Following its stellar remaster work on the likes of Quake, Quake II, and the Turok collection, Nightdive Studios is again with one other glimpse into the world of retro first-person shooters. This time, we’re heading into the Star Wars universe with Star Wars: Darkish Forces Remaster, an intriguing recreation in additional methods than one. On the one hand, it provides a take a look at one of many many, many so-called ‘Doom clones’ that emerged after the immense success of id Software program’s seminal shooter, and on the opposite, it represents an period of the Star Wars expanded universe that, within the wider context of the franchise canon, doesn’t exist anymore.
To name 1995’s Darkish Forces a mere clone of Doom, nonetheless, could be to do it a disservice. Sure, the sport owes Doom a debt of gratitude, however given LucasArts’ prowess within the journey style, the builders have been in a position to elevate Darkish Forces to new heights, incorporating story components by way of cutscenes and mission briefs, whereas guaranteeing that the gameplay wasn’t merely a case of ‘go right here, shoot that’. It options precise aims which, on the time, have been a refreshing change of tempo and allowed for extra participant company. You weren’t merely infiltrating an Imperial stronghold for the enjoyable of it; you have been doing it to additional the rebel’s trigger. For the galaxy, for goodness’ sake.
Chances are high, nonetheless, {that a} good variety of you studying this haven’t skilled Darkish Forces earlier than. Till now, the sport had been left to die on MS-DOS, Mac, and PS1, however due to Nightdive’s efforts, it’s now resurrected and is frankly higher than ever. To paraphrase Poe Dameron: “In some way, Darkish Forces returned.” However whereas Palpatine’s revival in The Rise of Skywalker petered out sooner than Ben Quadinaros’ pods, Darkish Forces Remaster is a powerful success, bringing the curious FPS into the fashionable age with revamped visuals, a streamlined management system (with optionally available gyro aiming – yay!), and a wealth of choices to permit each veterans and newcomers to understand the sport in all its glory.
Break up throughout 14 ranges, Darkish Forces supplies an expertise that feels meaty but additionally doesn’t outstay its welcome. There’s all kinds of environments, from Imperial detention centres to rank subterranean hideouts full with gross, tentacled beasties. What’s nice concerning the general aesthetic is that it’s primarily based solely on the unique trilogy, and that’s it. Predating The Phantom Menace by 4 years, Darkish Forces isn’t slowed down by iconography and lore launched within the prequel or sequel trilogy, and it makes for a extra grounded expertise (albeit one that’s now not a part of official canon).
You may blast via every stage pretty rapidly in the event you like, notably in the event you go for the decrease of the three problem choices obtainable, however there’s additionally a wealth of secrets and techniques hidden in every surroundings, akin to new weaponry and additional lives. It’s price taking your time in your first go round — you by no means know what is likely to be hidden behind a cracked wall in the event you chuck a Thermal Detonator at it.
In any other case, your aims are usually self-explanatory. Some may require you to find a prisoner within the depths of an Imperial base, whereas others can have you steal a specific merchandise locked behind a number of doorways. Along with your aims full, the sport will typically have you ever hightail it again to the beginning of the extent the place your spaceship will decide you up. Below the default choices, you’ll have to press begin and manually exit the extent to go to the following mission at this level, however Nightdive has seen match to incorporate an choice on the ‘Accessibility’ menu that permits for this to happen mechanically in the event you do not need to carry out that further step.
The true pleasure of Darkish Forces, nonetheless, lies within the fight. As you progress, you’ll amass an honest arsenal to take down enemies, and each weapon feels nice to wield. Every shot of the Stormtrooper Laser Rifle is augmented by a brief burst of vibration from the Swap Pleasure-Con, and also you’ll even discover that some environments enable in your lasers to ricochet off partitions, making for some really chaotic encounters. The body charge drops barely from the 60fps benchmark throughout fight, as beforehand highlighted by Digital Foundry, however goodness, it’s such a minor hiccup that we barely observed it throughout our time with the sport. Gameplay is, by and huge, a real pleasure from begin to end.
The identical goes for the visuals, too. Nightdive has by some means utterly revamped the aesthetics whereas remaining remarkably trustworthy to the unique recreation. The view has been expanded to suit trendy shows whereas a modernised 3D impact — a refined ‘wrapping’ of the surroundings across the participant view that provides a greater sense of depth than the OG visuals — has been carried out to extend immersion. For those who occur to be a veteran of the unique, nonetheless, there are many choices to make the sport much more trustworthy, akin to a toggle that adjustments the general look from ‘{hardware}’ to ‘software program’, primarily eradicating the up to date visuals whereas sustaining the gameplay enhancements.
Talking of choices, you possibly can utterly customise the controls to fit your wants, whereas accessibility toggles like ‘view bobbing’, ‘weapon flashing’, ‘H.U.D flashing’, and ‘subtitles’ are all obtainable. Heck, there’s even a ‘menu transition velocity’ slider which you can fiddle round with, proving that Nightdive actually has considered every part. In brief, whether or not you’re on the lookout for a very modernised tackle an FPS traditional otherwise you’d choose a extra genuine expertise that’s nearer to the unique 1995 launch, you’ll discover each right here and extra.
Conclusion
Star Wars: Darkish Forces Remaster is one other resounding success for Nightdive, bringing a curious, nostalgia-laced FPS into the fashionable age with bells and whistles besides. With enhanced gameplay, revamped visuals, and a wealth of accessibility choices, that is simply one of the best ways to expertise Darkish Forces and revisit an oft-forgotten period of Star Wars. Minor body charge hiccups apart, that is an absolute must-play for followers of far-away galactic battle.