Nightdive Studios has announced that its remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces will be released for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on February 28, 2024. According to the Steam listing for the game, which is still listed as “coming soon” at the time of this writing, fans of the classic FPS from LucasArts can expect a number of obvious improvements over the 1995 original with Kyle Katarn, including 4K/120 FPS visuals, high-resolution textures, enhanced lighting, and even support for modern gamepads. Nightdive Studios announced that it had been developing a remastered version of Star Wars: Dark Forces built on the KEX engine in August, sharing a reveal trailer that included a look at some of the game’s updated cinematics.
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Features
- All fourteen original levels, featuring Star Wars worlds and capital ships
- Use your ability to jump, duck, and crawl to solve puzzles and defeat enemies
- Your Personal Digital Assistant provides you with in game information such including map, inventory, and mission briefing
- Engaging first-person ground combat featuring ten weapons and twenty types of enemies
- Up to 4K 120FPS visuals
- Advanced 3D rendering enables updated lighting and atmospheric effects
- Modern gamepad support adds a new weapon wheel, and rumble
- Controller Support – vibration and gyro controls
- A variety of power-ups are made available to the player, including health, shields, weapons and ammunition
- For combat, the player may use fists, explosive landmines and thermal detonators, as well as blasters and other ranged weapons
- Includes immersive environmental puzzles and mazes
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster has been brought to life by the team at Nightdive Studios, fully remastered through its proprietary KEX engine, allowing the game to run on modern gaming devices at up to 4K resolution at 120FPS. New and returning players will enjoy Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster’s upgraded gameplay, high-resolution textures, enhanced lighting and rendering, and support for gamepads.
…players assume the role of Kyle Katarn, a defector of the Galactic Empire turned mercenary for hire. Katarn joins the Rebel Alliance’s covert operations division tasked with infiltrating the Galactic Empire, where he discovers the secret Dark Trooper Project. The development of this powerful new series of Imperial battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers stands to strengthen the Empire’s grip on the galaxy unless Katarn and the Rebel Alliance intervene.
Mark your calendars… Star Warsâ„¢: Dark Forces Remaster is set to release on February 28, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC! 💫✨ pic.twitter.com/jjnrlSpz5h
— Nightdive Studios (@NightdiveStudio) October 24, 2023
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →Kind of looking forward to this one.
Not really impressed. Not much of a visual improvement. Animation looks too jerky.
Hopelessly waiting for a JK/ JKJA remaster in UE5.
This is more about having a modern port for newer PCs and modern OSes, rather than remastering the game and making big improvements to it. Just an easier way to run an old game on much newer systems.
That sounds more like remakes, not remasters.
The reason I'm not playing these old games is not that I couldn't get them to run if I wanted to, it's that their game mechanics are too outdated. Porting them to a modern OS does not make them any more desirable to play.
There are some games where a remaster is enough, but most early FPS-es are not it. Remake or nothing.
But for those who do still play these games, or want to start playing them, having modern ports can make life easier. Especially in cases where the community hasn't provided sourceports (or the sourceports are lacking).
Old games come pre-packaged with dosbox on GOG, it takes one click to play them. And yes, Dark Forces is on there and it works on modern OS-es.
DOSBox is emulation. Native ports/sourceports are more preferable. For example, f*ck running Doom-1-engine games via DOSBox through Steam, I much prefer GZDoom and Zandronum.
Not to say the pre-packaged setup with DOSBox is terrible. I played Descent 1 that way.
That brings me back to my Lan party days. Played Descent a ton.