Star Wars has at all times been large information, however now it’s simply one of many many blobs which might be attempting to slather themselves over each inch of the media panorama and suck the time proper out of us. A very long time in the past, it used to really feel prefer it belonged to the followers.

Earlier than the prequel trilogy began manufacturing, it appeared like nobody was actually certain what to do with the license. There have been novels, comedian books, and video video games; issues that the mainstream largely ignored. It turned one thing extra for nerds (like myself) who would delve into the lore. New entries felt as if they had been made for that viewers. It was very disciplined and delicate, as Star Wars was such a valuable factor. Although, it was nonetheless very messy at occasions.

1995’s Star Wars: Darkish Forces is barely extra blunt with its dealing with, nevertheless it’s nowhere close to the demolition that was simply on the horizon. It has a quaint attraction that lots of people from that point related with, so it’s not a lot of a shock that the remaster professionals at Nightdive would wish to contact it up.

Star Wars: Darkish Forces Remaster (PC [reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox SeriesX|S, Swap)
Developer: LucasArts, Nightdive Studios
Writer: Nightdive Studios
Launched: February 28, 2024
MSRP: $29.99

In 1995, the first-person shooter was simply starting to determine itself. In 1992, Wolfenstein 3D constructed the components, and 1993’s Doom lit the fuse. Instantly, folks checked out this newfound perspective and thought, “This is able to be superior if it was Star Wars.” In truth, Star Wars: Darkish Forces’ mission chief Daron Stinnett, even stated that the sport was partially impressed by a Doom mod that happen within the Dying Star.

On the time, 1993’s Star Wars: Insurgent Assault and Star Wars: X-Wing had been dabbling in creating new storylines across the motion pictures for gamers to muck round in, so Star Wars: Darkish Forces did the identical, creating the character Kyle Katarn, a sarcastic mercenary who used to work with the Empire. He’s the man who stole the Dying Star plans! I feel that story has been advised three or 4 occasions with completely different folks accountable in every one. However in line with LucasArts, in 1993, it was Kyle Katarn.

After making that minor contribution to Star Wars historical past, Katarn is then assigned by Mon Mothma to look into the Empire’s new super-weapon, the Darkish Trooper. That seems like a foe that my associates and I’d have made up on the schoolyard, and it’s precisely what you’d count on. They’re large evil dudes with large weapons and indestructible armor that may wipe out whole Insurgent bases, however they’ll’t beat Kyle Katarn.

One factor that I do respect about this story, nevertheless, is that there aren’t any Jedi. Nary a lightsaber to be glimpsed. Simply good outdated inelegant blasters and blaster-adjacent weapons.

Star Wars: Darkish Forces isn’t a lot of a diversion from different “Doom clones” on the time. The most important distinction between it and the FPS that got here earlier than is targets. One of the best ranges within the recreation have Katarn infiltrate an Imperial set up, do no matter he’s there for, after which escape with the assistance of his pilot, Jan Ors. The much less spectacular ranges have you ever get to no matter you’re on the lookout for, then it simply tells you, “Open Essential menu to finish mission.” That’s okay. I suppose I’ve an creativeness and might simply assume that Kyle Katarn walks again the best way he got here.

Really, no matter whether or not or not Jan descends to choose you up, you continue to must open the menu and click on “subsequent mission” to advance, which isn’t a technique of transition that has been broadly adopted since.

One other addition that Darkish Forces makes to the components is cutscenes. Occasionally, you get to see glimpses of the characters going over the mission. They’re largely dialogue, nevertheless it’s a step higher than the textual content scrolls in Doom. There are additionally location transitions, so you may see your ship fly towards a planet or one thing. It’s worthwhile dressing.

Nightdive touched up the cutscenes, which feels a bit pointless however are good anyway. They basically simply made every part smoother, each in movement and in pixelation. The cutscenes nonetheless sort of look fairly retro, however when you’re aware of the unique look, the distinction is apparent. In truth, the choice to show off the improved cutscenes is obtainable, so you may evaluate when you really feel prefer it.

Normally, Nightdive’s remaster is as stable as traditional. As with earlier initiatives, the sport has been transferred to the Kex Engine. The sprites and textures have been upscaled and touched as much as be greater decision than the originals. They appear so much higher at greater resolutions, however they nonetheless have a little bit of a pixelated look. In response to Nightdive artist Albert Marin Garau, the unique belongings had been upscaled 400%, then “handpainted and touched up.”

There’s additionally optionally available bloom and “true” 3D perspective (like most video games that use raycasting for 3D, the attitude in Darkish Forces would warp whenever you lookup and down). All of that is optionally available. In truth, with a press of a button, you may shift the sport into software program rendering, making it seem precisely because it did in 1995. Or a minimum of an inexpensive facsimile. I by no means felt this was needed, nevertheless it’s at all times good to have the choice.

The truth that Star Wars: Darkish Forces can simply run on fashionable platforms and consoles makes the remaster worthwhile. I at all times had problem getting it to run reliably with DOSBox, so the most effective guess was to discover a supply port, which at all times took a little bit of tweaking. A fan just lately created “The Pressure Engine,” which is a reasonably good possibility. The creator of that port labored with Nightdive on Darkish Forces remastered. Nevertheless, I really feel like an “out-of-box” expertise is at all times preferable.

Past that, Nightdive has included some behind-the-scenes content material. Whereas this offers some fascinating background, probably the most fascinating inclusion is a minimize stage referred to as “The Avenger.” It takes place in a Star Destroyer and was apparently used because the demo for CES.

The issue is, like with a few of Nightdive’s earlier initiatives, resembling Turok 3 and PowerSlave, Star Wars: Darkish Forces simply isn’t all that nice, which I’m certain Stephen Kick would disagree with.

The extent design is simply butt. From a technical standpoint, they use a number of nice trickery to emulate room-over-room 3D, and so they typically look fairly respectable. Nevertheless, they include a number of awkward world geometry, unusual dead-ends, pointless rooms, and unclear paths to your targets.

Limitations of raycasting engines of the period made it actually troublesome to create real looking environments. More often than not, they as an alternative went in a extra summary course. That’s probably not the issue right here. The issue is that Darkish Forces likes to cover its paths to its targets. There have been occasions that I assumed I used to be discovering a secret room, and it turned out to be the meant path.

Additionally, whoever determined it might be enjoyable to cover landmines underneath clusters of things was improper.

Don’t get me improper, I don’t actually like after I get funneled by way of an space. I feel exploration was one of many largest strengths of ‘90s shooters that was misplaced once they started following the extra linear Half-Life components. Nevertheless, a sense of fixed development is a vital a part of stage design, and an excessive amount of of that’s misplaced strolling in circles whereas attempting to determine the best way to advance.

The primary time I performed Star Wars: Darkish Forces was a really very long time in the past, however what sticks in my thoughts is dropping the sport as a result of I acquired caught on the sewer stage and couldn’t discover the place I used to be purported to go. I didn’t have the issue this time round, nor did I hit a barrier I couldn’t overcome, however I used to be very conscious of the moments the place I misplaced the path.

Amusingly, the minimize stage is healthier than most that made it into the sport. Whereas it, too, will get a bit of unclear when it comes to the place that you must go and has rooms with no goal, the truth that it’s designed in a manner that feels extra like an actual place and, consequently, is extra fascinating to discover.

Past that, a lot of Darkish Forces takes place in slim corridors, and of its arsenal, I solely made constant use of two weapons. They had been a blaster and one other kind of blaster. That is sort of the draw back to the mild care that Star Wars was dealt with with that I alluded to at the start of this evaluate. Folks making tales within the universe would not often invent new units, and there wasn’t a complete lot of selection wanted for the flicks.

The result’s that, among the many stormtroopers that you just struggle, there are enemies that don’t actually make a lot sense. Probe droids had been used so much in older video games, however the motion pictures sort of introduced them like disposable reconnaissance items. The one Han fights in The Empire Strikes Again even self-destructs when attacked. Alongside this are interrogation droids and a kind of little hovering ball issues that Luke Skywalker makes use of to coach with in precisely one scene. Even when you settle for their presence, they actually simply shoot at you want virtually every part else does.

So, the result’s a good remaster of an okay recreation. Not unhealthy, higher than middling, however not good. Provided that it has the Star Wars license, Darkish Forces was little doubt profitable in 1995 and can most certainly achieve success now. And it needs to be. As a result of even mediocre video games could be worthwhile, and so they typically have a narrative to inform. I’ll at all times be grateful when Nightdive and different studios go to the trouble to revive them, and I’ll at all times be right here asking for extra.

Talking of which, when can we now have Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Darkish Forces 2?

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}