Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis a rare breed of RPG. It changed perceptions of what aStar Warsgame can be, still holding a special place in the hearts of fans nearly two decades after its release. Remarkable as it may be, it’s surprising that noStar Warsgame has managed to surpass it. Though many have tried,Knights of the Old Republicremains the pinnacle ofStar Warvideo games.
While this reflects well onKOTOR, it also speaks to thepitfalls thatStar Warsgames tend to fall into. Formulaic design makes the experience of playing them far less memorable that waking up on theEndar Spire.
RELATED:Star Wars: Knights of the Republic 3 Has an Uphill Battle Ahead of Itself
A long, long, LONG time ago…
Knights of the Old Republichas nothing to do with the events of theStar Warsfilms. It’s not the first game to play fast and loose with establishedStar Warscanon -theDark Forcesserieshanded out lightsabers like they were candy - but it was the first to build an entirely new “world.“KOTORtakes place four thousand years before the movies and takes full advantage of the creative freedom that allows.
Players were given the opportunity todiscover theStar Warsuniversefor the first time, for a second time. Kashyyyk hadn’t been seen on screen yet, leaving Tatooine as the only planet in the game that players already knew. Aliens that the movies treat as set dressings — Mon Calamari and Twi’leks, especially — were finally given a voice. All of theStar Warsmainstays were able to exist on their own terms rather than in relation to the Galactic Civil War.
This sense of exploring uncharted territory is also what makes the game’s major plot twist possible. If Darth Revan had been established as a villain in theStar Warsmovies, it would have been impossible for players to find out they were playing as him all along. This discovery is satisfying not only because players realize that they’re their own enemy, but because they get to play as a major figure from Jedi history.
Making an Impact
MostStar Warsgames take place during the same time period as the movies, so players can’t have any real impact on the story. No matter what, the Rebels are eventually going to triumph, making personal victories feel hollow. This also means that players have little freedom in how they interact with the world.
This often results in another iteration of the same stale formulathat has plaguedStar Warsgames for decades: The main character completes a series of tasks while more important characters yell at them over a headset. Listening to a radio drama is fine every once in awhile, but gets stale when it’s the only way that story is conveyed. When players feel like they’re shooting down TIE fighters just so they can be shuffled from one scene to the next, it makes playing the game feel like a chore.KOTORmanaged to buck that trend by giving players a loose objective and letting them figure out the rest.
RELATED:5 Developers That Would Be Perfect for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3
Dungeons and (Krayt) Dragons
Knights of the Old Republicalso feels unique becausethe gameplay was based onDungeons and Dragons.The RPG elements were taken from Wizards of the Coast’sStar Wars Roleplaying Game, which was in turn based off of 3rd EditionDnD.BioWare, which had developedNeverwinter Nightersand bothBaldur’s Gategames,was no stranger to translating tabletop RPGs to video games.
By giving players multiple solutions to any given problem, BioWare ensured that every type of character had a chance to shine. Hacking into a computer terminal to activate a security droid was just as viable a mission path as going in guns blazing. Every player felt rewarded for building the exact character that they wanted to play. It also gave players the sense that the path they didn’t take would have been equally exciting, inspiring them toplay throughKOTORmultiple times.
Doing Jedi Justice
ManyStar Warsgames have tried to make playing as a Jedi compelling, butKnights of the Old Republicis one of the few games that succeeds. Players actually get to experiencethe process of becoming a Jedi, and it takes a significant amount of time. This isn’t a training montage on Dagobah, but a set of rituals that had previously been shrouded in mystery. Equipping a lightsaber for the first time feels like a privilege that was truly earned.
KOTORalso codifies the mysteries of the Jedi Order, letting players in on the secrets behind long-standing mysteries.Star Warsfans had speculated for decades on what it meant for a lightsaber to be blue or green, andKOTORfinally offered an answer. By the end of the game, players have become so intimately familiar with what it means to be a Jedi that it feels like they’ve joined the Order themselves.MostStar Warsgames sincehave made playing as a Jedi feel like inheriting a pile of superpowers. This feels incredibly shallow to players that have already played through a more immersive experience.
Disney Didn’t Own Star Wars Yet
Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 wasa massive blow toStar Warsfans. The Expanded Universe, which encompassed all of the books and games up to that point (includingKnights of the Old Republic), was deemed no longer canon. Fan favorite characters like Kyle Katarn and Admiral Thrawn were lost, as was the idea ofStars Warsas a setting that belonged to its fans.
One of the things that had made the Expanded Universe so magical was the sheer variety of stories that could be told.Star Warsfelt like a setting where anything could happen, which is how theYoung Jedi Knightsseries could exist alongside the incredibly bleakVector Prime. BioWare had the ability to shapeKOTORinto what it became becauseLucasfilm’s approach toStar Warsstorieswas a little different.
Unfortunately, this might mean that a game ofKOTOR’s caliber won’t be made for quite some time. Until Disney’s plans for the futureStar Warsas an IP are more concrete, there may be little room to add new lore to the universe, but the High Republic does have a ton of promise in and of itself.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3is rumored to be in development.
MORE:Every Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 3 Rumor and Leak
