I completed STAR WARS: Dark Forces on the easiest difficulty. I had so much fun with the game that I decided to try the game on its hardest setting instead. It turns out that playing it this way turns it into a completely different game.
Easy Mode
Completing the game on easy mode is, well, easy. If was a fun, relaxing, playthrough and I got to enjoy the story as I went through the various missions. The story is simple, but well-written, and you feel like you have become a part of the Star Wars mythos when you finally finish the game.
If I had any criticisms it would be that a lot of the levels felt empty. There were many places that were supposed to be Imperial strongholds, yet I’d rarely encounter more than one Stormtrooper at a time. I pretty much got through the whole game using the basic Laser Rifle, switching to the Imperial Repeater Gun on those few occasions I ran out of ammo.
Many of the levels felt empty, and a little too easy to get through. But then, I was playing the game on Easy mode. After finishing the game, I wondered how difficult this game could be. So I started a second playthrough on Hard difficulty.
A Whole New Game
When you play on Hard difficulty things do more damage. But more than that there are many more enemies spawning, and they even respawn. On Easy mode if you returned to an old area there would be no new enemies (with some exceptions), but Hard mode gives the Imperial troops reinforcements.
With enemies taking more hits you find yourself using different weapons to save ammo for your blasters. More enemies means more groups, making grenades and explosives more useful. Ammo becomes a real concern, even to the point I had to resort to punching droids in some levels.
Fortresses feel heavily defended, forcing you to fight through legions of bad guys. They even have extra defenses – laser turrets become some of your worst nightmares. The world no longer seems empty.
It feels like a completely new game. With health and ammo feeling sparse, you end up thinking strategically. A couple of thermal detonators will kill more soldiers than shooting wildly. You start to notice how accurate your weapons are. Even running away becomes a valid option on some levels.
The Dark Troopers are more threatening. On Easy mode I could take them out easily with basic weapons. Now I have to use the deadliest weapons and explosives if I want to destroy them before they kill me. On this difficulty you can see why they could actually be a threat to the Rebellion.
If I have one criticism, it would be with the mines. As weapons they don’t stay on the ground until an enemy walks over them, they explode fairly quickly. It would be nice if you could actually mine up an area and lure enemies toward it – an opportunity for an alternate strategy.
As obstacles they become frustrating in Hard mode. They are often hidden underneath a shield power up and, doing extra damage, they often kill you. When you die to them it feels like a cheap shot from the developers. You end up memorising where they are and destroying them on future playthroughs even when you can’t see them.
Thankfully that last flaw only affects one level out of fourteen, so the overall experience is still a lot of fun. Challenging fun, but fun nonetheless.
Now I’ve got to go back and finish this game once more. May the Force be with me…
