Star Wars: Dark Forces

The Dark Forces series is one of the few licensed franchises that manages to be innovative within its genre while remaining faithful to its source material. Though its flaws stand out more than ever, so do its strengths.

71%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

optimization, stability

90% User Score Based on 1,694 reviews

Critic Score 66%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.25

Buy NowGet on Steam$5.99

About

In Star Wars: Dark Forces, Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial Stormtrooper, joins the Rebel Alliance to infiltrate the Empire and sabotage their operations. With a focus on realism, the game features levels designed after Star Wars locations and offers mission briefings and objectives. Players engage in blaster combat and solve puzzles to advance the storyline, which unfolds between cutscenes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,697 reviews

story153 positive mentions

optimization5 negative mentions

Classic FPS gameplay reminiscent of DOOM, with a unique Star Wars twist.
Engaging story featuring Kyle Katarn and the Dark Trooper project, with well-designed levels and puzzles.
Nostalgic atmosphere enhanced by MIDI music and sound effects that capture the essence of the Star Wars universe.

Confusing level design that can lead to getting lost, making navigation frustrating.
Lack of modern controls, such as vertical aiming with the mouse, which can hinder gameplay.
No save feature during missions, relying on a life system that can lead to repetitive gameplay.

story
530 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
69%
2%
The story of "Star Wars: Dark Forces" is widely praised for its engaging narrative that follows Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance, as he embarks on missions to thwart the Empire's dark trooper project and steal the Death Star plans. Reviewers highlight the game's effective use of cutscenes and mission briefings to enhance storytelling, making it stand out among its contemporaries in the FPS genre. While some note that the plot may not be as complex as modern narratives, it successfully immerses players in the Star Wars universe, offering a nostalgic experience for fans.
- “An epic storyline, combined with memorable characters and impressive level design makes this game a must-have for any Star Wars fan, or those looking for a sense of nostalgia about how far gaming has come.”
- “Dark Forces has a rich story that sends our hero Kyle Katarn to several locations, including the theft of the Death Star plans and the investigation of the Dark Trooper project.”
- “The story is engaging, featuring classic characters and a plot that ties in nicely with the original trilogy, making it a compelling experience for fans of the Star Wars universe.”
- “The story serves little more than to provide reason as to what you're doing, but it, along with the environments, fit snugly as 'something that feels like Star Wars'.”
- “The story is decent enough, with many plot points supporting the events that occur before and after 'Star Wars: A New Hope', but the gameplay and visuals definitely suffer from age.”
- “The story itself is mediocre and mostly told through cutscenes after or before missions.”
graphics
298 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
7%
The graphics of "Dark Forces," while impressive for its 1995 release, have not aged well by modern standards, often appearing pixelated and difficult to navigate. Many players appreciate the nostalgic charm and atmospheric design, but note that the visuals can hinder gameplay, making it challenging to identify objects and navigate levels. Mods like the DarkXL engine are recommended to enhance graphics and controls, allowing for a more enjoyable experience while retaining the game's classic feel.
- “The graphics were top notch at the time of release (1995) with smooth animation and distinct sprites and textures.”
- “The game's graphics, while dated by modern standards, have a certain charm that's hard to ignore.”
- “For the time, very good graphics both in game and in cutscenes.”
- “The graphics, though better than other 3D 90's computer games, don't quite hold up today.”
- “The graphics are so outdated that it hurts my eyes to play this game.”
- “The game’s graphics have not aged well twenty plus years after release.”
gameplay
210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The gameplay of "Dark Forces" is often described as a classic first-person shooter experience reminiscent of "Doom," featuring straightforward mechanics, engaging level design, and a mix of shooting and puzzle-solving elements. While some players appreciate its nostalgic charm and innovative features for its time, such as verticality and environmental interactions, others find the gameplay repetitive and occasionally frustrating due to outdated mechanics and convoluted level layouts. Overall, it remains a solid choice for fans of retro shooters and the Star Wars universe, though it may not appeal to those seeking modern gameplay complexity.
- “Solid gameplay, a memorable story that has influenced many other games in the franchise, and characters with actual personality makes this a good choice.”
- “Gameplay features were created that were uncommon to the first person shooter genre at the time of release, including level design with multiple floors, the ability to look up and down, crouching, and a headlamp for dark areas.”
- “The gameplay is quite fun, it's challenging, giving you a variety of weapons, more than some of its sequels, and allows you to play a more 'soldier' or rather, mercenary type role, as it's not just lightsabers and lunatics in Star Wars.”
- “Sure the game is fun for what it is, and having a Star Wars game in this style is novel, but ultimately the gameplay is quite simplistic and some of the level design is needlessly complex.”
- “The game is old and the graphics and gameplay mechanics show it.”
- “Interesting story, but gameplay can become boring and tedious.”
music
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
2%
The music in the game is a nostalgic blend of MIDI renditions of iconic Star Wars themes and original compositions, capturing the essence of John Williams' score while providing a charming retro feel. While some players appreciate the dynamic and immersive quality of the soundtrack, others find the MIDI format to be tinny and dated, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. Despite these criticisms, the music effectively enhances the game's atmosphere and remains a memorable aspect of the experience.
- “The music features remixes of well-known Star Wars tunes along with new music.”
- “LucasArts really knocked it out of the park with this one, starting from the very cinematic presentation with a very John Williams-esque and hummable soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is incredible, completely enhancing the experience, making it feel like you're in the movies.”
- “Unfortunately, the game’s MIDI soundtrack sounds awfully tinny and gives the wrong first impression upon loading the game up, and is crying out for an authentic MP3 soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is god awful; I hate MIDI and I can't stand John Williams after hearing that same soundtrack in every single licensed Star Wars game under the sun.”
- “Sometimes the music can be a little grating...”
atmosphere
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
20%
7%
The atmosphere of "Dark Forces" is widely praised for its nostalgic and immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the Star Wars universe despite its dated graphics. Reviewers highlight the game's engaging sound design, intricate level layouts, and the seamless integration of atmospheric effects that enhance the overall experience. Many consider it a standout feature, making the game memorable and enjoyable even by modern standards.
- “Its engaging story, diverse weapons, intricate level design, and immersive atmosphere make it a memorable experience.”
- “From the sound effects heard in the movies, to the MIDI versions of John Williams' soundtrack pieces, to the ghostly blue-white lighting in imperial complexes and the quirky space western vibes of alien planets, every moment is saturated in Star Wars atmosphere that sells the game world to you.”
- “It's the best Star Wars game I've played, and has some of the best atmosphere and design around, despite having obviously dated graphics.”
- “However to its credit, Dark Forces paces itself as it gradually builds in enigmatic atmosphere, difficulty, and anticipation of the ever looming dark troopers.”
- “Highly recommended for the atmosphere of the Star Wars universe at its dirtiest, grimiest, and most industrial.”
- “Though the graphics are way out of date, but the atmosphere is just out of this galaxy (indeed!).”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
53%
29%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players experiencing significant stuttering, freezing, and input delays, particularly during intense moments. While some users suggest that tweaking the DOSBox configuration or using alternative engines like DarkXL or Xlengine can improve performance, many still find the overall experience frustrating due to persistent bugs and inadequate optimization for modern systems. Overall, the game requires considerable adjustments to run smoothly, and even then, performance issues remain prevalent.
- “I highly recommend following some of the guides out there to edit your DOSBox config file to improve performance!”
- “Just by adjusting the DOSBox a little bit, the look and performance are great!”
- “Just be sure to edit your DOSBox config a bit to get OpenGL for screenshots and adjust mouse sensitivities and resolutions, etc., and then Ctrl + F12 is your friend to get it to run smoothly.”
- “When I try turning around in any direction, my game starts freezing and stuttering as if I'm playing it on a 24-year-old Windows XP.”
- “Upon trying it out, I noticed that it was buggy, would make cutscenes disappear, had minimal optimization features that you would want in a source port for a game like this, and was overall not an enjoyable experience.”
- “Upon launching the game, you will experience terrible performance issues (especially when there are multiple enemies on screen).”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
6%
56%
The stability of the game varies significantly depending on the platform and engine used. While the DOSBox emulator provides a stable experience, users report that alternative engines like DarkXL are often buggy and can disrupt gameplay. Overall, players should expect some glitches and bugs, which may lead to frustrating moments, but many find the game still runs well on modern systems when using the right setup.
- “The force engine is a mod that brings the game up to modern standards and runs great.”
- “I almost cried tears of joy, runs great on Windows 10.”
- “No glitches or problems when installed on a Windows 7 machine.”
- “Dosbox is the only stable way to play Dark Forces, as even DarkXL is buggy and broken.”
- “It's a buggy, unfinished mess.”
- “Upon trying it out, I noticed that it was buggy, would make cutscenes disappear, had minimal optimization features that you would want in a source port for a game like this, and was overall not an enjoyable experience.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate its classic shooter mechanics and the potential for enhanced experiences through mods and cheat codes, others criticize its limited number of missions and lack of achievements or multiple endings, leading to a perception of low replay value. Despite these drawbacks, the game's engaging story and polished design contribute to a decent replay value for fans of the genre.
- “Decent replay value to boot, just an all-around classic shooter with a lot of polish and shine for its time.”
- “This, its sequel Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, and X-Wing Alliance are the best of the best when it comes to the gaming catalog from the company, and only a few modern games have come close to equaling them in terms of enjoyment, replayability, and (admittedly subjective) 'cool factor'.”
- “Game has cheat codes though, so your replayability is 100 times more than anything you'll get today.”
- “The game is super short with less than a dozen missions, and lack of replayability makes it all the shorter.”
- “While the replay value is very low as there are a set number of missions with no achievements or multiple endings, you will get your $2 back and more.”
- “There is little to no replay value as there are no achievements.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
70%
Players consistently express that grinding in the game can be excessively tedious, often requiring significant time investment and backtracking that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some aspects of the gameplay are engaging, the repetitive nature of certain tasks and poorly designed puzzles can lead to frustration and boredom.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Interesting story but gameplay can become boring and tedious.”
- “Certain sections require backtracking, which can be quite tedious.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its blocky graphics, which enhance the comedic effect of absurd scenarios, such as defeating enemies in unconventional ways. Players appreciate the inclusion of classic sound effects like the "howie scream," and the game features amusing easter eggs, particularly involving Ewoks, contributing to its charm and making it a memorable classic. Overall, the humor is a significant draw, earning it a favorable reception among players.
- “And let's be honest, the blocky graphics make it all the more hilarious when you blast a stormtrooper into oblivion.”
- “Until you realize you have to punch the thing to death, and I nearly died from laughing.”
- “The game also includes the hilarious Howie scream whenever you fall off a cliff, which makes it an instant must-have for me.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is highlighted by the player's nostalgic connection to the Star Wars universe, evoking feelings of joy and adventure. Despite some technical issues causing discomfort, the experience of rediscovering the game on Steam was profoundly moving, leading to an emotional response of tears of joy.
- “This is really the first game that made me feel like I was actually in the universe of Star Wars.”
- “I cried of joy when I first saw this on Steam.”
- “Finding it on Steam and having it run on Windows 10 was very touching.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Character development in the game is minimal for Kyle Katarn, primarily portraying him as a bad-ass mercenary. However, this approach effectively conveys his personality and transformation through sparse yet impactful dialogue and visual storytelling, making it a fitting element of the overall Star Wars experience.
- “It's an approach to storytelling and character development that reveals more about the character through minimal dialogues rich in personality and visual details, showcasing his transformation rather than relying solely on gameplay or the narrative itself.”
- “The character development is incredibly nuanced, allowing players to witness the evolution of each character through their choices and interactions, making every decision feel impactful.”
- “I love how the game intricately weaves character backstories into the main plot, providing depth and context that enriches the overall experience.”
- “Whilst the character of Kyle Katarn does not get much character development (for now) other than being a bad-ass mercenary, it does not matter too much for this game, which is an authentic and essential Star Wars experience.”
- “It’s an approach to storytelling and character development that tells more about his character through the minimal dialogues full of his personality and visual details that show his transformation, rather than incorporating his growth through gameplay or the narrative itself.”