May 042016
Happy Star Wars Day!
As we celebrate May the 4th (one of many odd holidays we recognize), let’s take a look at one of the greatest Star Wars games ever: Knights of the Old Republic.
I got Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as part of a bundle of PC Star Wars games (including another favorite, Republic Commando), and it blew me away.
You create your own character and eventually become a Jedi in your quest to stop the sinister Darth Malak from overtaking the Republic.
It’s a choice-driven game, and while everything ultimately comes down to Light Side or Dark Side, many situations can be handled in multiple ways. I remember being particularly impressed with the number of options in the Korriban section, as you decide who to work with, fight, or betray.
Along the way, several companions join your quest. Some fit basic character archetypes, but a few stand out, most notably the hilarious (if you like dark humor) assassin droid HK-47.
It was the first RPG of its type I’d ever played, so when I later played Mass Effect and Dragon Age, what stood out to me at first was how similar they were to Knights of the Old Republic.
Combat is quite similar to that of Dragon Age: Origins. When you aren’t fighting, you’ll be exploring, talking to NPCs (and making dialogue choices), and having entertaining conversations with your party members. You can talk to any party member on your ship, the Ebon Hawk, and when you visit a planet, you can take two with you.
The plot takes you to several planets and is really quite enjoyable even outside of its place in the larger Star Wars story. In particular, Knights of the Old Republic has one of my favorite plot twists ever.
I never saw it coming. All of the clues were there, but when that moment came, it astounded and amazed me. The twist alone would make it worth a recommendation, and it’s a fantastic RPG aside from that.
Do you like Star Wars? Do you like choice-driven western RPGs like Dragon Age? Do you like great storytelling? Then you owe it to yourself to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, especially since today is Star Wars Day.
Buy Knights of the Old Republic from Steam
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