The interesting points in levels are spaced apart, level areas are large enough to be realistic, and almost all areas seem to serve some function. These are all characteristics which are generally absent in other first-person 3D games of the time. Level designers built interesting structures and locations into almost all levels, frequently utilizing the Jedi engine's unique capabilities. The large open areas that appear frequently throughout Dark Forces are more realistic than the claustrophobic design seen in other games. The texture placement and choice is also consistent and appropriate.
Textures are well drawn and look real.
As far as texture placement, textures are applied to large enough areas that levels do not look busy, but they are applied with enough variety to avoid being too boring. There are never visible seams from misaligned or poorly designed textures, as occurs in some games, including the venerable Tomb Raider. One important aspect of the game's design directly affected gameplay. Although Dark Forces uses keys, few levels require the player to search for keys. All levels have multiple objectives which must be completed, and most have some puzzle which must be solved.