Nightdive Studios‘ Star Wars: Dark Forces has received a launch date for PC and consoles, bringing all of the original levels in 4K resolution to current-generation systems.

The original, which was released in 1995, was the first Star Wars first-person shooter where players stepped into the shoes of Kyle Katarn.

As a defector of the Galactic Empire who then became a mercenary, Katarn discovers the Dark Trooper Project in his investigations of the Imperial forces. Should the Empire be successful in its mass production of improved battle droids and power-armoured stormtroopers, the Rebel Alliance will be wiped out.

Star Wars: Dark Forces boasts “upgraded gameplay, high-resolution textures, enhanced lighting and rendering, and support for gamepads”, said the studio.

The game will allow for 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, too, through Nightdive Studios’ proprietary engine that has been used for almost every other game that it has worked on.

Nightdive Studios is famous for its remasters of older games, like the Turok series, the two Quake games, and System Shock, which was released in May of this year for PC.

System Shock is one of NME‘s favourite games of 2023, paying praise to its improved visuals and mechanics as well as letting the original’s classic setting shine through.

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‘Star Wars: Dark Forces’ Credit: Nightdive Studios, Lucasarts

“In yet another victory for remakes, Nightdive Studios’ eight-year development cycle paid off with a phenomenal remake of 1994’s System Shock,” said Andy Brown.

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“With a new lease of life, this ground-breaking sci-fi game looked fantastic for a whole new audience, while the story of a rogue AI turned villain felt painfully prescient in 2023 — Elon Musk, take notes.”

Star Wars: Dark Forces comes to PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on February 28.

In other gaming news, Frasier Fantasy is a free-to-play parody of both Frasier and Final Fantasy, filled with references to the ’90s sitcom as well as boss battles.



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