Critics gave very favorable reviews to the DOS and Macintosh versions of Dark Forces, but not to the PlayStation version. These features include level designs with multiple floors and the ability to look up and down. The engine adds gameplay features to the first-person shooter genre which were uncommon at the time of release. Dark Forces uses the Jedi game engine, which was developed specifically for the game. He discovers the Empire's 'Dark Trooper Project', which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers. The storyline of Dark Forces is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. You can download version 1.0 of the Force Engine here.Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. Star Wars: Dark Forces is available on Steam and GOG for £5/$6/€5, and GOG currently have it at 65% off in their Winter Sale. It’s exciting to get the chance to have another go with Dark Forces nearly thirty years later but with the kind of features you’d just expect from a shooter in 2022. I never played it again, but did enjoy Kyle Katarn’s adventures in Jedi Outcast years later.

I wasn’t very good at it back then, if I recall correctly. I still remember the first time I played Dark Forces, on a demo PC at the back of HMV in York when I was about 10. The Force Engine team say they’re continuing to work on the project, with support for another Jedi engine game, Outlaws, coming in version 2.0. You can read more about version 1.0 of the Force Engine here.

Of course, you will need your own copy of the original game to get things running.

The Force Engine also lets you bump that original 320x200 resolution all the way up to 4K, and there’s even controller support, if you like. Its 21st century replacement lets players do fancy things such as play the game on an ultrawide monitor, and has quality of life improvements including an aiming reticle, autorun, and better AI for Boba Fett. Watch on YouTube Star Wars: Dark Forces was the dawn of a whole series of Star Wars shooters on PC.ĭark Forces was released in 1995, and used the Jedi engine.

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