So I Tried... Star Wars: Dark Forces

In each edition of So I Tried… a member of GameGrin will play a game they have never tried before. The game will be given half an hour, no matter how good or bad, to make it’s case. Will I find a hidden gem? Will I find something to add to my Steam collection and never look at again? This time I played Star Wars: Dark Forces.

What I thought it was

A first person shooter in the Star Wars universe, similar to the likes of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, and the beginning of the Star Wars Jedi Knight series.. A style of shooter far before my time -- a time back before you could adjust your aim vertically. I believe you play as Kyle Katarn in this one, a casualty of the extended universe retcon, and a much beloved character among fans. I’m expecting this to be set in some far off region unconnected to the films and probably set long before.

What it actually is

It is indeed a Star Wars shooter that plays very much like Doom. I was excited to begin with, as I entered an Imperial base to recover the Death Star plans, because I’m playing something from the movies! Imperial officers and Stormtroopers fall to my blaster fire as I explore the base. I found my way outside and get shot at from above and have great trouble trying to play a shooter where I can’t actually aim. I found a guy who dropped a key card when I killed him, but then couldn’t find the door it was meant to open, so I ended up running around in circles. There were some caves I could enter, but they didn’t seem to lead anywhere, no matter how Force-fully I ran into the walls.

Will I keep playing

Right now, no. I really didn’t get on with it. Maybe I’ll go back to in the future, but only if I decide to buy the other games. I’ve heard good things about the Jedi Knight series, with one game in particular being cited as having the best lightsaber combat of all time. I really don’t see the appeal of these sorts of shooters these days though. They’re far beyond their prime. It may make me rebellious scum in the eyes of the other staff, but modern design has simply made shooters more fun. I’ll go back to Battlefront instead.