Hey, everyone! Welcome to this special episode of RetrOS. In this episode, we turn the clocks back to 1995 with a week one review of our remaster of one of the most recognisable Star Wars FPS of the 90s. Has NightDive succeeded in preserving this old PC game? or is this game better to be forgotten?
Let's find out!
So far, 2024 has been the year of remastering classic video games. Earlier this month, we saw the remasters of the classic Tomb Raider games, a week from now the remake of the classic Star Wars Battlefront games will be released (I have pre-ordered this game, and will be featured in the next episode!)
Anyway, back to Dark Forces. The year 1993 was as significant year in video games in general. the year saw the release of the very first Star Fox game for the SNES and one of the biggest, most influential, significant FPS games of all time, doom.
Doom was an instant cult classic after its release, even today, the modding community of this game is still very much active, an example of this would be one of the best mods of last year (excluding the no VR mod for half-life Alyx!) MYHOUSE.WAD.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest unwritten rule of the gaming industry is that but the game becomes highly successful commercially, copycats will sure to follow. As I have said before, I could have made an entire video illustrating, and expanding this unwritten rule, but I again, I'm not going to.
This game is one of them. Star Wars Dark Forces was originally released by LucasArts in 1995. The game is set shortly before Episode 4: A New Hope. You play the part of Rebel Alliance mercenary, Kyle Kitarn. It is up to you to go from planet to planet, uncovering a top-secret Galactic Empire research project.
The Accessibility scores are as follows:
Visibility 10
there are no colourblind modes in the accessibility section of the options menu. However, due to the game's age, there is very little need for one. There are no colour-coded elements that will cause an issue for a colourblind player
Audibility 10
in the remastered version of the game, there are subtitles support during cut scenes. However, the original 1995 release does not. So, if you are playing the remastered version a player with a hearing impairment should be able to to play this game with very few issues.
Mobility 9.5
in the PC version, which was used to test it, the mouse and keyboard controls can be fully customised to suit your impairments. There is gamepad support out of the box. However, similar to Rise of the Triad, there is no legacy stick layout available, and, there is no way to customise stick layouts. So, if you are planning to get into this game, best to go for the PC version, as it is more suitable for your impairments.
Gameplay 10
Once again, NightDive's pedigree in the preservation of all-time classics from the 90s is shown in this game. The game feels exactly as I remember it when I played the original version back in the 90s.
Gameplay-wise, this game has a lot of polish, keeping the majority of the fuel, assets and other bells and whistles which made the original version great, mixed in with new features which make the game relevant in today's market, for example, widescreen support, high refresh rate monitor support.
The game's developers, Night Dive Studios are responsible for the remake of System Shock, which, to be honest, still play the ever-loving hell out of, the remaster is of Rise of the Triad, Quake 2, now, this game.
In terms of game length, according to how long to beat.com, this classic can be cleared in 9 hours. To put things into perspective, this 1995 classic has one hour of additional gameplay when compared to the original Max Payne, and four hours longer than the original Doom. From 1995 standards, this game is pretty long!
In summary, Star Wars Dark Forces Remastered anything yet another classic, textbook example on how to fully remaster a classic game from the 90s. . You see, this is a lot more than a simple Doom Clone, even today, the original Dark Forces is still hailed as an all-time classic from the 90s.
Due to the game's age, the system requirements required to run this game are very low. Similar to all remasters of the era, you could switch between classic, and remaster graphics with the simple touch of a button.
Although the is no multiplayer available, it would be senseless to recommend that feature so close to the Star Wars Battlefront classic collection's release date!
So, if you are looking for a low-spec, old-school first-person shooter to play over the summer, this game is highly recommended!
OVERALL SCORE 98.75%
See you guys in the next review!
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