A new chapter has started in the Star Wars Universe with the purchase of LucasArts with Disney and the Gaming licences going to Electronic Arts, creating new games and franchises to be set up in a universe that goes hand and hand with gaming but I want to look at some of the gems of past and give my thought on them. Recently I came across Dark Forces during the Star Wars sale on Steam, and for the price of a $1.30 I couldn't say no to a new adventure. Coming out in 1995 and during the beginning of the rise of the FPS genre and great games like Doom and Wolfenstein all ready out, LucasArts decided to take a shot at it and left behind a lot of innovations along the way, some that are still present when you play something like a Call of Duty or Battlefield. On top of that creating a new series along the way. The Jedi Knight series is beloved by many and is consider some best involving Star Wars licence, but does Dark Forces stand up to the test of time and is still playable today without putting on some fan boy shades?
Dark Forces starts before the events of A New Hope and continues after the destruction of the Death Star. You play as Kyle Katarn, an Ex Empire mercenary that now works for the rebellion and is hired on to do highly classified mission against the Empire. After the loss of the Death Star Dark Vader and General Mohc. retaliate and launch the Dark Trooper, a highly advance Storm Trooper that has the ability to take out a rebel base in the matter of minutes. As Katarn you are hired to find and locate where these super soldiers are coming from and put an end to this madness. Though Dark Forces has a story it doesn't go into much depth in Kyle's complicated Past which makes really a one sided protagonist during the game but there are a couple of books that goes deeper into Kartan story and will take you right to the start of the game. Dark Forces brought a story to the FPS genre that you could get without reading pages of the manual, and during the events got flushed out , though primitive to today standards Dark Forces showed that you can have a deep story in a shooter with more then a couple lines.
Presentation combines everything together, it merges the experience and creates a lasting memory for the player. In 1995 games started to get the hang of this but the first person shooters at the time lack any sort of soundtrack with more then one track. Even the use of voice overs were unheard of at the time. Dark Forces set to change this by adding voice overs but then getting actors that sounded like there movie counter parts. Add John William's score to the mix and you create something that pulls everything good about the movies together and puts a player into a believable representation of the universe.
LucasArts took the Doom Formula and improved on the elements it was lacking on, Instead of mindless corridors you had levels that not only memorable and recognizable but has a sheer verticality to it, approaching an edge would create a shiver in me as I peered down a towering crevasse. Plus guns feel and use very different from each other, not only creates different tactics though out, but the drastic differences makes mowing down Storm Troopers and droids so enjoyable but with new design comes problems. LucasArts didn't know what really worked at the time and it shows. It feels very archaic looking up and down with the page up and down keys, this will hinder your ability to take out targets not in your line of sight Then add onto that an absent of a quick save system and yes after you lose all your lives you are forced back to the beginning of the level, this in the later mission caused me to play more cautiously losing the feeling of being the action hero I once was. With that being said Dark Forces is an enjoyable game with great aspect but take in mind that controls and save option make the game more difficulty then what it should be.
The Struggle with Dark Forces is though revolutionary at the time, the level, puzzle and control design is dated and adding the lives system to the mix will create a frustrating experience for your self. Finding secret are the key to beating the game because all your major health and extra lives are located there, but after the first few level the risk reward is not there any more and it just becomes easier to restart the level then finding them. Then you add in the placement of where looking up and down are not tied into the mouse but is put on keyboard making unnecessary difficulty to the game. That being said Dark Forces is a game you should check out, Its still fun to play today even with its flaws. Plus Mowing down Storm Troopers with the different guns is so satisfying. Add the iconic soundtrack and a story that fits right in with the movies making something that fans of Star Wars and FPS should be checking out.