Dark Forces (DOS)

By: The J Man

It had to happen eventually. The only thing LucasArts loved more than pimping out its Star Wars franchise, was staying on the cutting edge of technology. So when Doom became the new buzzword, you could have bet dollars to doughnuts that you'd be seeing an first-person-shooter Star Wars game. This is that game.

Dark Forces follows the story of Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial officer turned Rebel mercenary-for-hire. Later entries in the Jedi Knight series will have Kyle discover his hidden Jedi talents, but Dark Forces portrays him as a gruff Han Solo type. Lightsabers and Force magic are absent here, with Kyle instead relying on skills and firepower to accomplish any task. And oh, what a series of tasks the Rebellion has for him. You'll be guiding Kyle as he tracks down the threat of a new Imperial weapon called the "Dark Trooper." Just a few of these bad boys pack enough heat to raze a city, and a combination of espionage and brute strength will be required to put an end to the project. The story is certainly one of Dark Forces' strengths - entwined firmly within the gameplay, and engaging enough to keep you playing.

The story is also one of the elements that manage to prevent the game from simply being "Doom on the Death Star." Every mission is pretty linear, and often involve some Doom-style keycard hunts, but quite unlike Doom, every mission has a goal and a purpose. This actually does wonders to keep you interested. Pre-mission briefings keep you aware of the situation at hand, and clearly spell out what you need to accomplish on the ground to complete the level. These range from simply finding your way through a maze of sewers to capture an informant, to planting charges throughout a facility. Pictures of key objectives are even included, so you'll never question what you need to do next, or miss a trigger because you didn't know what you were looking for.

Ouchie.

Dark Forces' weapons are rather unique and fun to use. Only two are from the movies - one is the grenade Leia threatens Jabba the Hutt with, the other is the standard stormtrooper rifle, and just like the movies, it's fast but inaccurate. The rest are a well-rounded set inspired by the technology from the films. All end up filling specialized roles, with some best for close range, some long, some best against bosses, some great at ammo conservation. You're never left without a tool for the job, and the range of your set definitely expands and increases in power as the game goes on. It's almost worth the price of admission to get to the concussion rifle that blows up multiple enemies from across the room.

The Star Wars license is also used to solid effect here, both in the story, and in the visualization of the world. The story works as a suitable aside to the events between the first and second movies, and many characters and classic villains make their way prominently into the game. I won't spoil anything, but fans are in for a few particularly nasty encounters. As for the world, it's quite satisfying to blast Imperial troopers and officers, with their pompous accents and terrible aim. A collection of aliens and droids finish out the enemy set, but all are definable more by the specific weapons they carry than any other characteristics.

Dark Forces runs off a specialized engine written by LucasArts. It's comparable to Doom, but also includes the ability to have floors placed directly over other floors, providing a more robust illusion of 3-D, and convincing bridges and levels. It also allows Dark Forces to be far more vertical than Doom, featuring no shortage of sheer cliffs, dizzying heights, and precarious situations. Most levels are built to cater to this, with bridges, vents, and chasms all around. The city levels are most impressive, with towering buildings and teeny little ledges over huge drops. You'll also get a greater range of motion, with the ability to look up and down, jump, and crouch. The engine also allows for true three-dimensional models within the game, so you'll see ships flying by in the background, 3-D turrets, shuttles laying around as set dressing, and most obviously, your pilot dropping you off and picking you up before and after every mission.

As all your missions involve Imperial bases or production facilities, every level is industrial in nature. However, there's still a great variety in the levels, textures, and challenges you'll be up against. You can expect to traverse an Imperial factory, a fuel station, smuggler ships, and the interior of a Star Destroyer, to name a few. The Doom syndrome of brown walls after brown walls is less present here. Even though many of the levels feature steel gray walls after gray walls, there is enough solid variation between most levels to break the monotony up, especially as you travel to a bustling city, an ice station, or a Mars-like mining planet.

Dark Forces is a short game by most standards, packing only 14 missions. I, veteran gamer that I am, finished the game on Hard in a weekend. However, the pacing ends up being just right, and plenty of levels are a lot longer than their Doom counterparts. This is magnified by the fact that you can't save during levels, and are relegated to three "lives" and checkpoints along the way. Still, it's unlikely that anyone will be disappointed by the experience Dark Forces offers, or left feeling cheated by the game's length. Worth checking out if you're looking for a good FPS, and wouldn't mind some Star Wars thrown in too.

-reviewed 10/24/04 - game copyright 1995 LucasArts

Great mission-based storyline and action.

Short game that overcomes many "me too" Doom clone problems, but still can't hide the obvious.

	7
	8
	8
	9
	87%

Dark Forces on MobyGames
Gameplay video (German) on YouTube
Intro cinematic on YouTube