Seven years ago, one month after its July release, I received a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for my birthday. The copy was for the Xbox, which I didn’t own. Lucky for me, a friend of mine allowed me to borrow his prized Xbox for a few weeks so I could play through this amazing storyline from “a galaxy far, far away.”
I played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic night and day for two weeks, doing all the missions, saving planets and being the best Jedi I could be. The game was amazing, the graphics were phenomenal and the storyline was the best I have ever played. Now, seven years later and in preparation for the upcoming release of Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic (a massively multiplayer online game based around the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), I thought it would be a good idea to play through the original game again. Having had such a wonderful experience years earlier, I wanted to refresh myself on the story and see if it can stand up to more modern games.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is set 4,000 years before the events of the Star Wars movies take place. The game begins as your character wakes up on a starship that is being attacked by the Sith. You are suffering from severe memory loss and experience confusing flashbacks prior to waking. You team up with one of the soldiers on the ship and must make your way to the escape pods to get off the ship the Sith are trying to take over. Along the way, you are introduced to the play mechanics as well as its beginning plotline, which is to find Bastilla. Bastilla is a powerful Jedi whose skills helped defeat the Dark Lord Malak in a previous battle, and she has somehow saved you. Your link to her throughout the game is an integral part of the story, albeit your choices determine how the relationship plays out.
Even though the escape from the ship was obviously a tutorial and delivery mechanic of key information regarding plot, it didn’t feel forced. Both times I played through the game, I felt as if this vital information was delivered naturally and in an unimposing manner. I never once felt removed from the game or reminded that I was even playing a game.
The controls in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic are easy to understand and feel natural. The game is an action role-playing game, so there is some user interface navigation to select items and equipment. However, navigating the UI in combat is made simple by the action box. This box, without being cumbersome, allows you to figure out what Jedi Force power, melee attack or power boost you want to use. Each action you choose stacks in a queue so that you aren’t locked into a turn-based style of play. This keeps the action moving. Should you forget to put something in the stack, your character will use a default attack, which can alter between three different styles of gameplay: ranged combat, close combat or Jedi-empowered combat.
The only downside to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was a weird glitch that caused the sound to pop and crackle through the speakers. It didn’t happen all the time, but happened enough that I had to keep the volume down a little lower than I normally would. This is probably because I was playing on an Xbox 360 instead of an Xbox, Although it was annoying, it wasn’t a major deal. However, be warned if you have surround sound or play with the volume up.
Overall, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still as amazing as it was when I first played it. The scenes and environments are beautifully rendered. The story and dialogue are wonderfully written. The ambiance and atmosphere are very Star Wars and quite immersive, and the music and sound effects are right in line with the movies. This was the first Star Wars game that made me actually feel like I was part of the Star Wars universe in a way that was reminiscent of playing with the action figures as a kid. I wasn’t reliving scenes from one of the movies, nor was I confined to a specified path of light or dark values. I had choice in this game; I could be as good or bad as I wanted and experience different elements of the story based on my choices.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic more than stands up to the test of time; it is a milestone in game history. This game has many lessons to teach about game development and integrating storytelling elements into interactive media. After having just spent 80+ hours on this playthrough, I am ready to restart and play again. Maybe I should think about buying another copy before I wear this one out!
