EA doesn’t seem to appreciate Star Wars shooters as much as we’d hoped, which makes the release of Dark Forces Remastered all the more timely and necessary. More importantly, it’s a fantastic refresh of an often-overlooked part of FPS history.
Nightdive Studios has slowly built a huge reputation as the authority on retro shooter and action-adventure game remakes, even full-on remakes. The company’s Turok remaster is one of the most faithful and beautiful remasters I’ve ever played; their work with Bethesda on the old Quake games was a true labor of love… the list goes on. These developers and the people in power know what they are doing. So, is Star Wars next for Nightdive? That’s a dream come true.
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As much as I love what Aspyr has done on so many Star Wars classics, having the Nightdive guys come on board to work on a truly important shooter like Dark Forces is the smartest thing Lucasfilm has seen in a while one of the measures. The company’s approach to remaking old games is to give players the games they “remember playing” rather than just copies that look shinier. That said, don’t be afraid to update the weirdest and rustiest systems or offer better modern alternatives altogether.
It’s a mission statement that has paid off so far. As much as I love retro gaming, revisiting many older games is often an exercise in patience, battling outdated control schemes and awkward design blocks. After beating several of Nightdive’s remasters, the overall experience feels very different: all the charm you remember is there, but it’s not a pain to play through. The developer’s work always has the feel of the most perfect precision surgery.
The idea is especially welcome this time around, as Dark Forces is noticeably older than other games the company has tweaked in the past. The greater popularity of the Jedi-centric follow-up didn’t help either. LucasArts’ iconic FPS should be considered the king of “corridor shooters,” as it essentially bridged the gap between DOOM and the 3D FPS games released shortly after, but not that many FPS enthusiasts gave it a try.
First and foremost, the most noticeable improvement is cleaner, HD-friendly art (for cutscenes and all in-game assets). Dark Forces Remastered scales beautifully on all modern hardware, especially on PC, where it’s as flexible as any modern version and even offers out-of-the-box Steam Deck support.However, after just a few seconds, you won’t notice it anymore Performance
Note that Dark Forces never feels laggy, but the low-resolution visuals are often at odds with the complex level design and geometry of its many maze-like levels.Likewise, quality-of-life changes to movement, weapon selection, and other key aspects of the game make world difference. Overall, this is a game that was released in 1995 but plays as smoothly now as modern DOOM re-releases and Quake remasters. It’s overdue, but it’s the treatment that such a pivotal chapter in the modern FPS journey deserves; something I also felt while playing Aspyr’s recent remake of the OG Tomb Raider trilogy (among other things in an action-adventure game) ).
All these years later, it’s also shocking to recall how advanced Dark Forces’ level design and sound effects were compared to some of its “boom shooter” contemporaries, which often felt closer to Turok than a straight-up game. And Half-Life tried to copy that. With refreshed lighting, sound VFX, and asset work, all of LucasArts’ hard, gonzo work almost 30 years later becomes even more apparent than pretentious.
It’s also a solid recommendation for Star Wars fans. The simplicity of its premise and the limitations of its narrative don’t take away from the fact that this has been an important part of the Star Wars mythos for a long time. Fans of The Mandalorian should pay special attention to it, as it focuses on the creation and threat of the Dark Troopers, the show’s main villain in season two.
High price aside, Star Wars: Dark Forces Remastered is well worth your time and money, and is more than just a trip down memory lane; it’s also an excellent study of one of the most obscure evolutionary leaps in the FPS genre ( Includes new bonus content).
