About
Star Wars: Dark Forces (LucasArts, 1995) is the landmark FPS that predates Jedi Knight, featuring Kyle Katarn in a story-driven campaign across 14 missions. The Force Engine is a reverse-engineered open source reimplementation of LucasArts' Jedi Engine. It adds mouselook, widescreen and high resolutions, controller support, and mod support. It is published as a native Linux Flatpak on Flathub (io.github.theforceengine.tfe) and reads the original game's data files.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- flatpak
- Options
- run io.github.theforceengine.tfe
- Needs files
-
- Star Wars: Dark Forces game data (Steam app 32400)
Runtime
- Runs as
- Native Linux
- Proton
- not needed
The one thing to know
- Install The Force Engine via Flatpak: search 'The Force Engine' in Discover, or run flatpak install flathub io.github.theforceengine.tfe.
- Requires Dark Forces game data; buy on Steam (app 32400, ~$6). On first run point TFE at the game's data files (DARK.GOB etc.) inside the Steam install.
- TFE has built-in controller support; mouselook, widescreen and high resolutions are configurable in its settings.
- For a handheld-friendly layout, in TFE's graphics settings set virtual resolution to Widescreen 800p and use Windowed mode.
- Optional: a community Steam Input layout ("Full Grown Mappings for The Force Engine - Dark Forces") adds a touch weapon wheel and gyro aiming.
- No Proton required — native Linux Flatpak runs directly on Steam Deck.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.