To find out more about Nightdive Studio’s incoming remaster of iconic first-person shooter Star Wars: Dark Forces three decades after the original’s release, PC Gamer sat down to chat with three of the team’s key members about their history with the game, as well as how it’s been upgraded for the incoming remaster.
Did you feel any trepidation taking on the project of remastering such a famous and beloved FPS as Star Wars: Dark Forces?
Larry Kuperman: I wouldn’t say trepidation but we approached this project with an appropriate level of respect for the work of art that we were going to be remastering. We understand how important the game is, and how many people were really influenced [by Dark Forces] —[and formed] their perception of what the Star Wars universe should be by playing it.
The game was originally released one year after id Software’s Doom, and Dark Forces really pushed the envelope of what videogames could do in immersing players in the Star Wars universe. Stephen Kick: And just for historical context, for me, personally, this was my very first PC game. I feel like I’ve completely come full circle here at Nightdive, getting to work on, essentially, the game that inspired me to do what I’m doing now.
How do you think the original Dark Forces pushed the boundaries for FPS games?
Just for the level of technical aptitude that LucasArts had, it’s very much on display. Compared to something like or even a contemporary like , there’s things on display that you couldn’t really have seen prior in any first-person shooter of that type. You have fully stacked layouts. You have rooms on top of rooms. It’s not something you could have done in . You have 3D
