‘Dark Forces Remaster’ Listing Reveals Bonus Content, Price Point of $30 and More
A retail listing for the upcoming Dark Forces Remaster, a revamped version of the 1995 Star Wars first person shooter, has revealed it will sell for $30 US / £25 UK / €28.99 EU and given a glimpse into some extra content included in the remastered version.
Dark Forces is a fan-favourite game that had a big impact on Star Wars storytelling but also on gaming in general. One of the early first-person shooters following Doom, the game expanded the genre by adding new gameplay mechanics – such as being able to look up!! The player takes on the role of Kyle Katarn, an ex-Imperial mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance. After stealing the Death Star plans in the first mission (spoiler!), Kyle tracks down an Imperial project constructing a new weapon – the Dark Trooper.
Nightdive Studios, known for remastering other classic games such as System Shock and the Turok games, are bringing the game to modern consoles. A listing on the Nintendo eShop was uncovered by X/Twitter account Daily Star Wars Games (hat tip), who posted the price point.
The Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster will cost $30 / £25 / €28.99.
The Switch download size is also 1.72GB.
This information comes from the Nintendo eShop. pic.twitter.com/ApB8NiGHJG
— Daily Star Wars Games (@Daily_SWGames) February 13, 2024
The price point has drawn some criticism online as being a bit steep for a Remaster but the listing also states that the game includes some behind-the-scenes bonus content, which they have dubbed ‘The Vault’.
“The Vault”. Enjoy a thoughtfully curated collection of various types of development material and in-game assets showcasing the rich history of this iconic title.
Devotees of the original will surely enjoy seeing how the game and it’s rich storyline which has a galaxy-hopping story moving from fighting Stormtroopers in secret Imperial bases to taking on the criminal underworld of Nar Shaddaa, escaping from Jabba the Hutt on his private starship and tangling with Boba Fett on the streets of Coruscant. I’d personally love to learn more about the design process behind the Dark Troopers and Kyle’s blaster, which has found new life in Andor.
Gameplay for Dark Forces features 10 different weapons, including blasters, plasma cannons and thermal detonators as well as classic 90s power ups including shield and health packs. The remaster features updated 3D rendering to improve lighting and atmospheric effects. Each level has it’s own environmental and puzzle challenges and is a rewarding experience building to a climactic showdown.
Xbox tracking website TrueAchievements has also uncovered the achievements for the game (trophies for PlayStation). There are 29 achievements building to a total of 1000 gamerscore for Xbox. There are a couple of fun ones like ‘Rodent Exterminator’ (Destroy a Mouse Droid) but most are pretty standard and will unlock by default as gameplay progresses. However, the absence of one potential achievement hints at another upgrade.
On the eighth level of the original game ‘Ice Station Beta’ players could enter a hidden cave, there was nothing inside but the map revealed the head of a rabbit as the player explored – a not to psychotic rabbit Max from the Lucasarts game Sam and Max. I’d be very surprised that this wasn’t an achievement so my guess is the game features an updated map that doesn’t use line drawings and therefore won’t create a bunny head as the player walks around. Other updated features will include a weapon wheel for mechanism to make the game more console-friendly. I’ve also speculated, based on images from the trailer, that the game will feature a ‘New Game Plus’ mode, though this hasn’t been confirmed.
Dark Forces Remaster will release on February 28th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
A teacher from Wales in the UK, Aled has loved Star Wars ever since that Star Destroyer flew over his head and blew his mind.
