Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995) - MobyGames (original) (raw)

Atari 7800+

Atari 7800+

aka:Star Wars: Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

Moby ID: 500

Moby Score

8.0

#2,608 of 25.5K

Critics

81%(45)

Players

(195)

Review Ranking

Collected By

510 players

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Kyle Katarn is a former Imperial officer turned mercenary, now hired by the Rebel Alliance. After having stolen the Death Star plans from a remote facility, he is tasked with investigating the sudden destruction of a hidden Rebel base. This leads him to face off against Imperial General Rom Mohc and the various iterations of his Dark Troopers - cybernetic soldiers with the armor and firepower to turn the tide of the war.

Dark Forces is a close prequel to the original Star Wars movie trilogy. The game marks LucasArts' first attempt to enter the first-person shooter market. Instead of licensing the DOOM engine, like many competitors, LucasArts created its own internal Jedi engine. The Jedi engine contains advanced features over similar tech, including the ability to look up and down, jump, crouch, and limited support (in the build used for Dark Forces) for rooms (sectors) over rooms. The 3D models also make occasional appearances inside the game, as turrets or Kyle's ship dropping him off or picking him up from each mission.

Most levels have a fairly complex, often maze-like structure, and include various switches that need to be activated to change the layout of the level. Jumping is integrated into the gameplay, as certain areas can only be accessed in that way. In addition to weapons, Kyle can use shields to protect himself from damage, a head lamp to illuminate dark areas, as well as specific items used to counter environmental hazards. The player character is given a certain amount of "lives" per level; he dies permanently once he runs out of all of them. Game progress can be saved only between missions.

The game features fourteen substantial levels as Kyle works to disarm the Dark Trooper project. Many levels reference characters or areas from the Star Wars movie trilogy, such as a visit with Jabba the Hutt, a trip to Coruscant, and a battle through the interior of a Star Destroyer. As opposed to most first-person shooters of the time period, every level has objectives for Kyle to complete, ranging from grabbing a clue and getting out alive, to planting charges around a facility to demolish it. Cutscenes appear between key missions to update the plot.

The Star Wars license gets plenty of use, as the game features imperial officers, stormtroopers, and a collection of aliens seen in the films as enemies. Blaster rifles and thermal detonators are used as weapons, along with other firearms inspired by the tech of the films. Dark Forces also uses the iMuse engine to dynamically change the music during action scenes, with much of the music based off or directly replicating, John Williams' original film score.

The game is entirely a single-player campaign; no multiplayer is included or supported.

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Credits (DOS version)

124 People (114 developers, 10 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 45 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5(based on 195 ratings with 15 reviews)

A rich and immersive Star Wars shooter, and a gaming classic

The Good
Inspired by fan-created Star Wars content for the Doom games, LucasArts embarked to create their first FPS to capitalize on the eternally-popular movie property. While video game/movie tie-ins were typically brain dead cash-ins, Dark Forces aspired to, and succeeded in being, a rich and immersive gaming experience in the Star Wars universe.

While the mechanics work very much like any of the so-called "Doom clones" that were ubiquitous in the day, Dark Forces added some exciting features that weren't commonplace: cinematic expositions, mission briefings, a sidekick, puzzles, non-player characters and timed sequences all enhanced what was already a gaming experience that surpassed the run-of-the-mill shooter.

From the very first mission, wherein you as protagonist Kyle Katarn must infiltrate an Imperial base and steal the plans for the Death Star for the Rebel Alliance, the game makes you a key player in the unfolding of the Star Wars saga. The plot convincingly weaves in and out of the main trilogy's story line and explains how the player is an essential part in the unfolding of well-known events.

This preceding your visit to the Imperial City, your showdown with iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett, and your imprisonment by Jabba the Hutt, Dark Forces almost more adequately serves as an engrossing follow-up to the original trilogy than George Lucas' own.

The Bad
Some sequences in the game prove to be immensely challenging to the point of frustrating. Jumping puzzles frequently result in instant death, and because the game's save system only provides one profile save slot, you may find that you've saved at the wrong opportunity. Some of the bosses prove insanely hard to defeat, as well.

Although immersive beyond many of its peers, Dark Forces could have benefited greatly from the use of more, and more interactive, NPCs. Most dialog is carried out one way, or via cinematic sequences. In one mission, Kyle Katarn must visit the Imperial City, which is apparently populated exclusively by himself and Boba Fett, where even some static or non-interactive NPCs would have added to the credibility. Character interaction and player-character choices are incredibly limited, usually resulting in death or mission failure if the wrong decision is made.

Lastly, although above-par for the time, some of the graphics are a bit choppy. The grimy feeling is well in-keeping with the visual feel of the Star Wars trilogy, but some of the aesthetic choices for sprites are downright hideous.

The Bottom Line
Inasmuch as "Doom-clones" go, you can't get much better than this.

Inasmuch as Star Wars franchise games go, you can't get much better than this.

Dark Forces still holds up as one of the best DOS games to play even in a day where it has been visually surpassed.

DOS · by jTrippy (58) · 2010

A gem of its time, recreating the original Star Wars fun and adventure.

The Good
Released during LucasArts heyday in the mid-nineties when they were on a role in the adventure genre with the SCUMM based games, and the Star Wars brand was at its pre-prequel resurgent height, Dark Forces provides Star Wars with its own quality FPS as much as X-Wing gave it a quality space-flight sim.

The story is set during the classic era, intertwined around the events of the films with the first mission being to steal the plans of the first Death Star. This places you in amongst the classic scenario of fighting against Stormtroopers in typical Imperial garrisons, creating the atmosphere with well-drawn sprites and the iconic sound effects. You are cast as Kyle Katarn an ex-Stormtrooper turned Rebel Agent, whose hard boiled attitude is obviously a tribute to Han Solo. In this the plotting is quite poor, as the developers obviously couldn't think of a decent main character so resorted to the loveable rogue stereotype, much like the later Dash Rendar, it wouldn't be until the later games that Kyle really comes into his own. Here he is a thin character sent on missions by the Rebel Alliance to 'investigate' an Imperial project to create 'Dark Troopers', a new kind of super Stormtrooper. Of course this FPS is very much of it's time and investigating generally involves progressing through a linear level shooting anything that moves and picking up key cards and weapons and despatching such a number of Imperial troops that Kyle Katarn can easily be a one man army. That LucasArts actually tried to conceive a plot to this is a credit, compared to games such as Duke Nukem, Dark Forces features cut-scenes that progress the story and give you a sense that you're somehow contributing to it.

The game engine is good for it's time, the graphics are clean and sharp with levels well thought out and the Stormtroopers have the classic poor shooting skills. The controls are intuitive and allow for looking up and down making the game world deeper, though you hardly have to for game play.

The Bad
Any negative criticism of the game really depends on what you might be expecting to get out of it. The game is very much an FPS both in game play and plot line, which has you facing an ever increasing number of enemies of ever increasing toughness, dressed up in a plot to make it believable, though the actual plot of the Dark Troopers is hardly believable, but this is Star Wars. All this plays out in the typical check point level format, picking up a vast array of weapons generally based on those seen in the films, and health packs, a-la Doom et al. It's a shame that so many of the FPS clichés made it into the game, but then it is a product of it's time.

If you're looking to relive parts from the films or see any hints of the main characters, you'll be disappointed though as aside from appearances of Darth Vader in the cut-scenes the game lives pretty much in it's own world. None of the classic Star Wars locales are given for exploration, although some of the levels are made to be familiar to them.

The game doesn't have the re-playability of its sibling space flight sim games and could have opted to place you in the role of an anonymous rebel agent as in X-Wing, allowing for branching missions and creating a plot more around you, but that really wasn't the mode for FPS at the time, only really System Shock was getting near that style of play.

The Bottom Line
Overall the game is a great way to live out Star Wars fantasies and place yourself in the action, nicely framed in the Star Wars universe. What it lacks in original game play it makes up for in polish and plot, making it a thoroughly engaging experience, that if worth playing for all Star Wars fans, if they can get it to run on modern systems. More importantly as it was made and set before the Star Wars universe exploded after the prequels came out, it retains the innocent charm of the original trilogy.

DOS · by RussS (807) · 2009

One of the longest-lasting games that I know of

The Good
Dark Forces was and is a classic. Taking the role of mercenary Kyle Katarn, the players engage in fourteen levels of Imperial slaughtering. On top of that, there is thought required; some of the puzzles are tricky. On top of THAT, there are some really cool effects in this game: a Death Star hologram rotates in place; TIE fighters launch and land in the Super Star Destroyer Executor's bay; spotlights pan the rooftops of Coruscant as you try to reach the Imperial Security building. Incredibly details for something so old.

The Bad
It's age has shown, however. LucasArts has refused to release the source code, which would allow a 3D-accelerated version to be created by users. Stuck in 320 x 200 mode for PC users, the game does become badly pixelated. Macintosh users are better off; they get to play Dark Forces in 640 x 480 glory.

The Bottom Line
The staying power of this old game lies not only with the wonderfully crafted universe LucasArts created for us. Rather, hundreds of user-made levels have propagated the Internet and our hard drives, ranging from the epitome of laziness known as "Mines" to the glory and wonder known as "Condition Red," "Mt Kurek," and "Dark Tide." While the Dark Forces community has shrank in size, it still lives at www.df-21.net where forums are still active and downloads are still available. Few games have had such a lasting, creative community. In this old engine, users have created effects to rival the newest of games. So, even if you're bored with the originals, don't throw that CD...check out what others have done.

You just may decide that Dark Forces is, just maybe, the greatest game of all time.

DOS · by Casey Neumiller (4) · 2004

[ View all 15 player reviews ]

Trivia

Action figures

Two Star Wars action figures were actually released based on characters from this game. One was the main character Kyle Katarn (whose image was lifted from the game, but they added a beard so he'd look more like the Jedi Knight version of him). The other was General Mohc (the final boss) in his specially modified Phase III Dark Trooper battle suit.

Animation

The animation of Darth Vader when he speaks to Mohc is 'borrowed' from the X-wing game. A similar animation is seen in a game over cutscene when your pilot is captured and Vader interrogates you.

Similarly. the close-up of Vader's face at the epilogue, is taken from TIE fighter..

Banned

Both the US and the German version were banned in Germany (German: 20.10.95, US: 30.09.95)

Cameos

Max from Steve Purcell's duo of Sam and Max (who star in their own LucasArts game, Sam & Max Hit the Road) makes a most unusual cameo appearance in Dark Forces.On the ice level, keep your map up during your investigations of its perimeter. You'll notice on the map one structure that looks very similar to the infamous rabbit. Coincidentally, both Max and Kyle Katarn are voiced by the same actor: Nick Jameson.

Ewoks also make appearances in the form of a few that are chained up who make fun of you (and you can shoot them if you're one of those Ewok hating Star Wars fans) and the 'Ewoks suck' graffiti you'll find in the some of the darker corners of the Imperial facilities.

The Imperial Blaster Rifle sprite was used in Star Wars: Rebel Assault II - The Hidden Empire on the second CD.

Cut content

The original idea was that Denny Delk (the narrator) would read the Star Wars scrolling text, but it was cut out. He actually recorded the lines. You can extract the sound files of these lines with one of the modding programs, available at massassi.net

In an issue of Lucasarts' old magazine; "The Adventurer" (that came with games of the era), Dark Forces was previewed with screenshots that did not appear in the final game. Among those included were a map of a standard Star Destroyer level (the "nose" of the Star Destroyer is very identifiable), an undisclosed Imperial base/Death Star/Star Destroyer level (with a very steep vertical drop), and an abused urban setting (that appeared to have an unfinished, bland sky overhead). Also, the emblem on Kyle Katarn's datapad was different at the time.

In the intro, there was a movie showing Kyle Katarn loading his weapons, but this was cut out too. It can be found in the game demo.

Howie scream

Dark Forces used the legendary Howie scream sample. If you tripped (or jumped) off of a tall structure, Kyle Katarn would scream "Uuuuarrrgggghhhh!!!!" This scream sample has been used in a countless number of productions, and there are several websites dedicated to spotting its use.

References

Kyle Katarn shares his name with a "katarn", a predator from Kashyyyk according to some Star Wars books and media.

The third level- planet "Anoat" caused some confusion, as many people believed that this was the system referred to by Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes Back" (when he detaches from the Star Destroyer). In later books and scripts, they say the term "Veronat" or "Varonat". Whether the creators of "Dark Forces" meant for the third level to be in the same system as Bespin remains speculation.

As far as anyone knows, the heavy android "Dark Troopers" were invented as the plot device for this game. Later, the Dark Troopers took on steam by appearing in later video games (Rebellion, Galactic Battlegrounds, etc.), and also in some comics and other media. A Dark Trooper's head/helmet is visible in a level of the expansion pack to "Jedi Knight" called "Mysteries of the Sith". It is safe to say that the Dark Troopers in later media are no where near as difficult as the ones Kyle Katarn went up against in this game.

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Information also contributed byApogee IV,Boston Low,James1,Jason Musgrave,PCGamer77,phlux,Ray Soderlund, andRola

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by IJan.

Windows added by Picard. PlayStation 3, PSP added by Lance Boyle. Linux added by Sciere. Macintosh added by Kabushi. PlayStation added by Grant McLellan.

Additional contributors: Alan Chan, Apogee IV, Monkeyhead, Gravesy, Starbuck the Third, Karsa Orlong, Plok.

Game added November 30, 1999. Last modified August 2, 2024.