What is the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and How Do You Play It?

In 1978, Apple Computer produced a game called “Star Wars” for Apple II. Over the course of the next four decades, there have been more than one hundred Star Wars video games for just about every platform in existence. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, released in 2003, remains the best to have ever come out from the franchise with near universal acclaims for its storyline, voiceover, sound design, and graphics.

Star Wars: KOTOR, developed by BioWare, became something of an enviable bragging right for XBOX users, because they alone had access to the world’s most wanted role-playing game of the day, for good reason. It brought a new approach to RPG, as players were allowed to fight either for the good side or the bad side.

Although events in the game are set thousands of years before the narrative presented in the films, the on-screen experience effortlessly and convincingly takes players into the Star Wars universe. It took several months until the original game was ported to Windows, but players didn’t seem to mind the wait. Back in the day, the hardcore PC RPG players were content that they were able to buy the game at all. The target demographics were also wide. Fans of Star Wars appreciated the game for being faithful to the source material, while gamers in general praised it for the immersive and action-packed adventures.

It comes loaded with a selection of hundreds of characters, a plethora of Jedi powers, a wide variety of skills, several big planets, a large assortment of weapons, and a respectable amount of side quests. Overall, Star Wars: KOTOR offers massive maps to explore with dynamic storylines to boot. The premise is simple just like most action-adventure games, in which you need to get from point A to point B without getting killed. However, the gameplay makes sure you really have to fight your way through. Since your choices will affect the subsequent play experience, having a grasp of Light vs. Dark would help a great deal.

Backstory

Darth Malak is the ultimate villain in the game. He takes the claim as Dark Lord of the Sith, following the fall of his own former master Revan. Leading an army of Dark Jedi and trained Sith conscripts, Malak launches an aggressive campaign to conquer the galaxy. He commands fleets of alien battleships crewed by Republic defectors. The adventures in Star Wars: KOTOR will ultimately lead to a battle against Darth Malak. Before the time comes to confront him face to face, the player has to gather enough skills and access to weapons. In other words, the way to reach Darth Malak is to fight through the Sith.

Play the Game

You get to choose from three classes of character: soldier, scout, or scoundrel. Each comes with a specific set of weaknesses and advantages. Soldier offers the highest level of vitality but gains skills at slow progression. Scout promises quick skill improvement despite low vitality. Scoundrel is the jack of all trades.

Star Wars: KOTOR uses the same game system as Dungeons and Dragon tabletop RPG. Every combat session occurs in rounds; heroes and villains take turns to launch attacks. You also get to choose two non-playable characters (NPC) as teammates, whose skills – or lack thereof – will affect the gaming experience. The adventures take place in the following locations:

Endar Spire

The starting point is Endar Spire, where you find yourself under attack by Malak. You bump into a Republic soldier named Trask Ulgo, who gives a basic introduction to the game and control scheme.

Taris

After Endar Spire, the next visit is to Taris where you will come across a Sith base. The big city-planet is divided into two major areas: the Lower City is for the powerless poor residents, whereas the Upper City is for the wealthy members of the society. Taris is also home to another group of villains, the Black Vulkar gang.

Dantooine

A successful run on Taris takes you to Dantooine. It won’t be long until the Jedi council based in the planet demands your presence. Two NPCs, Bastila and Carth, will guide you to the Jedi Chambers. It is not going to be the only meeting you have with the council, because this is the planet where you become a Padawan – after going through some tests of course. You are free to roam the galaxy from Dantooine, but the game requires you to visit either Kashyyyk or Tatooine for the storyline to continue.

Kashyyyk

Before you can dock your ship on Kashyyyk, a representative of the Czerka Corporation tells you that access to the planet is not free. You only have to pay once in the game. After that, you can revisit as many times as necessary.

Tatooine

Landing on Tatooine also requires you to pay some credits. Just like on the previous planet, you can actually lie about being a representative of a wealthy client or use Force Persuade. Whether or not the access is free, the point is that you need to explore both Kashyyyk and Tatooine.

Manaan

Located in the East Central Courtyard is the Republic Base. You need to collect three Star Maps, after which you will be captured. It is how the game runs, you cannot evade the captor. Your NPC companions are rendered incapacitated, leaving you to face Malak on your own. Malak flees the scene before the battle is over.

Korriban

You have to figure out a way to get accepted into the Sith Academy on Planet Korriban, because that’s the only way you can continue the search for the last Star Map.

Unknown World

Your quest on Korriban forces you to escape the planet and crash land on Lehon (referred to in the game as the Unknown World). There are two things to do here: discover what causes the crash and find spare parts for your spaceship, the Ebon Hawk. Once completed, start the ship and choose Star Forge as the destination.

Star Forge

Here is the place where the final battle against Darth Malak happens. The battle is divided into two parts. First is the easy way, but then the Dark Lord of the Sith makes his last stand on your way out.

KOTOR II: The Sith Lords

Since its release in 2003, fans everywhere have been craving for more. A sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – The Sith Lords, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, finally arrived a year later. The sequel was arguably a good game in itself, but it failed to reach the same level of approval as its predecessor. Gameplay mechanics of the sequel are identical to the first game. The most notable addition is the ability to choose fighting style (with lightsaber).

Remake

Aspyr Media, the company responsible for porting Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to Mac and Android, announced the production of an update or a remake with graphic updates of the game in September 2021. The project has been problematic at best and was once put on an indefinite delay. Development has resumed but the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake will almost definitely miss the initial release date plan. In fact, it might take several more years until the game is ready to launch.

Well, let’s hope the relaunch, though late, proves to be worth the wait! Are you into RPGs? What’s your favorite game to role play? Who is your favorite character to portray? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Other things you might want to know about.

How long does it take to make a video game?

It can take years before a video game hits the stores. Here’s a list of some of the reasons, according to forbes.com (Mike Prinke)

Video games demand a lot of trial-and-error.
Bit Team=Big savings in time.
Modeling and decorating an area the size of an entire state, with details of everything imaginable.
Everything has to be debugged.
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Code revisions break things.

Go to forbes.com to read more about how long it takes to make a video game.