‘Star Wars: Dark Forces’ Getting Remastered for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC
Star Wars: Dark Forces, the very first title to take the galaxy far, far away into the realm of first-person shooter games, is getting a remaster for modern consoles.
As part of the 2023 Gamescom convention, it’s been revealed that Nightdive Studios (which recently remastered older FPS titles like System Shock and Quake 2) will be remastering one of the most iconic Star Wars games of the LucasArts era. According to IGN, the Dark Forces‘ cutscenes will be remastered to feature 3-D models and illustrated characters instead of relying on animated sprites. While the visuals of the gameplay have not changed substantially, Nightdive’s Kex Engine has allowed for the visuals to be upscaled to 4K resolution, 60-frames-per-second gameplay, widescreen support, and the ability to better adjust your controls to fit your preferred style of gameplay than what you could do nearly three decades ago when the game was first playable.
Dark Forces came out in 1995, around the time that first-person shooter titles were known as “Doomclones”, after the Doom series that id Software pioneered in 1993 and its sequel Doom II: Hell on Earth in 1994. While it lacked a multiplayer component, Dark Forces still improved upon its spiritual predecessor in that it had elements such as voice-acted cutscenes, more dynamic environments (such as maps with multiple floors), and even the ability to properly look up and down – features that made it stand out among its early peers in the burgeoning genre. The game featured appearances from existing Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Mon Mothma, and Crix Madine, but also introduced players to the likes of Kyle Katarn, Jan Ors, and Rom Mohc.
The Star Wars game put players into the shoes of former Stormtrooper Kyle Katarn, who defected from the Empire, and stole and delivered the Death Star plans to the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the game’s prologue mission, setting the events of A New Hope into motion. The main story of the game happens a year later, when Katarn is given a new assignment: investigate and destroy a new series of weapons known as the Dark Troopers, an army of battle droids that could give the Galactic Empire an edge in quashing the struggling Rebellion. Katarn would go on to become a Jedi in follow-up titles and became a fan-favorite, with some still hoping that he may be canonized.
You can watch the trailer below:
No official release date for the Star Wars: Dark Forces remaster has been revealed at this time, although the copyright information in the trailer mentions 2023, suggesting that it may arrive later this year.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
