Star Wars: Dark Forces

Last updated

Star Wars: Dark Forces
Dark Forces box cover.jpg
MS-DOS cover art
Developer(s) LucasArts
Publisher(s) LucasArts
Director(s) Daron Stinnett
Designer(s) Daron Stinnett
Ray Gresko
Justin Chin
Programmer(s) Daron Stinnett
Ray Gresko
Winston Wolff
Artist(s) Justin Chin
Collette Michaud
Writer(s) Justin Chin
Composer(s) Clint Bajakian
Series Star Wars: Jedi Knight
Engine Jedi [lower-alpha 1]
Platform(s)
Release
March 8, 1995
  • MS-DOS
  • Mac OS
  • PlayStation
    • NA: November 26, 1996 [4]
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The story is set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe and begins shortly before the original Star Wars film, before flashing forward to a year after the film's events. The game's protagonist and playable character is Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance who discovers the Galactic Empire's secret Dark Trooper Project, which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers.

Contents

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 Nightdive Studios, and was released on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on February 28, 2024. [5]

Gameplay

The player engaging a Dark Trooper Dark Forces Gameplay.png
The player engaging a Dark Trooper

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 Kyle Katarn, a mercenary employed by the Rebel Alliance. Prior to the game's events, Kyle was preparing for a career in agricultural mechanics like his father, but ended up joining the Imperial Academy after his parents were supposedly murdered by Rebels, whom he grew to hate. After graduating from the Academy and joining the Imperial Army, Kyle met Jan Ors, a double agent working for the Rebels, who had uncovered the truth about his parents' death: the Empire were the ones who had them killed, and not the Rebels as he had been told by officials. This revelation caused Kyle to distrust the Empire, and he eventually defected in order to rescue Jan, who had been found to be supplying information to the Rebels and arrested. Escaping from the Empire together, the pair became mercenaries, and eventually began taking jobs from the Rebel Alliance, because of Kyle's hatred towards the Empire. [7]

Dark Forces begins with Kyle and Jan being hired by the Alliance to recover the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's space station outfitted with a superlaser capable of destroying an entire planet. The Rebels use the plans to find a weakness in the station, and eventually destroy it. [12] One year later, the Alliance hires the pair again, this time to investigate an assault on one of their bases by a new type of Imperial soldiers. Kyle's investigation unveils the Dark Trooper Project, headed by General Rom Mohc. His mission to stop the project takes him to the sewers of Anoat City, where he captures Moff Rebus, an Imperial weapons specialist who developed the weapons used by Dark Troopers. Rebus' interrogation leads him to a weapons research facility in the mountains of Fest and the Gromas mines where minerals are extracted for the Dark Troopers.

Kyle and Jan later learn that Crix Madine, a former Imperial Commander who defected to the Alliance, has been captured by the Empire, and the former infiltrates a high security detention center on Orinackra to rescue him. After Kyle saves him from his execution, Madine informs the Alliance of an operation to smuggle Dark Trooper materials, leading Kyle and Jan to investigate the Ramsees Hed docking port on Cal-Seti. Afterward, Kyle also destroys a robotics facility on the icy planet Anteevy, the second stage of the Dark Trooper production line. Kyle and Jan's mission is temporarily halted when they are captured by the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, one of the main financiers of the Dark Trooper Project. After their escape from Jabba's clutches and an encounter with the bounty hunter Boba Fett, hired by General Mohc to kill Kyle, the pair travel to Coruscant, where Kyle infiltrates a computer vault which reveals the location of the Ergo fuel station, the final stage of the smuggling route.

Masquerading as a smuggler, Kyle infiltrates the Super Star Destroyer Executor and then the Arc Hammer starship, General Mohc's headquarters and the location of the Dark Trooper Project's final stage. After killing Mohc (who is wearing Dark Trooper armor), Kyle destroys the ship and escapes, while Darth Vader watches from the Executor, commenting that the Dark Trooper Project's destruction is an unfortunate setback and that the Force is strong with Katarn. For his bravery and heroic actions, Kyle is awarded the Star of Alderaan by the Alliance.

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. [7] Production began in September 1993, at a time when the first-person shooter genre was very popular. [6] The idea of creating a first-person shooter in the Star Wars universe was inspired by fan mods of Doom which had levels set on the Death Star. [13] The developers of Dark Forces wanted to adapt the FPS format into an adventure game. To do this they introduced puzzles and strategy, along with a Star Wars plot. [6] Originally Luke Skywalker was intended to be the main character in the game, however the developers realized that this would add constraints to gameplay and storyline. Instead a new character, Kyle Katarn, was created. [12]

The Jedi game engine used in Dark Forces allows atmospheric effects such as red haze. DF Gromas.gif
The Jedi game engine used in Dark Forces allows atmospheric effects such as red haze.

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 ported from DOS to Apple Macintosh. This presented several challenges for the developers. LucasArts requested the game to be produced for both DOS and Macintosh with the same system requirements, specifically the random-access memory (RAM). The Mac OS runs a graphical user interface which uses up RAM while DOS does not, meaning the Macintosh version has less RAM available for Dark Forces to use. Aaron Giles, who was the Macintosh programmer for Dark Forces, explained that to resolve this problem the memory had to be managed more efficiently. [15]

Music

Music for Star Wars: Dark Forces was mostly original works composed by Clint Bajakian, though they are based on cues from John Williams' original Star Wars works through the utilization of the iMUSE system to create interactive music. [6] The game also features full speech and sound effects in stereo. [11]

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 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II in 1997, and later two more sequels. The Jedi Knight series continues the story of Kyle Katarn and has been praised for its quality as a whole. [18]

In September 2009, Dark Forces was re-released as a downloadable version on Valve's Steam network for Windows XP, 2000 and Vista, and OS X Mavericks. The game is available to purchase individually or as part of a package including all of the games in the Jedi Knight series. [19] [20]

Reception

Critical reviews

The PC and Macintosh versions of Star Wars: Dark Forces were well received. [30] 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 PlayStation version of Dark Forces received less positive reviews. It held an aggregate score on GameRankings of 60%. [21] GameSpot wrote, "Though the speed of the Playstation allows for smooth movement, Dark Forces boasts a horrendously choppy frame rate." [25] IGN made a similar point; "Unlike the PC and Mac versions, PlayStation Dark Forces is grainier than a loaf of bread. Close up, everything is blocky and pixelated, but even from far away the walls and textures look like big, chunky blocks. Even worse than the graphics, though, is the frame rate. Or lack thereof. The choppy motion takes so much away from the enjoyment of actually playing the game." [26] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly agreed that the choppy frame rate interferes with the gameplay, which in combination with some control issues make the game frustrating to play, and a disappointment in light of its strong performance on PC. [23] Alex Constantides of Computer and Video Games offers the same view, saying that the game is "visually dated." [34] GamePro 's Major Mike praised the action, depth of gameplay, weapons, sound effects, music, and graphic effects, but said the choppy frame rate and slowdown "plague most of the game", and compared the game unfavorably to Doom and PowerSlave . [35] Next Generation noted that "Dark Forces fails on some technical levels as a port", but commented positively on the variety of level designs, challenge level, and use of audio, and concluded more favorably, "Not quite as intense as Doom or Disruptor , but surely better than crap like Kileak , Dark Forces will certainly satisfy Star Wars fans looking for their own little touch of the force." [29]

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." [28]

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." [27] 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. [38] It debuted at #1 on PC Data's monthly computer game sales chart for March 1995. [39] In 1998, it was the third-highest-selling game for Mac OS. [40]

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucasfilm Games</span> American video game producer

Lucasfilm Games is an American video game licensor and a subsidiary of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a larger 1990 reorganization of the Lucasfilm divisions, the video game development division was grouped and rebranded as part of LucasArts. LucasArts became known for its line of adventure games based on its SCUMM engine in the 1990s, including Maniac Mansion, the Monkey Island series, and several Indiana Jones titles. A number of influential game developers were alumni of LucasArts from this period, including Brian Moriarty, Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman. Later, as Lucasfilm regained control over its licensing over the Star Wars franchise, LucasArts produced numerous action-based Star Wars titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while dropping adventure game development due to waning interest in the genre.

<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast</i> 2002 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is a 2002 first- and third-person shooter video game. The Microsoft Windows was developed by Raven Software, the Mac OS X version by Westlake Interactive, and the Xbox and GameCube versions by Vicarious Visions; most versions were published by LucasArts, with only the Mac version published by Aspyr. The game is a sequel to 1997's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, and the third main installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. The single-player campaign, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe two years after the Mysteries of the Sith expansion for Dark Forces II, follows returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the New Republic and former Jedi who cut his connection to the Force. Katarn must return to his Jedi ways to stop a branch of the Imperial Remnant led by the Dark Jedi Desann from empowering their army with the Force.

<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II</i> 1997 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to 1995's Star Wars: Dark Forces, and the second installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. The story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe one year after the film Return of the Jedi, follows returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the New Republic, who discovers his connection to the Force and "The Valley of the Jedi", an ancient source of power. With his father having been murdered years prior by the Dark Jedi Jerec and his followers over the Valley's location, Katarn embarks on a quest to confront his father's killers and find the Valley before they do.

<i>Blackthorne</i> 1994 video game

Blackthorne is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Lee. The following year, Blackthorne was released for the Sega 32X with additional content. In 2013, Blizzard released the game for free on their Battle.net PC client. In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.

<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy</i> 2003 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first- and third-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Xbox in 2003. Vicarious Visions was responsible for the development of the Xbox version. The game is a sequel to 2002's Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and the fourth and final installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. The single-player story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe two years after Jedi Outcast, follows Jaden Korr, a new student at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy under the tutelage of the previous games' protagonist, Kyle Katarn. As Jaden, players are tasked with investigating a Dark Jedi cult called the Disciples of Ragnos, while slowly learning the ways of the Force and committing themselves to either the light side or the dark side.

<i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The first installment of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, it was released for the Xbox on July 16, 2003, and for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003. It was ported to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android by Aspyr, and it is playable on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S via backward compatibility. A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 11, 2021.

<i>Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds</i> 2001 video game

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds is a real-time strategy video game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by LucasArts. It was released in November 2001. An expansion pack, Clone Campaigns, was released on May 14, 2002, adding two new factions and campaigns. Later that year, both Galactic Battlegrounds and Clone Campaigns were released in a box set, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga.

<i>Star Wars: The Clone Wars</i> (video game) 2002 video game

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a video game set in the Star Wars universe developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It consists mostly of vehicular combat using clone warships, starfighters, speeder bikes and tanks, as well as missions where players can control Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Mace Windu on foot. The game is set in the Star Wars prequel trilogy era, with the first level encompassing the Battle for Geonosis from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The game also features multiplayer modes for up to four players in splitscreen, or online via Xbox Live for the Xbox. It holds aggregate scores of 73 out of 100, 72 out of 100 and 71 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, respectively.

<i>Star Wars: Force Commander</i> 2000 video game

Star Wars: Force Commander is a real-time strategy video game released for the Microsoft Windows platform in 2000. It was co-developed by Ronin Entertainment and LucasArts, and published by LucasArts. Its plot interweaves between Star Wars: A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, taking place in key battles. Peter McConnell created remixed tracks of John Williams's original score with influences from hard rock and techno music.

<i>Star Wars</i> video games Video games based on the Star Wars franchise

Over one hundred video games based on the Star Wars franchise have been released, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on films while others rely heavily on the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

<i>Star Wars: Rebel Assault</i> 1993 video game

Star Wars: Rebel Assault is a rail shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts for DOS, Macintosh, Sega CD and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer systems, set in the Star Wars universe. Released in 1993, it is the first CD-ROM-only game to be published by LucasArts. The game's story focuses on a young pilot called Rookie One as they are trained by, and subsequently fights for, the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic Civil War.

<i>Star Wars: Battlefront II</i> (2005 video game) 2005 action shooter video game

Star Wars: Battlefront II is a 2005 first and third-person shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. Developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts, it is a sequel to 2004's Star Wars: Battlefront and the second installment in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. The game was released in PAL regions on October 28, 2005, on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable (PSP), Microsoft Windows, and Xbox platforms, and in North America on November 1 of the same year. It was released on the PlayStation Store on October 20, 2009, for download on the PSP. The PSP version was developed by Savage Entertainment.

<i>Movie Battles</i> 2003 video game

Movie Battles II (MBII) is a team-based multiplayer mod for the 2003 third and first-person shooter game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. It is a successor of the Movie Battles mod for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. The primary purpose of the mod is to allow players to experience setpiece battle scenes from the Star Wars films and the Star Wars expanded universe. The gameplay is similar to that of the base game, but builds upon it with several new elements. The mod has been lauded for providing one of the best lightsaber combat experiences out of any Star Wars game.

Jedi is a game engine developed primarily by Ray Gresko for LucasArts. It is very similar to the Build engine used in Duke Nukem 3D. While not a true 3D engine, it supported a three-dimensional environment with no limitations in the 3rd dimension (Z). In Doom, environments or levels were limited to existing in the X-Y plane only – levels were laid out two-dimensionally: while floor and ceiling heights could differ, areas could not overlap vertically. The Jedi Engine had support for areas or rooms on top of one another, a trait that it shared with the Build engine. In the Dark Forces revision of the engine, the renderer could not display two rooms situated on top of each other simultaneously. This capability was added for Outlaws.

<i>Star Wars: Droid Works</i> 1998 video game

Star Wars: DroidWorks is a 1998 edutainment computer game and the premiere title from LucasArts subsidiary Lucas Learning. It uses the same engine as LucasArts' previous title Star Wars: Jedi Knight. The creators aimed to create a game that would be both appealing and nonviolent. The game's original release date was moved up by months, which resulted in the development team cutting some planned game features.

<i>Star Wars: TIE Fighter</i> 1994 video game

Star Wars: TIE Fighter is a 1994 Star Wars space flight simulator and space combat video game, a sequel in the Star Wars: X-Wing series. It places the player in the role of an Imperial starfighter pilot during events that occur between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

<i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> Video game series

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is a media franchise of space western role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare, which have seen releases on the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, IOS and Android. The franchise takes place in the fictional universe of Star Wars by George Lucas.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe. The series focuses primarily on Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial officer who becomes a mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance, and later a Jedi and instructor at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. While the first game is set a year after the events of A New Hope, the sequels take place in the decade following Return of the Jedi.

<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith</i> 1998 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack for the 1997 first-person shooter Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows in 1998. It was re-released on Steam in September 2009. The expansion includes a new single-player story mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. The single-player story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe five years after the events of Dark Forces II, follows both returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a Jedi Master and mercenary working for the New Republic, and Mara Jade, a character featured in numerous Star Wars expanded universe works, who is being trained by Katarn in the Jedi arts. After Katarn goes missing while investigating an ancient Sith temple, Jade continues her studies on her own while undertaking missions from the New Republic, eventually leaving to find Katarn.

References

  1. ↑ Snider, Mike (March 10, 1995). "New game features 'Star Wars' universe". Battle Creek Enquirer . Gannett News Service. p. 8A. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "LucasArts Milestones". LucasArts. 1996. Archived from the original on December 23, 1996.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mizell, Leslie (October 1994). "Star Wars: Dark Forces preview". PC Gamer . Future Publishing: 34–37.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Ashburn, Jo; Cartwright, Mark (1995). Star Wars: Dark Forces Manual (PDF). LucasArts. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Staten, James (December 4, 1995). "Dark Forces". MacWEEK . Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "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.
  11. 1 2 3 "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.
  12. 1 2 3 "Katarn, Kyle". starwars.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. 1 2 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.
  16. ↑ "Tales from the Darkside" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 84. Ziff Davis. July 1996. p. 51.
  17. ↑ "Dark troopers". starwars.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy". GameNOW . Ziff Davis Media. November 1, 2003.
  19. ↑ Bailey, Kat (September 16, 2009). "Jedi Knight Collection Now Available On Steam". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection". Steam. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  21. 1 2 "Star Wars: Dark Forces". GameRankings . Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  22. ↑ Mauser, Evan A. "Star Wars Dark Forces (PC)". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Review Crew: Dark Forces". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 91. Ziff Davis. February 1997. p. 64.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Dulin, Ron (May 1, 1996). "Star Wars Dark Forces Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  25. 1 2 Wiggins, Wiley (December 23, 1996). "Star Wars Dark Forces Review (PlayStation)". GameSpot . Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  26. 1 2 "Dark Forces - PlayStation review". IGN . December 13, 1996. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
  27. 1 2 "Finals, Death Startling". Next Generation . No. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. p. 100.
  28. 1 2 "Finals, Luke Warm". Next Generation . No. 5. Imagine Media. May 1995. p. 94.
  29. 1 2 "Dark Forces". Next Generation . No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. pp. 120, 122.
  30. 1 2 "Star Wars: Dark Forces". MobyGames. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  31. ↑ "PC Zone Issue 024" (24). March 1995: 56. Retrieved October 20, 2015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. 1 2 Echler, Nikki; Olson, Rebecca (October 1995). "Top Spins: 50 New CD-ROMs". MacUser . Archived from the original on July 26, 2001.
  33. ↑ 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.
  34. ↑ 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.
  35. ↑ "PlayStation ProReview: Dark Forces". GamePro . No. 101. IDG. February 1997. p. 68.
  36. ↑ "The Year's Best Games - Special Achievement in Sound". PC Gamer . No. 22. Future plc. March 1996. p. 75.
  37. ↑ "The Year's Best Games - And How Could We Forget..." PC Gamer . No. 22. Future plc. March 1996. p. 73.
  38. ↑ "LucasArts Milestones". LucasArts. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  39. ↑ Staff (August 1995). "Leaderboard". Electronic Entertainment (20): 18.
  40. ↑ The Mac Observer-Mac Software Makes Resurgence In 1998
  41. ↑ Staff (September 1998). "Player Stats: Top 10 Best-Selling Games, 1993 – Present". Computer Gaming World . No. 170. p. 52.
  42. ↑ IGN Staff (November 1, 1999). "PC Data Top Games of All Time". IGN . Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
  43. ↑ "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Dark Forces". Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.

Notes

  1. ↑ KEX Engine was used for the remaster.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.