It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts.

The Story Behind Star Wars - Dark Forces

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. 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. The developers of Dark Forces wanted to adapt the FPS format into an adventure game.

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. Hasbro produced Kyle Katarn and Dark Trooper toys, which are among Star Wars in other media items to be turned into action figures. The development team collaborated with staff at Skywalker Ranch for the sounds, music, and costumes used in the cutscenes.

How Star Wars - Dark Forces Plays

Dark Forces follows a central storyline outlined in mission briefings and cutscenes. 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.

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. In addition to combat, Dark Forces provides physical obstacles for the character, such as jumping from ledges or traversing across flowing rivers, and includes multi-step puzzles such as mazes controlled by switches. The player has health and shields which are damaged by enemy attacks and some environmental hazards, and may be replenished through power-ups.

Why Players Still Load It Up

The PC and Macintosh versions of Star Wars: Dark Forces were well received. A very classy job. GameSpot wrote, "Though the speed of the Playstation allows for smooth movement, Dark Forces boasts a horrendously choppy frame rate." IGN made a similar point; "Unlike the PC and Mac versions, PlayStation Dark Forces is grainier than a loaf of bread.

Pyramid magazine reviewed Dark Forces for and recommended the game to players who "like diving into enemy bases and killing and killing and killing". Criticisms tended to focus on the game being too short, as well as lacking a multiplayer feature. It was also a runner-up in the best action game category.

Every console has a life of its own — a launch, a fight for shelf space, a few years when its best work appears, and a long afterlife in the hands of people who never stopped playing it. This one is no exception.

Star Wars - Dark Forces — Frequently Asked Questions