It’s been almost two decades sinceStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicwasreleased on the PC and the original Xbox. Even though there have been several great games in the franchise such asStar Wars: Rogue Squadronand the excellentStar Wars:Jedi Fallen Order,it’sKnights of the Old Republicthat is still held in high regard as the greatestStar Warsgame ever.
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Other than backward compatibility on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S,Knights of the Old Republichasn’t made its way onto another home console until now. This Switch port features remastered visuals and improved load times, anduntil the full remake, has been completed this iteration may be the best one yet. Here’s why.
8A Great Opening
In typicalStar Warsfashion,Knights of the Old Republicstarts out in cinematic style. It focuses on the player’s character, who awakens on a Republic ship in the middle of an attack.
The Republic ship is under attack from Sith vessels, who are trying to capture a powerful Jedi known as Bastilla. It’s a great opening that sets the stage for what is not only one of the bestStar Warsgames of all time, but one of the greatest RPGs too.
7Character Creation
While it isn’t as detailed as some modern titles,Knights of the Old Republicstill features a robust and flexiblecharacter creation system. This allows players to select and create the kind of classes they want their protagonist to fall into.
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There will come a point in the story where the protagonist needs to make another choice in how their character will behave in combat as well. It goes without saying that the game offers players a ton of options to make the characters their own — perfect for an RPG structure.
6The Narrative Choices
There are a lot of RPGs out there that offer the player narrative choices. However, few are as impactful as the ones found inKnights of the Old Republic.
There are several instances throughout the game’s story that will significantly change the direction of the narrative. In addition, the Light and Dark choices that the protagonist will frequently encounter have a major impact on how the supporting cast reacts to the player’s character.
5Great Supporting Cast
Throughout the player’s journey inKnights of the Old Republic,they will meet a memorable cast of characters that each have their own personal stories to tell. Wookies, mercenaries, droids, and more roam the expansive universe.
As stated above, each character will react differently depending on the light and dark actions. Thus, the player will be faced with some huge decisions when it comes to taking sides. This colorful variety of characters is also backed up by an excellent voice cast, which has stood the test of time.
4The Story
WhenStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicwas released in 2003,it received much critical acclaim for its story and almost two decades later that still rings true.KOTORis set 4000 years before the events of the prequel trilogy, making it an interesting part of theStar Warsworld’s history.
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There have been several references and allusions to the events that occurred inKOTORinStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian,andThe Last Jedi.This means that the game’s story is potentially canon, which makesKOTORessential lore for fans of theStar Warssaga. Despite having a branching narrative, the game has a compelling story and a fantastic plot twist that won’t be spoiled here, as players should experience it firsthand.
3The Branching Narrative
It’s easy to see that BioWare’s stamp is all overKnights of the Old Republic;for example the branching choice system from this game evolved into theMass Effectseries. Fans of the latter series looking for something new would do well to try one of BioWare’s best early console titles.
The flexibility of the quest system is reminiscent of one of BioWare’s earlier classicsBaldur’s Gateand its direct sequelBaldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn.The quality of the storytelling is evident too where choices between light, dark, and somewhere in between can change the path of the story in a way that feels organic.
2Light & Dark Choices Effect Appearance
There are a lot of RPGs with good and bad choices, which typically have an effect on how the character behaves and how the world reacts around them. However, very few games have a feature where certain choices will affect the protagonist’s appearance.
Taking the evil route inKnights of the Old Republicactually changes the physical appearance of the player character. Continue on the path of evil and they will start resembling something like The Emperor, with yellow eyes and deathly pale skin.
1Updated Visuals
Even though this Switch version ofStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicdoesn’t compare to modern titles, it is still the best-looking version yet. The visuals and textures have been cleaned up nicely, and it looks beautiful and plays well when the Switch is undocked.
In addition to the spruced-up graphics, the loading times inKOTORare definitely improved from the game’s original release. As a result, dropping in and out of a massive RPG like this one is a much smoother experience when combined with its handheld mode.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis available now for Android, iOS, Mac OS X, PC, Switch, and Xbox.
