A very long time in the past on a desktop far, far-off, my household as soon as owned a demo disc for the unique Star Wars: Darkish Forces. I can’t bear in mind for the lifetime of me which stage(s) it contained. My solely surviving reminiscence of it’s having fairly a great time blasting Stormtroopers and the chaps in black with the swoopy, knock-off Vader helmets, but additionally getting terribly misplaced and not likely understanding what the heck I used to be meant to be doing. Now, taking part in Nightdive Studio’s Star Wars: Darkish Forces Remaster as an grownup in all probability shut to 3 a long time later, each these emotions have come roaring again, as that is very a lot a Star Wars FPS within the vein of Doom and different early 90s shooters (thumbs up). But it surely’s one which leans so onerous into its maze-like stage design that it might commonly really feel like a little bit little bit of a tricky cling within the chilly onerous gentle of 2024 (thumbs down).
Crucially, although, to not the purpose the place it is best left consigned to the historical past books. That is nonetheless an satisfying and worthwhile artefact in Star Wars’ PC gaming historical past, and in case your eyes (and common persistence ranges) cannot fairly abdomen the ‘Basic’ and nonetheless accessible 1995 authentic, then this remaster is a pin-sharp glow-up for contemporary {hardware}.
In fact, whether or not that is value stumping up the additional £20-odd over the £5 1995 ‘Basic’ Version will in all probability be largely right down to a matter of comfort. The behind-the-scenes Vault options are fairly sparse and poorly introduced, consisting of idea artwork, outdated sketches, early 3D fashions, cutscene renders and different issues that can make you go, ‘Huh, nicely that is neat,’ for all of 5 seconds after which by no means opening that menu display ever once more. It is the form of stuff that can possible solely enchantment to the toughest of hardcore Star Wars-er, however even that appears like a little bit of a stretch.
The one spotlight is the playable prototype of its outdated CES demo, The Avenger, which is about inside a Star Destroyer-like ship with heaps and plenty of Stormtroopers to shoot. It was finally reduce from the ultimate sport, however a few of its ideas do reside on in one among Darkish Forces’ later ranges. It is fairly a neat curio from a design perspective, nevertheless it’s in all probability going to be Darkish Forces Remaster’s different trendy additions that can be value the price of entry.
Certainly, with assist for 4K resolutions, body charges of as much as 120fps, correct sport pad controls, and accessibility choices for gun flashes, crosshair varieties and head-bobbing, there’s arguably by no means been a neater or extra handy solution to get pleasure from Darkish Forces than this 2024 remaster. You may also choose to maintain the unique pixel graphics for each its cutscenes and common sprite work, or toggle over to Nightdive’s a lot sharper and extra pristine excessive res updates. It’s, admittedly, not fairly as seamless a transition because the one-button-press within the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Trilogy, alas, however you may nonetheless swap between them everytime you like by dipping into the menu choices, and all with out the necessity for a restart.
The newer graphics are a serviceable replace on its older pixel visuals, giving enemies higher definition and your weapons a bit extra punch and distinction. They only about keep away from falling into that all-too-common trendy entice of smoothing every little thing out with a giant dollop of Vaseline, and personally, I performed half of the sport with the improved graphics, and the opposite half with out. Each look nice blown up at 4K, and every little thing is completely clear and visual, no matter which model you go for. Nothing is misplaced by choosing one or the opposite. The music remains to be, blissfully, the good outdated MIDI trumpet parps, too – Clint Bajakian’s authentic rating doing a really admirable John Williams impression right here – and along with the retro voice barks and pew pew lasers of your blaster gun, appropriated Stormtrooper rifle and different assorted weapons, it nonetheless appears to be like and sounds distinctly Star Wars.
What it feels like, nonetheless, is Doom with extra puzzles. Every of its 14 missions are large, boxy mazes with smatterings of easily-blasted Stormtroopers, Imperial officers and floating droids to mow down at excessive pace, and to advance you may accumulate totally different colored keys to open the particular locked doorways conserving you out of your targets. Its three issue settings largely simply chuck extra enemies at you directly, and in case you lose all of your lives (which regenerate every mission), it is again to the beginning of the extent. It is good, pulpy enjoyable, and the enjoyment of obliterating Storm Troopers with Star Wars applicable sounds and weaponry is sort of the highly effective nostalgia journey.
It helps that Darkish Forces has fairly a couple of extra trendy trimmings than the early Dooms, although that is right down to the technological developments of the 95 authentic than this explicit remaster. Darkish Forces was fairly a trailblazer for its time, constructing on Doom’s foundations with correct mouse look that allow you to intention up and down, in addition to a bounce (usually implausibly excessive), and a crouch (additionally implausibly small). Nonetheless, whereas the key behind smuggler hero Kyle Katarn’s physicality stays as a lot a thriller now because it in all probability did again within the mid-90s, he does really feel, to all intents and functions, like another 2024 FPS protagonist.
It makes for a really slick and comfy expertise in as we speak’s panorama of retro shooters, and you may see how the massive setpiece puzzles that distinguish it probably the most from its mid-90s contemporaries would have felt spectacular on the time. Positive, these puzzles have change into simpler with age, however extra as a result of latest video games have lent on its rotating bridges, jail keycards and sliding locked door panels advert infinitum within the years since. Within the second, these nonetheless require advanced dances of swap pulling and platform leaping to execute efficiently, they usually present a welcome change of tempo to all of the runnin’ and gunnin’.
Structurally, there’s additionally a wholesome mixture of extraction missions, the place you may have to infiltrate an space, retrieve an object, after which make your approach again to your ship’s touchdown pad, in addition to extra simple A to B missions that do not require a return journey. That mentioned, the latter are at all times one thing of a reduction. On prime of Darkish Forces hailing from the twisty-turny maze faculty of early 3D stage design, the structure of a few of these locations may be legitimately baffling typically. Some hall entrances are so tiny and obscured from view that you just’d need to occur upon it simply to even realise it was there, and key places are typically so far-off from their corresponding doorways that I commonly misplaced monitor of the right way to get from one aspect of a stage to a different simply to hold on. Typically it is not keys in any respect, however canny (and simply missed) swap placement – and sincere to Grogu, I’ll by no means have a look at a sewer stage fairly the identical approach once more. These one-way sludge chutes, man. They modify an individual.
It felt like I spent quite a lot of time bashing my head in opposition to a wall questioning the place to go subsequent, however regardless of all this, I nonetheless managed to wolf down the whole lot of Darkish Forces Remaster in a breezy seven hours. A really agreeable run-time in an age of considerably bloated Star Wars video games, however I ought to stress: there have been additionally a handful of situations the place I felt like I occurred upon an space or the answer to a specific puzzle with out actually understanding why or how I managed it. Particular doorways with three code symbols opened for me by completely happy, key-mashing accident on a couple of events – however for all of the back-tracking and aimless wandering I did between every try, I am unsure I might be capable to let you know the way you have been meant to work them out accurately. There have been additionally ranges the place I might come throughout a locked door, backtrack for a number of minutes looking for the fitting key, solely to encounter the precise exit in a very totally different path, without having mentioned key in any respect to finish the extent.
These moments incessantly left me feeling fairly stumped and annoyed, and it is right here the place Darkish Forces’ age actually makes itself felt. Here is one other instance: whereas necessary data comparable to your well being, defend, ammo and lives are all displayed on the sport’s HUD, the remainder of your stock past your apparent weapons was an entire thriller to me. Maybe I missed the actual menu setting, however I by no means discovered something to inform me what keys I might picked up, or what different essential survival objects I had in my pocket – such because the fuel masks I wanted to keep away from suffocating a number of instances in a row whereas making an attempt to navigate a toxic ice station. Heck, I’ve had settled for a immediate or one thing that simply advised me the right way to equip the rattling factor, however alas, I needed to look this up within the controls menu having misplaced all my lives to it. I additionally by no means labored out if there was a approach to go searching the wireframe overlay map with out additionally shifting on the identical time – one more reason why I ended up backtracking a lot, as a lot of the map was hidden from view.
To much less wizened gamers, this may, understandably, all show an excessive amount of to make this remaster both satisfying or worthwhile. However in case you’re keen to attempt to divine the internal workings of Darkish Forces with a little bit of spit and elbow grease, then there is definitely an attention-grabbing artefact to be discovered right here – even when it is incessantly wonky and obtuse in locations. Regardless of the aimless wandering, I did have a great time with Star Wars Darkish Forces Remaster, particularly after solely experiencing it by way of a demo disc all these years in the past. However I am additionally glad it is over now, and that I can return to taking part in correctly new video games once more. In that sense, Darkish Forces Remaster is an entire success. It is jogged my memory of a enjoyable reminiscence from a very long time in the past, and having now revisited it and admired it from each angle, I am completely happy to place it again within the carbon freezer, far, far-off.
This assessment relies on a retail construct of the sport, offered by builders Nightdive Studios.
