquiring new guns or other weapons, such as Thermal Detonators (which are like bombs) and a Jeron Fusion Cutter which looks like a musical instument. The ammo is plentiful, so you’re unlikely to run out… unless you play on hard difficulty, since I was more proactive in dodging and shooting and I was using Stormtrooper Laser Rifle in first few levels, which is fast but not super accurate or powerful, and consumes 2 energy units per shot (though I thought it used 1 ammo until I finally noticed that on my PS1 playthrough. I guess ammo really wasn’t a concern up until that point). Even then, by the IVth mission, I had enough to get by. The selection of weapons is decent enough, I used all of them in all of my playthroughs, though obviously some more than others, for instance I saved a plasma based weapon that looks like a butterfly wing (it’s not listed in the manual for some reason, so I don’t know its name, it’s mapped to 0 key) for the toughest foes like the titular dark forces or the final boss.
Aside from weapons, there are also items that have a passive effect. From the start of the game you have a flashlight that can eliminate dark areas, but you can obtain infrared goggles that give a sort of night vision, allowing to see in the dark. There's a gas mask which really is only needed in one level and I never used it ever again. Lastly, there are Ice Cleats that remove icy physics, again only found and useful in one level. Aside from shooting, there’s also secrets to uncover, a staple of first person shooters like this, containing goodies. There are more traditional bonuses you can find, aside from usual ammo there are a few power-ups, such as Shield Supercharge, which makes your shield infinite for a short time, making you invulnerable to most damage, Weapon Supercharge which makes your weapons shoot twice as fast, revive which maxes out health & shield, and lastly 1-ups. There are lives in this game like in the good ol’ Wolfenstein 3D. I only ever lost all of them once on my initial playthrough, and all it did was send me back to the previous state I’ve been in before entering the mission. I don’t know if the punishment is more severe on harder difficulties (like losing all gear), as I’ve been conservative with my lives, particularly on hard difficulty where I only allowed myself to lose a single life per mission (2 in particularly stinky ones), though most of the time I just quit the mission, which doesn’t save your life count, which can be abused.
The enemies are eager to tear you apart, and this game contains what is probably the most inaccurate depiction of Storm Troopers. They should miss 99% of the time! But seriously, the enemies can blast you as soon as you open a door for instance, which does feel a little unfair at times. Besides the level of aggression, higher difficulties also place more enemies in levels. If you thought fisting 2 dragons in Mission X: Jabba’s Ship is bad enough how about… four? Although I did find an exploit so you can fight one dragon without alerting the other at the very beginning, but still, that’s at least 3 dragons to down. There are a few occasions where it seems like there are “infinite” enemies, particularly in mission VIII: Fuel Station, where Stormtroopers appear in corridors seemingly out of nowhere, or in a big circular area with a spinning bridge, the enemies appear at the entrances even though there’s no way for them to just appear in there. I find it odd but not game breaking. IMO the most dangerous enemies, besides Dark Troopers, are Thandoshans, with their Concussion Rifle. I still don't really know how the gun works, but it basically shoots an invisible bullet that'll burst once it hits an obstacle. They're particularly nasty on hard difficulty, where they're harder to take out and damage you a fair bit. The aformentioned Dark Troopers are a threat, which is nice. The ground ones will deflect most of your shots, I found throwing explosives at them the most efficient way to take them out. The flying ones are even more dangerous, they shoot at you with aformentioned butterfly wing gun's projectiles that hit very hard and can shoot a missile. Strafing around and dodging their shots is kind of fun, if you have enough space to strafe in that is.
One innovation this game brings is the ability to look up and down (although technically Heretic did it earlier (if you want to be even more technical, CyClones did it even earlier)). In DOS version, by default, it’s mapped Page Up and Page Down keys, which is a little unwieldy, as I have to move my hand from mouse to these buttons to look where I want. Thankfully, there aren’t many places where looking up or down is necessary, and the game automatically aims at the enemies that are below or above, though changing your vertical look can increase accuracy. You can also crouch, which is used to fit into tight areas, which is used quite a bit throughout the game. In general, the game features greater emphasis on verticality compared to other games from the time. That also brings in the ability to jump, and the game features a fair bit of platforming. It’s not too bad, and I rarely missed a jump even with lower framerate which means there’s little delay, but you still have to be wary of falling off if you don’t time your jump right.
The gameplay is honestly pretty decent… if you aren’t getting lost, which isn’t all too uncommon in this game, with its labyrinthine design. It actually made me drop the game a couple times on my first playthrough, because wandering around figuring out where to go isn’t very fun. The first roadblock is Mission III: Anoat City, where you have to go through sewage tunnels and activate switches until you figure out the correct path to the destination. Mission VI: Detention Center is a multilayered tower with some walls that can be cracked with explosives, tunnels and stuff. The path forward isn’t obvious on the first playthrough, though after you figure out the way forward, it becomes routine (the way forward I found is through some ventilation, which seems to be the safest one, there must be some other way in though). However, getting stuck and confused isn’t your only concern. Some stages feature ceiling turrets that hit hard. There are also mines, while a mild annoyance on easy, they become a more frequent problem on harder difficulties. Part of it is because of their poor placement, at times they’re buried in bonues, or around the corners, or even right next to the door you’re opening, resulting in a surprising blow to your face. The best example I can list is Mission X: Jabba’s Ship, they’re almost everywhere, and as annoying as ever. Why won't they explode other enemies? We can trip our own mine, why can't they? Besides walking close to them and backing away, you can chuck explosives at them to detonate, which is a safer strat. Their placement often ends up being cheap and unfair.
Lets move onto the game’s visuals and music, where the differences between 3 different platforms are the most apparent. The original DOS and PS1 versions run at a low resolution, with further objects being the most pixelated. DOS original does feature graphical settings to increase fidelity, at the cost of the framerate. I actually lowered them to get some frames for Hard difficulty, because I felt the FPS did hinder my ability to play the game. Mind you, I don’t really care for framerates or resolution as long as the game is playable and they don’t impede my enjoyability. Given that Star Wars: Dark Forces is a pretty old game, it can’t be helped. With that being said however, I think the graphics are honestly solid, low resolution be damned. The textures are quite nice and fairly detailed, there are even neat little details, like “EWOKS SUCK!” or “PWR CELLS” in Mission VII: Ramseed Hed or someplace else, which I find kind of cute. The level geometry is nice as well, like the canyon divide gradually expands at one point, starting with a small crack in Mission IV: Research Facility, and there are rotating, moving and spinning objects in giant ship levels and other places, not only look good and make these levels more alive, but also can hide a switch that can be activated with a timed shot. The actual polygonal models like a spaceship or turrets on the other hand look primitive, the geometry isn’t very complex and the textures are lacking on some surfaces. Not to say they look bad, but they contrast with what is otherwise a solid presentation. Of course, having a big 2D spaceship would look a bit out of place. While they look basic, they’re technically impressive, at least I would assume so, I haven’t played many 90s games that feature 3D models. For cutscenes, the game uses some FMVs, as well as 2D animated cutscenes reminiscent of LucasArts’ own point and click adventure games, and the voice acting is decent. The music takes cues from some of the films’ music, and I can’t help but think that it lacks its own identity. The music isn’t particularly memorable, aside from bits that sound like classic Star Wars music. That’s not to say it’s bad, the music tracks are fitting to the levels they’re used. One credit I can give to its implementation is that its dynamic, though not in PS1 version. The music can change to battle music if the situation gets hairy, and the transition is seamless. The music is MIDI, The Force Engine makes use of uncompressed instruments, while PS1 version seems to use fully uncompressed music. It sounds great, though there are moments where the music ends and there’s silence for a few seconds before it can play again. The sound effects are quite good however.
DOS version runs at a fairly low framerate. Now, you could argue that DOS version DOES run at 60FPS, or at least it can. And I agree, it CAN run at 60. This is a difference between the game’s distribution sites and DosBox configurations. The GOG version sets its cycle count to max, meaning it can run at 60FPS. The Steam version, which is what I played, caps cycles at 20000, which is fairly low, resulting in lowered framerate. Of course, I could’ve just set that to unlimited and play the super smooth experience. But I’m a purist like that, if the publishers set it to 20000, then they must think it should provide a good experience. Anyway, moving to PS1 version’s performance, it’s not very good. The PS1 definitely has potential, if I look at a wall, the game actually runs at 60. If the game was adapted to use PS1’s 3D capabilities, then I’m sure it would’ve made for a better time. Unfortunately, they didn’t. At times it actually runs worse than the DOS version. That is on top of PS1’s unwieldy controls, I actually dreaded playing PS1 version, the aiming isn’t precise enough and you have to hold a trigger to strafe or look up and down. Of course, The Force Engine mitigates most of the issues of the base game, you can play at a higher resolution, making the picture look sharp, and at a high framerate, and you can look with a mouse both vertically and horizontally, and other goodies like mod support. If you want to play this game, the stock DOS version is fine enough, but I can highly recommend checking out The Force Engine for the quality of life improvements. Unsurprisingly, I don’t recommend the PS1 version. PC supremacy wins! I think The Force Engine shows the potential for an official remaster, in the same vein as System Shock: Enhanced Edition or Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. While I doubt the level design would get changed or fixed, the sharper visuals and increased framerate do make for a more enjoyable experience.
Overall, Star Wars: Dark Forces is a fine enough first person shooter on its own, and it does bring some innovations and technical achievements to the table, but it’s not perfect. The level design can be confusing and the placement of mines and hazards can be an annoyance, which age it a bit. The game isn’t bad enough for me to not play it 4 times though… well, that includes PS1 version which isn’t very good, but y’know what I mean. If you’re a fan of Star Wars and/or old First Person Shooters, I can recommend this game, but be warned of its dated design.
An okay Doom-clone that does very little to stand out. The controls are good but pushing buttons is so awkward, having to stand right up to the buttons or doors to open them. Compound that with a unlikable protagonist in Kyle Katarn. At the beginning you hear him joke "A new stormtrooper that can take out a rebel base that quickly? I should've kept working for the empire." after seeing people being killed by the empire. I honestly prefer Rogue One over this, especially after Andor. Jyn Erso and Cassion Andor are far more interesting characters than Kyle Katarn. The cutscenes over all I like, it has a nice visual aesthetic. The most interesting thing i find in this is the main antagonist in Rom Mohc, a general who fought in the Clone Wars. I find it interesting because this game came out in 1995, about 7 years before Attack of the Clones came out and showed how the Clone Wars started. I wonder what the writer thought the Clone Wars was before writing this, because I could honestly see this guy in the current canon. To bad the boss fight with him was pretty underwhelming. One thing I'm glad that carried over into the canon was the Dark Trooper. Their designs are really cool and I'm glad they appeared in The Mandolorian. The level design is kind of crap. A good map should point to where your supposed to go, nonlinear or otherwise. I had to look up playthroughs to see what I was missing, which isn't a great sign. Overall, I had a decently fun time, but it could have been so much more.
It's an ok shooter for the time that hasnt particularly aged well. It's got a pretty well done star wars skin, but that's the only real noteworthy thing about it.
Having heard about the Force Engine’s full release and having played and beaten Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight as a kid years ago I decided to finally give Dark Forces 1 a try. While I never played the original Dark Forces before I can tell that the devs put a lot of great work into the Force Engine to have this run so smoothly on modern OSes. It was straight up download and play once I bought Dark Forces on Steam. The game looked real nice at 1920X1080 and it ran without a hitch. It also adds a bunch of QoL stuff like quicksaving and full mouselook. The game itself is mostly good, though some of the level design and puzzles really suck, like real strong examples of what’s considered to be bad classic shooter level design with obtuse puzzles and one of the later stages just shoves in mines everywhere in annoying trial and error ways. Though hey, it’s not nearly as terrible as that one puzzle in Marathon that made me drop the game. The game does a quality job bringing Star Wars to life within in its limits. The atmosphere evokes that kind of sci-fi cheesiness of the OG movies had that later Star Wars games didn’t really invoke as much. They also pull a whole bunch of sound effects and voice lines from the movies which is charming. The weapons are of a decent variety and I mostly used them all on the regular, though the thermal detonators are kind of janky to use. Overall Dark Forces has aged a bit poorly compared to its contemporaries but the Force Engine has breathed new life into it and I would recommend it for boomer shooter and Star Wars fans. Definitely should revisit Jedi Knight now because my memories of it is that was it was a big improvement over this game.
A DOOM clone, though not as direct of one as you'd think. Dark Forces runs on LucasArts' proprietary Jedi engine, a ground-up creation that improves upon DOOM's id Tech engine in a few key ways, notably by emphasizing the Y-axis; levels can take up multiple floors, and player character Kyle Katarn can jump. Because of this, levels are quite big and objective-driven, with what the player has to do changing over the course of the given level. The easiest example is the first level, where Kyle picks up where the Bothan Spies left off and steals the Death Star plans. You first have to infiltrate, swipe the plans, then get the hell out of there. Way more to do than mowing down baddies.
The most important change, surprisingly, sits with the introduction of a lives system. Rather than restart at the beginning of the level with just a piddly pistol, Kyle respawns at the last checkpoint (often the beginning of the level...) with his ammo reserves, enemy kills, etc precisely where the player left off. The trick is that you have a limited amount of retries; run out of lives, and you have to restart the mission from the top. It's a weird dynamic to inject into something as high-energy as DOOM, but it works for the mission-based structure of these levels. It's an interesting effect where the engine is as fast as DOOM's, but the game asks to be played more slowly as a consequence of its mechanics. I get why they moved away from this design in Jedi Knight, but I dunno, there's an interesting design space here that ended up being an evolutionary dead end. If the game Outlaws (also on the Jedi engine) uses a lives system, I'd be curious to see how it feels there.
I don't like Dark Forces as much as DOOM or the later Jedi Knight games (simply a question of those games having way more for me to hold onto), but I respect a lot of what Dark Forces does. Since Kyle's Force powers haven't awakened yet, there's a much more even emphasis on the different types of guns than you see in later Jedis Knight. Cutscenes and narrative focus are really fun to see here, and I love that the game's able to play around with some of its scenarios - that one where you have to bare-knuckle brawl your way out of captivity is a favorite, and I got a laugh out of accidentally stepping into an Imperial Bathroom (or, "Refresher"? I have lots of scattered EU knowledge). Definitely not one to overlook.
The most important change, surprisingly, sits with the introduction of a lives system. Rather than restart at the beginning of the level with just a piddly pistol, Kyle respawns at the last checkpoint (often the beginning of the level...) with his ammo reserves, enemy kills, etc precisely where the player left off. The trick is that you have a limited amount of retries; run out of lives, and you have to restart the mission from the top. It's a weird dynamic to inject into something as high-energy as DOOM, but it works for the mission-based structure of these levels. It's an interesting effect where the engine is as fast as DOOM's, but the game asks to be played more slowly as a consequence of its mechanics. I get why they moved away from this design in Jedi Knight, but I dunno, there's an interesting design space here that ended up being an evolutionary dead end. If the game Outlaws (also on the Jedi engine) uses a lives system, I'd be curious to see how it feels there.
I don't like Dark Forces as much as DOOM or the later Jedi Knight games (simply a question of those games having way more for me to hold onto), but I respect a lot of what Dark Forces does. Since Kyle's Force powers haven't awakened yet, there's a much more even emphasis on the different types of guns than you see in later Jedis Knight. Cutscenes and narrative focus are really fun to see here, and I love that the game's able to play around with some of its scenarios - that one where you have to bare-knuckle brawl your way out of captivity is a favorite, and I got a laugh out of accidentally stepping into an Imperial Bathroom (or, "Refresher"? I have lots of scattered EU knowledge). Definitely not one to overlook.
A solid game, but the levels are somtimes to big and empty. "Puzzles" are just boring and slow down the gameplay. The combat is boring because of the small variety of enemies and the boring level designe that is for the most part of the game empty and grey corridors.
Foda :)
It's a little too easy to get lost in the game's levels, the combat's way too easy even on higher difficulties,
but man, those Stormtroopers go down real good with a few blaster bolts. The whole game is a testament to the benefit of strong theming: Dark Forces nails the Star Wars aesthetic from the MIDI renditions of classic tunes to the wonderful sprite work and the sound design that it's endlessly fun to run through these levels mowing down 'troopers. The attention to detail on death animations really sells it—troopers flail and flop as they go down in a way most games today can't even match with 100x the budget and tech at their disposal.
A must play for any and all fans of retro shooters and Star Wars alike.
but man, those Stormtroopers go down real good with a few blaster bolts. The whole game is a testament to the benefit of strong theming: Dark Forces nails the Star Wars aesthetic from the MIDI renditions of classic tunes to the wonderful sprite work and the sound design that it's endlessly fun to run through these levels mowing down 'troopers. The attention to detail on death animations really sells it—troopers flail and flop as they go down in a way most games today can't even match with 100x the budget and tech at their disposal.
A must play for any and all fans of retro shooters and Star Wars alike.
Stop right there!
I was hesitant on replaying this one on PC just due to how incompatible it would be on modern hardware but The Force Engine came in SUPER Clutch. I really enjoyed all the quality of life features this mod gave to Star Wars Dark Forces. Higher resolutions and modern controls gives it the 2nd life it needs for newcomers and veterans to enjoy and not be scared because of how this game has aged.
Now to the game, the game is nevertheless a doom clone with Star Wars Sprites IMO. It's mission design and levels certainly separates it apart from the other Clones Doom may have had. Honestly, being a doom clone is not a bad thing. I think its a good ground to improve upon and then add your own spin to it which is what Dark Forces really does well. The designs are very cool and the levels are very unique that you feel like at times the Developers tried their best to not reuse assets.
This is the debut of one of Star Wars Legends greatest Characters of all time Kyle Katarn. I think he serves pretty well in this game. I feel like his presence in cutscenes were very minor I wanna say he was present at least 3 times but you can tell a lot by his dialogue which is what shaped his character. I think all the characters served their purpose in this game albeit sometimes it just reading.
One of the most frustrating aspects of this game is the "Mine " Placement. I feel like these were intentionally suppose to be annoying and make you take damage on purpose or to disrupt the flow of the level. That would probably be my biggest issue with the game especially on the higher difficulties.
Shooting feels very good and responsive and the variety of weapons although there is a good amount, you will most likely just stick to the Stormtrooper E-15 Blaster for most of the game and use the Big boy guns on the more powerful enemies. Thermals were very hit or miss for me. Sometimes it will harm me and sometimes it will kill my enemies lol. Enemy variety was mostly in tune with what level you were on. Considering this game is heavily focused on Empire related activities, you will most likely see Stormtroopers like 80% of the game.
Overall, I think Star Wars Dark Forces PC with its improved mods certainly showcases the best of this game and honestly it was quite fun all things considered. I would recommend anyone to play this on PC rather than the PS1 port because the Port can be quite choppy. Good Atmosphere, Good Star Wars Music Cues. I think this one is worth replaying for sure and seeing how Kyle goes onto be the badass everyone knows and loves.
I was hesitant on replaying this one on PC just due to how incompatible it would be on modern hardware but The Force Engine came in SUPER Clutch. I really enjoyed all the quality of life features this mod gave to Star Wars Dark Forces. Higher resolutions and modern controls gives it the 2nd life it needs for newcomers and veterans to enjoy and not be scared because of how this game has aged.
Now to the game, the game is nevertheless a doom clone with Star Wars Sprites IMO. It's mission design and levels certainly separates it apart from the other Clones Doom may have had. Honestly, being a doom clone is not a bad thing. I think its a good ground to improve upon and then add your own spin to it which is what Dark Forces really does well. The designs are very cool and the levels are very unique that you feel like at times the Developers tried their best to not reuse assets.
This is the debut of one of Star Wars Legends greatest Characters of all time Kyle Katarn. I think he serves pretty well in this game. I feel like his presence in cutscenes were very minor I wanna say he was present at least 3 times but you can tell a lot by his dialogue which is what shaped his character. I think all the characters served their purpose in this game albeit sometimes it just reading.
One of the most frustrating aspects of this game is the "Mine " Placement. I feel like these were intentionally suppose to be annoying and make you take damage on purpose or to disrupt the flow of the level. That would probably be my biggest issue with the game especially on the higher difficulties.
Shooting feels very good and responsive and the variety of weapons although there is a good amount, you will most likely just stick to the Stormtrooper E-15 Blaster for most of the game and use the Big boy guns on the more powerful enemies. Thermals were very hit or miss for me. Sometimes it will harm me and sometimes it will kill my enemies lol. Enemy variety was mostly in tune with what level you were on. Considering this game is heavily focused on Empire related activities, you will most likely see Stormtroopers like 80% of the game.
Overall, I think Star Wars Dark Forces PC with its improved mods certainly showcases the best of this game and honestly it was quite fun all things considered. I would recommend anyone to play this on PC rather than the PS1 port because the Port can be quite choppy. Good Atmosphere, Good Star Wars Music Cues. I think this one is worth replaying for sure and seeing how Kyle goes onto be the badass everyone knows and loves.
Eu não sou o maior fã de Star Wars de todos, sim eu assisti alguns dos filmes e um dos meus jogos favoritos de todos os tempos é Knights of The Old Republic 2, mas no geral eu não sou alguém que ficaria hypadasso pra ver algo de Star Wars, mas eu curto muito Boomer Shooters, tipo o meu jogo favorito de todos é ULTRAKILL e eu adoro Dusk também, então com isso em mente vou fazer um desafio pra essa review, fazer uma review inteira desse jogo sem citar nenhum outro boomer shooter ou qualquer coisa relacionada a Star Wars, ainda mais da Disney, ou seja nada de "jogo ruim porque não é ULTRAKILL" ou "jogo bom porque não é da disney e não tem lacração de caixa do sedex", enfim, indo ao jogo em si, o jogo é um competente boomer shooter que certamente já viu dias melhores.
A gameplay é o que você esperaria de um jogo de FPS da época. Enf... Exceto que o jogo na verdade traz umas coisas muito interessantes que só seriam feitas lá pra frente em jogos como [CENSURADO] e [CENSURADO], como por exemplo os objetivos das fases, ao invés de você só ir do ponto A ao ponto B como na maioria dos jogos de FPS da época (e na verdade até hoje em dia), você tem que fazer coisas um pouco mais específicas em cada fase tipo roubar os planos da estrela da morte ou plantar bombas em uma fábrica em um planeta específico (vou chegar nesse ponto mais pra frente) e outros objetivos, mas calma também não é nada muito complexo. Indo para as armas em si (sabe né, o que todo jogo de FPS precisa fazer muito bem), o arsenal de Kyle Katarn (protagonista do jogo) é meio mais ou menos, algumas armas são até que legais tipo o plasma rifle, mas a maioria é extremamente situacional (e algumas talvez são completamente inúteis) e na maioria das vezes é melhor usar o blaster rifle que o jogo dá de bandeja logo nos 3 primeiros inimigos que você matar, a não ser em fases com menos soldados imperiais tipo a nave do Jabba ou Nar Shaddaa. Ah e é claro, como esse jogo foi feito pela LucasArts, a mesma de Monkey Island, é claro que esse jogo teria puzzles, apesar de serem mais escassos, alguns puzzles são bem legais como o da fase do assalto ao banco, mas a maioria não é dos melhores, e sinceramente o único jogo que conseguiu fazer a mistura entre Ação e Puzzles ao mesmo tempo bem foi CrossCode (esse eu posso citar), pois o problema da maioria assim é que os puzzles interrompem o ritmo do jogo, e aqui não é diferente, e algumas fases tem puzzles genuinamente bullshit pra caralho como a fase onde você tem que resgatar um soldado da rebelião (não direi como é pois SPOILER, mas é algo absurdo de bullshit), tanto que diversas vezes tive que checar guias pois alguns puzzles são bem obtusos, e falando em bullshit, eu falei do objetivo das fases, mas não falei sobre as fases em si, enfim, algumas são ok, esquecíveis até, como a fase da Gromas Mines, outras são extremamente bullshit tipo a fase citada (no caso Detention Center) e Anoat City, algumas fases genuinamente me fizeram eu quase desistir do jogo e fazer uma review incompleta de tão RUINS e CONVOLUÍDAS que são, e o que não ajuda é que o jogo tem VIDAS LIMITADAS, ou seja, morre algumas vezes e pronto volte para o início da fase, tá mas então vou salvar... ERRADO, você não pode salvar durante as fases, o problema é que algumas fases são bem grandes como a Detention Center e a fase final, ou seja, ou você faz tudo em uma paulada só, ou você sai e voltar pro início da fase, mas tirando essas maçãs podres, as fases têm nada demais pra falar a verdade. Ah e antes de acabar por aqui e ir logo para a história e outros aspectos do jogo, só lhe digo para PELO AMOR DE DEUS NÃO JOGAR ESSE JOGO PELA STEAM, baixe o mod do The Force Engine para jogar isso, pois a otimização do jogo na Steam é terrível, quando você usa o mapa ou corre os frames caem para um caralho, e assim os gráficos vão se esticando pra cacete, dá dor de cabeça de tão ruim, o The Force Engine não tem esses problemas e tu ainda pode botar resolução maior pro jogo.
Agora indo para a história, a história não tem nada demais em si, Kyle Katarn era um soldado do império que se juntou a rebelião (meio como o [CENSURADO] da [CENSURADO]) e é enviado pela [CENSURADO] para interromper os planos do general Rom Mohc, que está criando super soldados chamados de Dark Troopers, entendeu o por quê de eu ter escrito aquele textão na intro? Apesar da história ser básica, ele trouxe coisas muito interessantes para expandir o universo de Star Wars, tipo os citados Dark Troopers que depois apareceram no resto da franquia até mesmo fora dos jogos, o que não aconteceu com Rom Mohc infelizmente, mas apesar do Rom Mohc em si ter nada demais, algo interessante é como antes ele participou na [CENSURADO] antes dos eventos desse jogo, sendo que esse jogo foi lançado em 1995, enquanto a [CENSURADO] começou a ser planejada no mesmo ano, mas o primeiro filme foi só lançado em 1999, o que deixa ele um pouco mais intrigante, o único problema foi a boss fight dele ser broxante demais, mas enfim, apesar do jogo em si ter uma história nada demais, tipo está no nível de algo que tu veria os livros, o jogo trouxe umas coisas bem interessantes para a franquia principal, e isso eu respeito. Quanto ao Kyle Katarn em si, ele é basicamente um [CENSURADO] com Chuck Norris da Cracolândia kkkk, só isso que tenho a dizer.
Visualmente, tirando o que falei da versão da Steam, o jogo tem nada demais, sim é interessante como algumas áreas são bem fiéis a como elas são nos filmes tipo Nar Shaddaa e os Star Destroyer, mas no geral não é algo que explodiria a cabeça de alguém de tão bom, única coisa restante pra falar dos visuais é que os Dark Trooper tem uns visuais muito maneiros, ah sim e as cutscenes do jogo são bem legais até, replicando bem o tom de Star Wars, agora a trilha sonora, esse é um dos poucos jogos de toda a franquia onde a trilha sonora não é composta por músicas dos filmes, quer dizer, ela é, mas são renderizadas numa versão MIDI, e algumas músicas são muito insanas nessa versão tipo a música de combate em algumas fases, apesar de eu preferir a OST dos KOTOR (esse aqui eu vou descontar) por majoritariamente serem músicas originais e não músicas dos filmes.
Por sinal a partir daqui o desafio acabou.
Enfim, esse jogo apesar de trazer coisas muito interessantes para a franquia Star Wars e para jogos de FPS no geral, eu acho que não vale muito a pena jogar ele hoje em dia ah não ser que A - você seja fã de Star Wars, B - você seja fãs de Boomer Shooters ou C - você queira jogar o resto dos jogos da série Jedi Knight, e apesar da nota que eu estou dando por agora, ainda dá pra se divertir com esse jogo, mas ainda assim essas inovações não compensam um game design datado com level design ok no seu melhor e obtuso e malvado no seu pior, e o resto da gameplay tem nada demais, enfim, o jogo podia ser bom pra época, mas o tempo não tratou ele das melhores maneiras.
Por sinal antes da nota final, eu vou listar aqui as palavras censuradas:
Duke Nukem 3D, Rainbow Six, Finn, Trilogia Sequel, Princesa Leia, Guerra dos Clones, Trilogia Prequel e Han Solo.
Agora sim, 5.5 (quase um 6)/10
A gameplay é o que você esperaria de um jogo de FPS da época. Enf... Exceto que o jogo na verdade traz umas coisas muito interessantes que só seriam feitas lá pra frente em jogos como [CENSURADO] e [CENSURADO], como por exemplo os objetivos das fases, ao invés de você só ir do ponto A ao ponto B como na maioria dos jogos de FPS da época (e na verdade até hoje em dia), você tem que fazer coisas um pouco mais específicas em cada fase tipo roubar os planos da estrela da morte ou plantar bombas em uma fábrica em um planeta específico (vou chegar nesse ponto mais pra frente) e outros objetivos, mas calma também não é nada muito complexo. Indo para as armas em si (sabe né, o que todo jogo de FPS precisa fazer muito bem), o arsenal de Kyle Katarn (protagonista do jogo) é meio mais ou menos, algumas armas são até que legais tipo o plasma rifle, mas a maioria é extremamente situacional (e algumas talvez são completamente inúteis) e na maioria das vezes é melhor usar o blaster rifle que o jogo dá de bandeja logo nos 3 primeiros inimigos que você matar, a não ser em fases com menos soldados imperiais tipo a nave do Jabba ou Nar Shaddaa. Ah e é claro, como esse jogo foi feito pela LucasArts, a mesma de Monkey Island, é claro que esse jogo teria puzzles, apesar de serem mais escassos, alguns puzzles são bem legais como o da fase do assalto ao banco, mas a maioria não é dos melhores, e sinceramente o único jogo que conseguiu fazer a mistura entre Ação e Puzzles ao mesmo tempo bem foi CrossCode (esse eu posso citar), pois o problema da maioria assim é que os puzzles interrompem o ritmo do jogo, e aqui não é diferente, e algumas fases tem puzzles genuinamente bullshit pra caralho como a fase onde você tem que resgatar um soldado da rebelião (não direi como é pois SPOILER, mas é algo absurdo de bullshit), tanto que diversas vezes tive que checar guias pois alguns puzzles são bem obtusos, e falando em bullshit, eu falei do objetivo das fases, mas não falei sobre as fases em si, enfim, algumas são ok, esquecíveis até, como a fase da Gromas Mines, outras são extremamente bullshit tipo a fase citada (no caso Detention Center) e Anoat City, algumas fases genuinamente me fizeram eu quase desistir do jogo e fazer uma review incompleta de tão RUINS e CONVOLUÍDAS que são, e o que não ajuda é que o jogo tem VIDAS LIMITADAS, ou seja, morre algumas vezes e pronto volte para o início da fase, tá mas então vou salvar... ERRADO, você não pode salvar durante as fases, o problema é que algumas fases são bem grandes como a Detention Center e a fase final, ou seja, ou você faz tudo em uma paulada só, ou você sai e voltar pro início da fase, mas tirando essas maçãs podres, as fases têm nada demais pra falar a verdade. Ah e antes de acabar por aqui e ir logo para a história e outros aspectos do jogo, só lhe digo para PELO AMOR DE DEUS NÃO JOGAR ESSE JOGO PELA STEAM, baixe o mod do The Force Engine para jogar isso, pois a otimização do jogo na Steam é terrível, quando você usa o mapa ou corre os frames caem para um caralho, e assim os gráficos vão se esticando pra cacete, dá dor de cabeça de tão ruim, o The Force Engine não tem esses problemas e tu ainda pode botar resolução maior pro jogo.
Agora indo para a história, a história não tem nada demais em si, Kyle Katarn era um soldado do império que se juntou a rebelião (meio como o [CENSURADO] da [CENSURADO]) e é enviado pela [CENSURADO] para interromper os planos do general Rom Mohc, que está criando super soldados chamados de Dark Troopers, entendeu o por quê de eu ter escrito aquele textão na intro? Apesar da história ser básica, ele trouxe coisas muito interessantes para expandir o universo de Star Wars, tipo os citados Dark Troopers que depois apareceram no resto da franquia até mesmo fora dos jogos, o que não aconteceu com Rom Mohc infelizmente, mas apesar do Rom Mohc em si ter nada demais, algo interessante é como antes ele participou na [CENSURADO] antes dos eventos desse jogo, sendo que esse jogo foi lançado em 1995, enquanto a [CENSURADO] começou a ser planejada no mesmo ano, mas o primeiro filme foi só lançado em 1999, o que deixa ele um pouco mais intrigante, o único problema foi a boss fight dele ser broxante demais, mas enfim, apesar do jogo em si ter uma história nada demais, tipo está no nível de algo que tu veria os livros, o jogo trouxe umas coisas bem interessantes para a franquia principal, e isso eu respeito. Quanto ao Kyle Katarn em si, ele é basicamente um [CENSURADO] com Chuck Norris da Cracolândia kkkk, só isso que tenho a dizer.
Visualmente, tirando o que falei da versão da Steam, o jogo tem nada demais, sim é interessante como algumas áreas são bem fiéis a como elas são nos filmes tipo Nar Shaddaa e os Star Destroyer, mas no geral não é algo que explodiria a cabeça de alguém de tão bom, única coisa restante pra falar dos visuais é que os Dark Trooper tem uns visuais muito maneiros, ah sim e as cutscenes do jogo são bem legais até, replicando bem o tom de Star Wars, agora a trilha sonora, esse é um dos poucos jogos de toda a franquia onde a trilha sonora não é composta por músicas dos filmes, quer dizer, ela é, mas são renderizadas numa versão MIDI, e algumas músicas são muito insanas nessa versão tipo a música de combate em algumas fases, apesar de eu preferir a OST dos KOTOR (esse aqui eu vou descontar) por majoritariamente serem músicas originais e não músicas dos filmes.
Por sinal a partir daqui o desafio acabou.
Enfim, esse jogo apesar de trazer coisas muito interessantes para a franquia Star Wars e para jogos de FPS no geral, eu acho que não vale muito a pena jogar ele hoje em dia ah não ser que A - você seja fã de Star Wars, B - você seja fãs de Boomer Shooters ou C - você queira jogar o resto dos jogos da série Jedi Knight, e apesar da nota que eu estou dando por agora, ainda dá pra se divertir com esse jogo, mas ainda assim essas inovações não compensam um game design datado com level design ok no seu melhor e obtuso e malvado no seu pior, e o resto da gameplay tem nada demais, enfim, o jogo podia ser bom pra época, mas o tempo não tratou ele das melhores maneiras.
Por sinal antes da nota final, eu vou listar aqui as palavras censuradas:
Duke Nukem 3D, Rainbow Six, Finn, Trilogia Sequel, Princesa Leia, Guerra dos Clones, Trilogia Prequel e Han Solo.
Agora sim, 5.5 (quase um 6)/10
A solid, if kinda unremarkable, Doom clone. Some cool stuff in here - fun platforming challenges, decent weaponry - but a very strange difficulty curve and a fairly forgettable story.
I’m a real fairweather Star Wars fan in the sense that I was deeply obsessed with it as a kid who was the prime age for prequel era stuff to be hitting real hard but how I interact with media and my relationship to concepts like fandom have radically changed over the years so that I’m not really the kind of person that big Disney franchise stuff appeals to. That said, I’m not like, anti-Star Wars; I had a great time with Andor and I’m the world’s only Cal Kestis liker (he’s nice! His ponchos are cool shut the fuck up!!). Something that’s really Activated the latent Star Wars fan in me like the world’s most annoying Manchurian Cnadidate, though, is that last year I started a podcast with a friend, a monthly book club where we read through all of the books by Matthew Stover, who has a lot of very good original work but is best known for the handful of Star Wars books he wrote, most famously the well-liked novelization of Revenge of the Sith.
So in the last three months I’ve read and talked about three really good books with my cohost who is a much bigger Star Wars person than me and they’re all occupying the old no-longer-canon extended universe stuff and man that shit really just scratches your brain. In particular was New Jedi Order: Traitor, the thirteenth book in its series set long after the original movies, occupying a similar narrative space that the current films and tv shows do but instead of interminable Disney franchise pipeline stuff they are trashy 90s sci fi schlock novels. Which is still generally very stupid, and very bad, but the WAY that they’re stupid is so much more unique, so much more propulsive and compelling as dumb art than anything anyone has made in the last decade for a franchise this big. It puts you in a mood.
Kyle Katarn.
This guy is that vibe personified. Kind of edgy but not really fake ass han solo luke skywalker in one dude ass guy in a doom game fighting What If Stormtroopers Had Black Armor And Were Big?? Fuck yeah dude this is the gamer’s star wars guy. His name’s fucking Kyle. But he does have a lot of character to him, even if it’s articulated mostly through voice lines during missions and the rare cutscene where he appears prominently. A lot of the story of this game happens around Kyle rather than to him or because of him.
But the fact that Kyle is such a distinct entity here is really noteworthy in and of itself. Dark Forces is a deceptively innovative game for something that looks like any other Doom II or Duke Nukem 3D like. A big part of that is how story driven it is. There aren’t actually that many cutscenes, maybe one every three levels or so, but they contextualize the missions well, and each individual mission has an extensive briefing beforehand that outlines everything in a lot more detail, written in character from your handler’s perspective (except for one mission where she’s captured by the empire and your goal is to rescue her – your briefing is absent because she’s gone it’s a great detail!). Missions have unique objectives and usually multiple per level that are all thematically appropriate to whatever you’re doing whether that’s stealing shit or looking for a guy to take hostage or planting bombs or finding evidence of a secret project or killing someone. This gives the game a different feel from levels that are purely Get To The End affairs, and the end NOT being get to the goal a lot of the time changes the way levels lay themselves out. Lucasarts was first and foremost an adventure game studio at this time and you definiteely feel that in the approach to puzzle design; you get a little bit of red key on the red door but there’s a lot of more esoteric navigational shit here too. Feels way more to me like Doom 64 than Doom II.
This game was actually in development BEFORE the original doom and coming out a year ahead of Duke Nukem, Dark Forces brings a lot to the mid-90s FPS table. It seems likely that Doom coming out would play heavy influence on this bad boy mid-development, but there’s a heavy emphasis on verticality in the level design here that’s explored really thoroughly through the 14 missions. Elevator puzzles, caverns, shafts, loops and cliffs, lots of different ways to explore this whole other axis of space. Platforming is a core part of this experience too and it works well. You can even like, point your gun up and down it’s wild.
The last way Dark Forces I think REALLY separates itself in this category of games (which I’m NOT an expert in and I know some of you reading are – please forgive me for not being a huge 90s shooter know stuff-er) is how aesthetically distinct it is. Levels very rarely reuse assets, and along with their distinct themes and objectives they all have distinct locations and visuals. More importantly than that though, they all try very hard to approximate real environments and the work pays off. These levels are abstract industrial spaces, they’re factories and mines and sewers and ships. Nothing like mind-blowingly innovative but it’s impressive how much these levels work as both 90s PC shooter levels and visibly true Places in a way that’s just not the case for most games like this.
It IS all in service of fighting guys called Darktroopers who are big stupid robots but that’s fine, really, that stupid shmooziness is a charm point, really. That’s the part that I WANTED from this game. The fact that on TOP of that it’s an extremely ambitious and completely successful shooter was a wholly unexpected surprise.
Next Time - STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHT - DARK FORCES II
So in the last three months I’ve read and talked about three really good books with my cohost who is a much bigger Star Wars person than me and they’re all occupying the old no-longer-canon extended universe stuff and man that shit really just scratches your brain. In particular was New Jedi Order: Traitor, the thirteenth book in its series set long after the original movies, occupying a similar narrative space that the current films and tv shows do but instead of interminable Disney franchise pipeline stuff they are trashy 90s sci fi schlock novels. Which is still generally very stupid, and very bad, but the WAY that they’re stupid is so much more unique, so much more propulsive and compelling as dumb art than anything anyone has made in the last decade for a franchise this big. It puts you in a mood.
Kyle Katarn.
This guy is that vibe personified. Kind of edgy but not really fake ass han solo luke skywalker in one dude ass guy in a doom game fighting What If Stormtroopers Had Black Armor And Were Big?? Fuck yeah dude this is the gamer’s star wars guy. His name’s fucking Kyle. But he does have a lot of character to him, even if it’s articulated mostly through voice lines during missions and the rare cutscene where he appears prominently. A lot of the story of this game happens around Kyle rather than to him or because of him.
But the fact that Kyle is such a distinct entity here is really noteworthy in and of itself. Dark Forces is a deceptively innovative game for something that looks like any other Doom II or Duke Nukem 3D like. A big part of that is how story driven it is. There aren’t actually that many cutscenes, maybe one every three levels or so, but they contextualize the missions well, and each individual mission has an extensive briefing beforehand that outlines everything in a lot more detail, written in character from your handler’s perspective (except for one mission where she’s captured by the empire and your goal is to rescue her – your briefing is absent because she’s gone it’s a great detail!). Missions have unique objectives and usually multiple per level that are all thematically appropriate to whatever you’re doing whether that’s stealing shit or looking for a guy to take hostage or planting bombs or finding evidence of a secret project or killing someone. This gives the game a different feel from levels that are purely Get To The End affairs, and the end NOT being get to the goal a lot of the time changes the way levels lay themselves out. Lucasarts was first and foremost an adventure game studio at this time and you definiteely feel that in the approach to puzzle design; you get a little bit of red key on the red door but there’s a lot of more esoteric navigational shit here too. Feels way more to me like Doom 64 than Doom II.
This game was actually in development BEFORE the original doom and coming out a year ahead of Duke Nukem, Dark Forces brings a lot to the mid-90s FPS table. It seems likely that Doom coming out would play heavy influence on this bad boy mid-development, but there’s a heavy emphasis on verticality in the level design here that’s explored really thoroughly through the 14 missions. Elevator puzzles, caverns, shafts, loops and cliffs, lots of different ways to explore this whole other axis of space. Platforming is a core part of this experience too and it works well. You can even like, point your gun up and down it’s wild.
The last way Dark Forces I think REALLY separates itself in this category of games (which I’m NOT an expert in and I know some of you reading are – please forgive me for not being a huge 90s shooter know stuff-er) is how aesthetically distinct it is. Levels very rarely reuse assets, and along with their distinct themes and objectives they all have distinct locations and visuals. More importantly than that though, they all try very hard to approximate real environments and the work pays off. These levels are abstract industrial spaces, they’re factories and mines and sewers and ships. Nothing like mind-blowingly innovative but it’s impressive how much these levels work as both 90s PC shooter levels and visibly true Places in a way that’s just not the case for most games like this.
It IS all in service of fighting guys called Darktroopers who are big stupid robots but that’s fine, really, that stupid shmooziness is a charm point, really. That’s the part that I WANTED from this game. The fact that on TOP of that it’s an extremely ambitious and completely successful shooter was a wholly unexpected surprise.
Next Time - STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHT - DARK FORCES II
I hate giving up on games, but I hate sewer levels even more.
a lot of the level designs are annoying and i already had a bad sense of direction so...
Neat little game.
War relativ gut, obwohl ich öfter mal in einen Walkthrough schauen musste, weil manche Karten zum Verlaufen eingeladen haben. Besonders gut fand ich die Umsetzung der Musik und das Abprallen der Laserstrahlen.
I'm still on a boomer shooter kick, and thanks to the fan made Force Engine, now seemed as good a time as any to give Star Wars: Dark Forces a try.
Dark Forces makes a number of technical improvements over Doom, introducing more vertically oriented levels with rooms that exist over other rooms, something Doom wasn't really capable of. Environmental effects further enhance the visuals, which are much more varied per level and appropriately capture the look and feel of the original Star Wars trilogy. Blast sounds, the hiss of doors, and the filtered speech of Stormtroopers all sound authentic, though the MIDI renditions of popular Star Wars songs leave a lot to be desired (granted, they're pretty good for the standard of computer audio at the time.)
LucasArts further differentiated Dark Forces by taking a more objective-based approache to missions. Rather than simply running to an exit you'll instead need to set up explosives, redirect platforms, hijack ships, and complete a number of other unique tasks before exfiltrating the mission area. You're also able to jump, sprint, and make use of masks and goggles to survive poison gas traps and darkened rooms. While this makes each level fairly involved, some of the ways in which these features are implemented can be a little clumsy. Jumping puzzles rarely feel good, and the visual design of some levels can make certain alcoves and switches necessary for progression difficult to spot. Levels can be as labyrinthine as they are in Doom and overall I found them to be not quite as good about creating memorable landmarks to ground yourself with, and some of the puzzles and hazards you have to navigate through are more annoying than fun.
Enemies are also incredibly easy to take out. There's some great weapon variety but very rarely does it feel like you need to make use of anything other than the standard blaster. Stormtroopers and imperial officers go down easy and ammo is abundant. Dark Troopers mix things up a bit and require more specialized ammo and harder hitting weaponry, which makes these encounters a lot more engaging. I'd actually say Dark Forces does a pretty good job of ratcheting up the tension anytime a Dark Trooper appears. There's also a lot of mines! Mines everywhere! Considering you move at a million miles an hour, it's easy to just turn a corner and blow Kyle's legs off. This guy is apparently in his twenties but he looks like he's been sleeping in a cigar lounge for a couple months straight. Maybe that's why he's so resilient. Even so, I defy anyone to survive Jabba's ship without losing a limb or two. I'm not sure who designed this level but taking all of your gear and making you punch your way through two gigantic lizards is bad enough without littering mines absolutely god damn everywhere. Terrible.
This is the part of the review where I cop to having a weird health issue that sometimes interferes with FPS games: I get motion sick. It doesn't happen too often, but it has impeded my ability to enjoy some really great games, like Half Life 2 and Jazzpunk. Apparently Dark Forces is another game that makes me want to hurl after playing it for about an hour. I had rendering set to Open GL to address warping with mouse look, and it's not like I was sprinting all over the place, so I'm not sure what exactly about this game made me feel ill with such consistency. I'm not going to knock Dark Forces for this, obviously, but maybe you should take anything I say about it with a grain of salt. Getting lost in levels might have more to do with me feeling like the room is spinning than any sort of design issue, but I also can't quite be sure because I do think some levels are designed in a way that don't make them easy to navigate without referring to a map (which isn't to say it's on the level of Marathon or anything insane like that.)
Dark Forces is still good enough that I persevered through my motion sickness rather than put the game down, and I do think despite some of my criticisms against its level design (as valid or invalid as you may find them given my admission) that says a lot about the quality of the gameplay. I've yet to play a boomer shooter I didn't like, even if I have now played one that makes me want to projectile vomit.
Dark Forces makes a number of technical improvements over Doom, introducing more vertically oriented levels with rooms that exist over other rooms, something Doom wasn't really capable of. Environmental effects further enhance the visuals, which are much more varied per level and appropriately capture the look and feel of the original Star Wars trilogy. Blast sounds, the hiss of doors, and the filtered speech of Stormtroopers all sound authentic, though the MIDI renditions of popular Star Wars songs leave a lot to be desired (granted, they're pretty good for the standard of computer audio at the time.)
LucasArts further differentiated Dark Forces by taking a more objective-based approache to missions. Rather than simply running to an exit you'll instead need to set up explosives, redirect platforms, hijack ships, and complete a number of other unique tasks before exfiltrating the mission area. You're also able to jump, sprint, and make use of masks and goggles to survive poison gas traps and darkened rooms. While this makes each level fairly involved, some of the ways in which these features are implemented can be a little clumsy. Jumping puzzles rarely feel good, and the visual design of some levels can make certain alcoves and switches necessary for progression difficult to spot. Levels can be as labyrinthine as they are in Doom and overall I found them to be not quite as good about creating memorable landmarks to ground yourself with, and some of the puzzles and hazards you have to navigate through are more annoying than fun.
Enemies are also incredibly easy to take out. There's some great weapon variety but very rarely does it feel like you need to make use of anything other than the standard blaster. Stormtroopers and imperial officers go down easy and ammo is abundant. Dark Troopers mix things up a bit and require more specialized ammo and harder hitting weaponry, which makes these encounters a lot more engaging. I'd actually say Dark Forces does a pretty good job of ratcheting up the tension anytime a Dark Trooper appears. There's also a lot of mines! Mines everywhere! Considering you move at a million miles an hour, it's easy to just turn a corner and blow Kyle's legs off. This guy is apparently in his twenties but he looks like he's been sleeping in a cigar lounge for a couple months straight. Maybe that's why he's so resilient. Even so, I defy anyone to survive Jabba's ship without losing a limb or two. I'm not sure who designed this level but taking all of your gear and making you punch your way through two gigantic lizards is bad enough without littering mines absolutely god damn everywhere. Terrible.
This is the part of the review where I cop to having a weird health issue that sometimes interferes with FPS games: I get motion sick. It doesn't happen too often, but it has impeded my ability to enjoy some really great games, like Half Life 2 and Jazzpunk. Apparently Dark Forces is another game that makes me want to hurl after playing it for about an hour. I had rendering set to Open GL to address warping with mouse look, and it's not like I was sprinting all over the place, so I'm not sure what exactly about this game made me feel ill with such consistency. I'm not going to knock Dark Forces for this, obviously, but maybe you should take anything I say about it with a grain of salt. Getting lost in levels might have more to do with me feeling like the room is spinning than any sort of design issue, but I also can't quite be sure because I do think some levels are designed in a way that don't make them easy to navigate without referring to a map (which isn't to say it's on the level of Marathon or anything insane like that.)
Dark Forces is still good enough that I persevered through my motion sickness rather than put the game down, and I do think despite some of my criticisms against its level design (as valid or invalid as you may find them given my admission) that says a lot about the quality of the gameplay. I've yet to play a boomer shooter I didn't like, even if I have now played one that makes me want to projectile vomit.
More fun than Doom (I am biased)
Es Doom meets Star Wars, con eso te basta para saber que es un juegazo