When it comes to retro shooters, Star Wars: Dark Forces is up there with the likes of DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D. In fact, the game’s engine was advanced for its time: you could look up and down and levels spanned multiple floors. Now it’s getting a tribute, in the form of the first level, remade in Unreal Engine 4. And it looks hot.
The work of Jason Lewis, a senior environment artist at Obsidian Entertainment, the remake focuses entirely on Level 1 of the original Dark Forces game. Of course, with the extra fidelity provided by modern graphics, he’s had to take a few liberties here and there, but it’s all excellent stuff.
Lewis has been releasing screenshots in phases, with phase four the most recent. According to Lewis, the level is now “fully traversable from start to finish” and his next step will be scripting doors and fixing bugs.
If you’d like the see some comparison shots, Lewis has a gallery on ArtStation that shows some of the areas side-by-side.
No mention of when (or if) the level will be released in playable form, but Lewis has “fully blocked” it, which will make it easier for others to contribute work.
Jason Lewis [ArtStation, via DSO Gaming]
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