Dark Forces allows a small chapter of the Kyle Katarn series and offers a somewhat satisfying thrill to Star Wars fans.

User Rating: 8 | Star Wars: Dark Forces PC
LucasArts was once renowned for providing excellent games that provided fun gameplay. To many, however, those years of fame have now left the company. Star Wars: Dark Forces is a shining light to the early days of LucasArts and to the revolutionary first days of the FPS genre.

The type of play that is provided in Dark Forces is almost identical to all early first peron shooters. Relentlessly shooting the bad guys, accomplishing objectives, and saving the day are all provided in this title. Of course, the variety of enemies vary, from the merciless Dark Trooper to the weak Imperial Officers. There are three difficulties that one can choose from. These levels do not affect the overall talent of your enemies, but rather increase their number and allow you to waste all of your reserved ammo. Of course, relentlessly shooting guys can get old, but the complexity of the few puzzles in the game allow one to break away from the monotonous atmosphere.

The complex level design and storyline add to an exciting play. The level designs that were established by the developers are an astonishing accomplishment in terms of rendering and placement. They are extremely linear, and the short count levels do not provide a true, everlasting experience. With only fourteen missions, the single player campaign is limited.

An aggressive storyline also allows the player to get a glimpse of the small part of the Star Wars universe. The first adventure of the Rebellion mercenary, Kyle Katarn, established a long lasting series, after all. Finding clues and defeating one of the most feared Imperial weapons, the Dark Trooper, adds an exciting atmosphere and will impulse the player to discover the quest of Katarn. As a result, most players will play the game from end-to-end.

Since the game is over a decade old, the graphics definitely show for it's age. Simple sprites and textures are abundant in the game. Although the level design is rendered in 3D, the simple texture and character models hinder pretty eye candy. The cut scenes range from simple sprite images of characters to 3D instances. Although the lip syncing and animations may not be all that impressive and clearly resembles DOOM wannabes, the graphics have the ability to maintain ones sanity when compared to oh so glorious graphics of the current generation. The Star Wars movies were clearly phenomenal in terms of sound and music. The creators of this game were able to grasp the sense of sound that was in the trilogy. Although low in quality, the sound that is provided is excellent. The scream of blaster fire and taunting of enemies really adds to the environment. The music that plays throughout the game is also well made and offers great variety. The age of DOS games are remembered to be simple blips and bleeps in some cases. However, Dark Forces sets itself apart from the surreal environment that is displayed due to the sound quality.

Although blasting enemies gets repetitive, and the graphics and sounds are clearly out of date, this game provides a lasting experience. It is truly a title that Star Wars fans will remember, even though the titles of this magnitude are essentially non-existent from the famed developer LucasArts.