Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Clint Bajakian | | |
Series | Star Wars: Jedi Knight | |
Engine | Jedi[a] | |
Platform(s) | ||
Release | ||
Genre(s) | First-person shooter | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a
Dark Forces uses the Jedi game engine, which was developed specifically for the game. The engine adds gameplay features that were uncommon to the first-person shooter genre at the time of release, including level designs with multiple floors, and the ability to look up and down.
Upon release, the PC and Macintosh versions of the game received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its level design and technological advances, though the PlayStation version was criticized for having poor graphics and slow frame rates which make it much less enjoyable than the computer versions. The game also did well financially, selling almost 1 million copies in the United States by 1999. The game's success launched the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series, beginning with the direct sequel Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II in 1997.
A remastered version of the game was developed by
Gameplay
Dark Forces is a first-person shooter (FPS). The player controls Kyle Katarn from a first-person perspective, with a focus on combat against various creatures and characters from the Star Wars universe, although the game also includes environmental puzzles and hazards. Dark Forces follows a central storyline outlined in mission briefings and cutscenes.[6] Each mission includes specific objectives which are related to the story.[7] The missions take place in a variety of environments across the Star Wars universe, including a Star Destroyer interior, Jabba the Hutt's yacht, and the planet Coruscant, where the player must infiltrate a computer vault.
Dark Forces' gameplay expands on the FPS standards set by Doom in 1993, and features gameplay elements that are now common in the FPS genre. These include the ability to look up and down, duck, and jump.[8][9] A variety of power-ups are made available to the player, including health, shields, weapons and ammunition. The game also features several non-combat items to aid the player. The head lamp illuminates the area in front of the player, but will reveal the player's position to enemies in dark rooms. Ice cleats provide traction in icy areas, and an air mask protects the player from areas with toxic atmosphere. Many inventory items are powered by batteries (separate from weapon ammunition types) which can be found around the levels.[7]
For combat, the player may use fists, explosive land mines and thermal detonators, as well as blasters and other ranged weapons.[10] All player weapons except the fist require ammunition, which can be collected in power-ups. All weapons, again with the exception of the fist, have a secondary mode which makes it have a different effect than in primary mode.[10] The player has health and shields which are damaged by enemy attacks and some environmental hazards, and may be replenished through power-ups.
In addition to combat, Dark Forces provides physical obstacles for the character, such as jumping from ledges or traversing across flowing rivers,[9][11] and includes multi-step puzzles such as mazes controlled by switches.
Plot
The storyline of Dark Forces follows
Dark Forces begins with Kyle and Jan being hired by the Alliance to recover the plans to the
Kyle and Jan later learn that
Masquerading as a smuggler, Kyle infiltrates the
Development
Development of Dark Forces was led by Daron Stinnett. The programming was led by Ray Gresko, and the graphics and storyline by Justin Chin.
New gameplay mechanisms that were not common in the first-person shooter genre at the time of release include the ability to look up and down, duck, jump, and swim.[9] The use of multiple floor levels is another technical advance in the first-person shooter genre.[14] To produce these new features, the developers wrote a game engine from scratch.[15] The Jedi game engine can create gameplay and graphical elements such as fully 3D objects, atmospheric effects such as fog and haze, animated textures and shading.[11] Stinnett indicated that the developers wanted these elements to be part of an "active environment," and features were included to create this: "ships come and go at the flight decks, rivers sweep along, platforms and conveyor belts move and much of the machinery functions."[6]
The Dark Troopers in Dark Forces were created specifically for the game by Justin Chin and Paul Mica. Chin notes that they were designed as a more advanced enemy when compared to standard stormtroopers: "Instead of just beefing up the stormtroopers, I designed them to be more efficient. I wanted something more terrifying and more omnipotent." Three designs for the Dark Troopers were produced for Dark Forces. Lucasfilm licensing department initially rejected two of the designs for looking too much out of character, so Chin produced new designs which were ultimately approved.[6] The development team collaborated with staff at Skywalker Ranch for the sounds, music, and costumes used in the cutscenes.[16]
Dark Forces was
Music
Music for Star Wars: Dark Forces was mostly original works composed by
Release
Dark Forces achieved a strong following on the internet, and custom levels and maps were created for the game.[9] The popularity of characters from Dark Forces resulted in LucasArts licensing toys based on the game. Hasbro produced Kyle Katarn and Dark Trooper toys, which are among Star Wars in other media items to be turned into action figures.[17] The Dark Troopers were also included in books and comics,[6] and later became canon in The Mandalorian's Chapter 14: The Tragedy. William C. Dietz's novelizations of the Dark Forces storyline were adapted to full-cast audio dramatizations.[12]
LucasArts extended Dark Forces with
In September 2009, Dark Forces was re-released as a
Reception
Critical reviews
Aggregator | Score | ||
---|---|---|---|
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4.875/10[23] | ||
GameSpot | 7.6/10[24] | 5.4/10[25] | |
IGN | 5/10[26] | ||
Next Generation | [31] | [29] | [30] |
PC Gamer (US) | 92%[27] | ||
PC Zone | 95%[28] | ||
MacUser | [32] |
The PC and Macintosh versions of Star Wars: Dark Forces were well received.[27] Publications compared Dark Forces to Doom, a significant video game in the first-person shooter genre at the time, but also indicated that Dark Forces improved upon Doom's features.[9][24] Criticisms tended to focus on the game being too short, as well as lacking a multiplayer feature.[24]
Steven Kent of The Seattle Times believed that the general aspects of the game appeal to most computer gamers, not just Star Wars fans. Kent argued that the Star Wars setting is a high point for the game, saying that the level designs recreate the Star Wars style well: "Though most of the Dark Forces sets are original to the game, they were created in the 'Star Wars' spirit."[33]
Dark Forces' gameplay has been described as "challenging" and has generally received praise.[9] Ron Dulin, reviewing the game for GameSpot, highlights the implementation of puzzles within levels: "The levels are diverse and ingenious, with plenty of creative obstacles standing between you and your goal. While they can be occasionally frustrating, Dark Forces' diverse gameplay requirements make this title more mentally challenging than your average key hunt."[24] The graphics and sound were both praised as helping to immerse the player in the environment.[9]
The
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, and stated that "Dark Forces will be judged by Doom's standards and, in most of the crucial areas, it falls just short."[29]
Next Generation reviewed the Macintosh version of the game, and stated that "Purposeful mission objectives [...] and various neato features [...] lift Dark Forces out of the faceless swamp of first-person crawlers and into a place of honor. A very classy job."[31] MacUser named Dark Forces one of the top 50 CD-ROMs of 1995.[32]
PC Gamer gave Dark Forces the award in the best sound effects of 1995.[36] It was also a runner-up in the best action game category.[37]
Sales
Dark Forces shipped more than 300,000 copies in preparation for its launch, a record for LucasArts at that time.
According to PC Data, which tracked sales in the United States, Dark Forces had sold 928,469 units and earned $37.1 million in revenue in the United States. This led PC Data to declare it the country's ninth-best-selling computer game for the period between January 1993 and April 1998.[41] Sales in the region rose to 952,033 copies by September 1999; by that time, it was the country's 11th-best-selling computer game since January 1993.[42]
Reviews
References
- ^ "The Game Brain". Games World: The Magazine. No. 12. Paragon Publishing. June 1995. p. 93. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
Dark Forces is already on sale matey, it was released on 10th March and retails at around £49.99. As for the leather-clad Full Throttle, that will see the light of day on 1st May and will also cost £49.99.
- Newspapers.com.
- LucasArts. 1996. Archived from the originalon December 23, 1996.
- ^ "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". June 11, 1998. Archived from the original on June 11, 1998. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (August 23, 2023). "Dark Forces Remaster Announced for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mizell, Leslie (October 1994). "Star Wars: Dark Forces preview". PC Gamer. Future Publishing: 34–37.
- ^ LucasArts. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "A Brief History of Star War Games, Part 1". Tom's Hardware. May 20, 2007. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Staten, James (December 4, 1995). "Dark Forces". MacWEEK. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Dark Forces: No One Will Force You to Play this One" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 85. Ziff Davis. August 1996. pp. 70–71. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Video game of the week: 'Star Wars: Dark Forces'". Knight-Ridder. March 21, 1995. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Katarn, Kyle". starwars.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ "Behind the Screens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 85. Ziff Davis. August 1996. p. 71. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Turner, Benjamin; Bowen, Kevin (December 11, 2003). "Bringin' in the DOOM Clones". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Baldazo, Rex (December 1995). "Today's hot first-person 3-D shoot-'em-ups". Byte.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tales from the Darkside" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 84. Ziff Davis. July 1996. p. 51.
- ^ "Dark troopers". starwars.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- Ziff Davis Media. November 1, 2003.
- 1UP.com. Archived from the originalon September 17, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- ^ "Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection". Steam. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "Star Wars: Dark Forces". GameRankings. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- AllGame. Archived from the originalon November 16, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ a b "Review Crew: Dark Forces". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 91. Ziff Davis. February 1997. p. 64.
- ^ a b c d Dulin, Ron (May 1, 1996). "Star Wars Dark Forces Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Wiggins, Wiley (December 23, 1996). "Star Wars Dark Forces Review (PlayStation)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ a b "Dark Forces - PlayStation review". IGN. December 13, 1996. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^ a b "Star Wars: Dark Forces". MobyGames. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "PC Zone Issue 024" (24). March 1995: 56. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
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(help) - ^ a b "Finals, Luke Warm". Next Generation. No. 5. Imagine Media. May 1995. p. 94.
- ^ Imagine Media. February 1997. pp. 120, 122.
- ^ a b "Finals, Death Startling". Next Generation. No. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. p. 100.
- ^ a b Echler, Nikki; Olson, Rebecca (October 1995). "Top Spins: 50 New CD-ROMs". MacUser. Archived from the original on July 26, 2001.
- ^ Kent, Steven L. (March 19, 1995). "Tech Reviews CD-Rom -- Dark Forces". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ Constantides, Alex (August 15, 2001). "Star Wars: Dark Forces PlayStation Review". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ "PlayStation ProReview: Dark Forces". GamePro. No. 101. IDG. February 1997. p. 68.
- ^ "The Year's Best Games - Special Achievement in Sound". PC Gamer. No. 22. Future plc. March 1996. p. 75.
- ^ "The Year's Best Games - And How Could We Forget..." PC Gamer. No. 22. Future plc. March 1996. p. 73.
- LucasArts. Archived from the originalon December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
- ^ Staff (August 1995). "Leaderboard". Electronic Entertainment (20): 18.
- ^ The Mac Observer-Mac Software Makes Resurgence In 1998
- ^ Staff (September 1998). "Player Stats: Top 10 Best-Selling Games, 1993 – Present". Computer Gaming World. No. 170. p. 52.
- ^ IGN Staff (November 1, 1999). "PC Data Top Games of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
- ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Dark Forces". Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
Notes
- KEX Enginewas used for the remaster.
External links