TL;DR
Nightdive Studios brings a legendary Star Wars classic back to life with Dark Forces: Remaster. Stepping back into the boots of Kyle Katarn, players can relive the high-stakes mission to steal the Death Star plans with modern enhancements like 4K resolution and a silky-smooth 120 FPS. While this version remains incredibly faithful to the 1995 original—preserving the classic sound and aesthetic—it benefits from updated controls and lightning-fast loading times. It’s a nostalgic trip that balances old-school challenge with modern technical stability, even if it stops short of a full graphical overhaul. Whether you are a veteran Rebel agent or a new recruit facing the Dark Troopers for the first time, this remaster offers pure, unadulterated gaming joy. Curious if this faithful update captures the magic of the Force for a new generation? Dive into the full article to discover why this classic still holds up today.
A little over 30 years ago, I played the coolest and most awesome game I had ever experienced: Dark Forces. In 1995, this was the pinnacle of technical brilliance combined with a real story and missions that actually meant something. Sure, I had played Doom like everyone else, but there, the missions were mostly about getting to the next door and shooting enemies. The story was practically non-existent.
Being able to play an entirely new Star Wars‑story and meeting both new and old faces was a joy in itself. The technical aspects were also outstanding, with recorded voices and animated cutscenes, something that was more or less new at the time.
Now, over three decades later, I am just about to start Dark Forces: Remaster and expectations are sky-high.
The mission and the classic premise
In Dark Forces: Remaster, we play as Kyle Katarn, who works for the Rebels. The game is set just before Episode IV, and our mission is to steal the plans for the Death Star. In other words, it is not an easy task, and when we later encounter the Empire’s new deadly soldiers, The Dark Trooper, the mission goes from difficult to nearly impossible.
First impressions of the remaster
I start the game and nostalgia hits immediately with the music, but I am surprised that it still sounds fairly low-resolution. Once the game gets going, I realize that this is a different kind of remaster than what I thought – and deep down hoped for.
I had expected a remaster in the style of Dead Space: Remake. Dead Space admittedly carries the label “Remake” and not “Remaster,” but still.
A faithful update of the original
Dark Forces: Remaster is very faithful to the original. The developers have updated the game to work on modern consoles. The resolution and textures are improved, but the game still feels and sounds like the original.
After swallowing my initial disappointment, I start playing – and believe me, it is probably the right way to go after all.
Gameplay feel and technology
Despite the updates, everything is recognizable: the music, the sounds, the characters, the animations. The game has the same wonderful flow that I remember from the good old days.
Under the hood, a lot has happened. The game now runs in 4K and 120 FPS, which provides an incredibly stable experience. Loading times are non-existent, and what remains is pure, unadulterated gaming joy. Just like in the original, you don’t have unlimited lives; when they run out, you have to replay the level.
The controls are updated for modern consoles and feel just like in other modern first-person shooters. You can also switch between the original and the remaster, and although the remaster is blocky, it is nowhere near the blockiness of the original.
A wish for a bigger upgrade
Even though the game is nostalgic through and through and works flawlessly on modern consoles, it still bothers me a bit that the developers didn’t take the update further.
Double Fine Productions, for example, did a fantastic job with the LucasArts game Full Throttle: Remastered, where they updated the graphics, music, and voices for a modern audience. I would have liked to see something similar for Dark Forces. The result was that the game felt completely new but with the same great content.
In summary, Dark Forces: Remaster is and remains an almost perfect game. If the developers had just put a little more effort into the remastering itself, this would have been a clear must-have instead of a warm recommendation.
Nightdive Studios sent a review code for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests.
