This game is the first in the "Dark Forces" series which spanned five incredible games. It was good that Nightdive managed to bring it to modern gaming machines so that we could all enjoy it again. It's rough though. I mean, it looks like they did as good as they could, but I do have some issues.
The story is about rebel mercenary Kyle Katarn as he battles the empire with an assortment of guns. Seriously, the whole game is him murdering an absolute ton of Storm Troopers. He's a one-man-army. But there is more to it than that. There are specific mission critical elements that you have to fulfill, which was one of the first FPS games to try that sort of thing. I'm both impressed and annoyed by this.
These mission objectives are sometimes really difficult to figure out and often leads to confusion. They did not always make what you were supposed to do clear in those old games. The Sewer and Detention Center is a good example of this. I ended up running in circles, not knowing where I was supposed to go.
Also I think a button in the Fuel Station was bugged. There was a button that just would not activate if I did not just go directly to it at the beginning of the level. That drove me crazy! I restarted that mission almost five times.
Apparently all of these problems are from the original game. Nightdive just left them in and fixed everything else. This is a bit surprising because Nightdive is known to slightly improve the games they refurbish. I guess they either did not want to or couldn't this time around.
Other than those problems I mentioned, this game is an absolute blast. When you aren't trying to figure out objectives, the combat in this game is very satisfying. The Imperial Base was probably my favorite. They had the most enemies in that all lined up for slaughter, even on easy mode. I guess the game is kind of a mixed bag, but I liked it.
There is also a single new level to play called "The Avenger." This was apparently the original first level that was scrapped because they thought it was too hard. I kind of agree with that. It felt like a level that would have been more appropriate much later in the game. I did enjoy it though, and I am glad they included it. It somewhat incentivized the high price of $30, but honestly I would have appreciated some map revisions as well. Darn.
I do recommend "Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster," even for the price. I think it is pretty awesome that they took such an antiquated game and brought it to the modern era. This is something that needs to keep happening. I hope they continue on with the rest of this series as well.
This blog was written on May 10, 2024.
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Good to hear most of the game is you slaughtering Imperial Stormtroopers. That is personally VERY appealing. I always liked the environments, especially the Imperial architecture. Though simple by today's standard, it all conveyed a very distinct style. Remastering this game keeps it alive long enough to become a classic. The good is not doomed to fade away. It is instead revived. Nightdive may have kept some of the glitches in because changes would change other things, or it would take more work than it was worth. Regardless, it seems they did right and you were the beneficiary.
ReplyDeleteI like the old school games that just pitted you against a ton of enemies. It is making a comeback with the new Doom titles.
DeleteI enjoyed the original in spite of its problems. There was plenty of good action, but I could have done without a few of the maddening puzzles. Still, it was fun to experience those other worlds.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzled are largely unchanged, and I agree.
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