Though shooter fans now take them for granted, several major FPS mechanics were only standardized by a classic LucasArts Star Wars game in 1995.
The first-person shooter was arguably born with id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D, released in 1992. Many of the genre’s now-basic features, however, weren’t established until three years later, with the advent of LucasArts’ Star Wars: Dark Forces on PC. FPS developers would almost certainly have incorporated these features without Dark Forces eventually, but the Star Wars game was at least ahead of its time.
One of the first Star Wars PC games released after LucasArts reclaimed the license from Broderbund, Dark Forces puts players in the boots of Kyle Katarn, a mercenary on the payroll of the Rebel Alliance. As missions progress, Katarn eventually discovers the existence of the Dark Troopers, designed to be far more lethal than the average Imperial stormtrooper. These Dark Troopers have had an unusual staying power; they were incorporated into many books and comics, and they recently became canon, thanks to the second season of Disney’s The Mandalorian.
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While having a Star Wars FPS was novel enough in 1995, Dark Forces also standardized a few key parts of modern shooters. These include the idea of controls for jumping and ducking, which were necessary to get through portions of the game. Earlier FPS games like DOOM were based on running around corridors, usually at top speed. While Dark Forces had some of this, it made more tactical combat possible, not to mention environmental exploration. It’s difficult to imagine Call of Duty existing without the ability to jump or duck – much less first-person parkour games like Ghostrunner or Mirror’s Edge.
Dark Forces Added New Dimension To FPS Gameplay
Just as essential was the ability to look up and down. While merely an expected part of FPS games today, vertical aiming allowed for a greater sense of immersion than in titles like as DOOM, where players simply continued firing forward to hit enemies at different elevations. Tilting Kyle’s head was a little slow, though, so LucasArts compensated with a degree of auto-aim for enemies above or below.
Dark Forces also introduced multi-floored levels, allowing it to stack on top of one another what might constitute the flatter stages of earlier shooters. Like its predecessors, Dark Forces still relied on a “2.5D” engine that technically faked 3D, making this even more impressive. This technology granted a greater scope and depth to FPS level design, even if playing through them wasn’t entirely smooth yet. Truly 3D shooters with easy head movement didn’t become de facto until after 1996’s Quake.
LucasArts’ follow-up to Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, proved influential in its own right by introducing things like a Light/Dark alignment system and slightly more complex melee combat, in which players could change their swing direction or deflect incoming blaster fire. It’s safe to say, however, that Star Wars: Dark Forces was the more influential of the two, leaving a mark on both the FPS genre and Star Wars itself.
