History VideoGame / DarkForcesSaga

* HyperspaceArsenal: The amount of weapons you can carry around at once borders on ridiculous.

* AntiHero: Kyle is fully aware of how tempting the dark side is, to the point he rejected the force to avoid eventually falling. Even then, he is a prime example that GoodIsNotNice.

* BleedEmAndWeep: Happens in the Soldier For the Empire audio drama. After making his first kill (A rebel soldier charging towards his Stormtrooper squad), he temporarily breaks down at the thought of killing another person, and has his squad's medic check the Rebel afterwards.

* UnskilledButStrong: Reborn and Shadowtroopers. Despite a complete lack of training with the Force, they're capable of holding their own against your average Jedi. Unfortunately for them, Kyle is ''not'' [[{{Badass}} your average Jedi]].

* {{Badass}}: Kyle Katarn, [[Analysis/DarkForcesSaga in so many ways]]. From BadassNormal in ''Dark Forces'', to EmpoweredBadassNormal in ''Jedi Knight''. After [[BroughtDownToBadass returning back to Badass]] at the start of ''Outcast'' he becomes an EmpoweredBadassNormal ''again'', and finally becomes a BadassTeacher in ''Academy''. Oh and don't forget his BadassBeard.
** His most notable accomplishment is beating at least one Kell dragon to death. ''With his fists.'' Note that each Kell dragon is as tall as a human, at least three times as long, and normally ''eats humans for breakfast'' (at least the one Kyle fought did). And he did this ''before'' [[BadassNormal learning to use the Force]].
** He's so badass that [[spoiler:if you take the Dark Side route in ''Academy'' and fight him as the final boss, you aren't fighting to kill him. "Winning" involves you crashing the ceiling on him for a ''distraction'' and running away.]]
** And in [[spoiler:said final boss fight, he can do something that cannot be done by you or any other character in the game. He can actually ''pull away your lightsaber!'' For any other character, TheComputerIsACheatingBastard would apply. Kyle is simply just that badass.]]
** Don't forget that he also [[spoiler:will sometimes not even bother with the lightsaber, but will instead grab you and start punching you!]]
** Kyle can snark at ''Luke Skywalker'' and get away with it.

* MakeItLookLikeAStruggle: In the novella and audio drama, Kyle has to either punch or shoot his former Academy friend that helped him infiltrate Danuta to absolve him of any guilt. It was never revealed if it worked or not.

A series of ''Franchise/StarWars''-based FirstPersonShooter-cum-HackAndSlash VideoGames, with accompanying novellas. They take place during and after the original trilogy, and revolve around Kyle Katarn, a Stormtrooper-turned-mercenary-turned-Jedi who roams around the seedy side of the galaxy. The series consists of four full games and one ExpansionPack to date:

* DodgeTheBullet: This can be done even [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy without force powers]], but is much easier with Force Speed. The only exception is the HitScan Disruptor Rifle, unless you get lucky and your character automatically dodges the shot. NPC Force users will also dodge it perfectly, unless they're in midair when you fire.

* VariableMix: From ''Jedi Knight II'' and onward, whenever you get into combat in a level, the music changes to more action based music, straight from the Star Wars OST. There is also a [[ScareChord special tidbit]] whenever your character ever dies.

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: The first game is called ''Dark Forces,'' but the sequel turns the moniker into an odd subtitle with a number while adopting a new moniker, and it is called ''Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.'' The third game abandons the ''Dark Forces'' moniker and is called ''Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.'' The fourth game has no numeral and is titled ''Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.''

** And again in ''Academy'': in the mission in which you infiltrate some catacombs, you can overhear two mercenaries talking (providing that you don't kill them as soon as you see them), with one of them complaining about how his helmet obstructs his sight, much like back when he was a stormtrooper.
** Another variation in ''Jedi Academy'', where a snowtrooper in the first main story mission mentions that he was a champion racer on speeder bikes, selected to be a scout trooper, but couldn't see out of the helmet, caused a pile-up that destroyed about a dozen speeder bikes, and was immediately kicked back out.

* JediMindTrick: A usable power in ''Jedi Knight'', ''Jedi Outcast'' and ''Jedi Academy''.
* LampshadeHanging: Many times, as Kyle is quite GenreSavvy.

* NoGearLevel: The entire series, other than the first game, counts to one degree or another. Once you get your lightsaber, most players will spend the rest of the game using little else, other than the occasional sniper weapon or a grenade.

* MythologyGag: The Imperial blaster rifle is the [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy least accurate gun]] in the games.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Officers who carry keycards cannot be pushed around by force powers, concussive weapons or any other form of knocking them around. Otherwise they could fall into a BottomlessPit and render the level {{Unwinnable}}.

*** Some enemy Force users have limitless Force energy, allowing them to break free from drain and grip at any moment. They can actually abort their special swings to avoid attacks and tend to aim at your model--sometimes killing you by hitting something that seems empty space for the player (oh yeah, they also invisibly "evade" your attacks - slashing their face will occasionally leave them unharmed except for a visible burned mark in the middle). Their Saber Throw also seems to be at the maximum level - it will stop right where you stand and keep swinging until it kills you or is parried. Yours, on the other hand, will pass further and stop at its maximum range before rank 3.

* IdleAnimation: Further establishing that he is unquestionably badass, one of Kyle Katarn's idle animations is to shave his beard... ''with his lightsaber''!

-->'''Kyle:''' They always lock the door. You'd think they'd have learned by now. Doesn't look like there's a key. That would be too easy. The console to unlock the door is probably hidden in some room twelve floors up or something... how does that make sense?

* ManaDrain: Force Drain on the player drains the player's force pool first, and moves onto health when fully depleted. The player's Force Drain instead only [[LifeDrain targets health]].

** Maxed out Force Protection allows you to shrug off a staggering 75% of all damage while it's active. Combine it with shields and/or Force Heal, and nothing will stand a chance against you. And with Force Absorb, you will be the bane of any force-wielder stupid enough to fight you.

-->''[[OhCrap Aw, sithspit...]]''

* VariableMix: From ''Jedi Knight II'' and onward, whenever you get into combat in a level, the music changes to more action based music, straight from the Star Wars OST. There was also a special tid bit whenever your character ever died.

** Force Grip + MalevolentArchitecture = Pure Bastardosity. And speaking of Force Grip, who can resist grabbing a Remnant officer and saying "YouHaveFailedMe... for the last time!"

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Officers who carry keycards cannot be pushed around by force powers, concussive weapons or any other form of knocking them away and potentially into a pit to prevent an {{Unwinnable}} scenario.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Averted with the aversion played for laughs. In ''Outcast'' a boss shows up to defend his shield generator, and takes so long monologuing about his inevitable victory that Kyle destroys it while he's distracted, partly just to shut him up.

The entire series has been made available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. For more information see [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Forces_saga another wiki]]. Not TheOtherWiki, but [[TheWikiRule another wiki]].

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: The first game is called ''Dark Forces,'' but the sequel turns the title into an odd subtitle with a number, and it is called ''Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.'' The third game abandons the ''Dark Forces'' moniker and is called ''Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. The fourth game has no numeral and is titled ''Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.''

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