Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)

Players choose from three basic character classes (Scout, Soldier or Scoundrel) at the beginning of the game and later choose from three Jedi subclasses (Guardian, Sentinel or Consular). Beyond class, a character has "skills" stats, tiered "feats," and later on, tiered Force powers, similar to magic spells in fantasy games. Feats and Force powers are generally unlocked upon level-up, while the player is given skill points to distribute among their skills every level. Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously, although these actions are presented sequentially on-screen. The number of actions a combatant may perform each round is limited. While each round's duration is a fixed short interval of real time, the player can configure the combat system to pause at specific events or the end of each round, or set the combat system to never automatically pause, giving the illusion of real-time combat. Combat actions are calculated using Dungeons & Dragons rules, particularly the d20 System. While these are not displayed directly on the screen, the full breakdown for each action (including die rolls and modifiers) is accessible from a menu. For much of the game, the player can have up to two companions in their party. These companions will participate in combat. They can be manually controlled by the player, or act autonomously if the player does not give them any input. Outside of combat, the companions will randomly engage the player or each other in dialogue, sometimes unlocking additional quests. They will also participate in conversations the player has with other non-player characters. Non-combat interaction with other characters in the game world is based upon a dialogue menu system. Following each statement, the player can select from a list of menu responses. The dialogue varies based on the gender and skills of the main character. The alignment system tracks actions and speech—from simple word choices to major plot decisions—to determine whether the player's character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Generosity and altruism lead to the light side, while selfish or violent actions will lead the player's character to the dark side, which will alter the character's appearance, turning their eyes yellow and their skin pale, and can affect what dialogue options are available. In addition to the standard role-playing gameplay, there are several minigame events that come up over the course of the game. The player can participate in swoop racing to earn money, and sometimes interplanetary travel will be interrupted by enemy starfighters, which begins a minigame where the player controls a turret to shoot down the opposing starcraft. The player can also engage in a card game known as pazaak, which is similar to the game of blackjack, to gamble money. ==Synopsis==

Setting Knights of the Old Republic takes place approximately 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire, and covers the era following the conclusion of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comics, during the earlier years of the already ancient Galactic Republic. The backstory of the game involves the Mandalorian warrior society invading the Republic in a pan-galactic conflict known as the Mandalorian Wars. The Jedi were hesitant to get involved, but a pair of renegade Jedi Knights, Revan and Malak, insisted on leading a Republic force to war. After winning the war against the Mandalorians, Revan and Malak disappeared into the Unknown Regions, returning a year later with a Sith armada and launching an invasion against the Republic themselves. Malak, Revan's apprentice, eventually succeeded his former master as Dark Lord of the Sith after Revan was seemingly killed in an ambush by the Jedi. Malak's aggression has left the Jedi scattered and vulnerable, many Jedi Knights have fallen in battle, and others have sworn allegiance to Malak. Playable locations in Knights of the Old Republic include the planets Tatooine, Dantooine, Kashyyyk, Korriban, Manaan, Rakata Prime, and Taris; aboard the Republic cruiser Endar Spire and Saul Karath's ship Leviathan; and on the Star Forge space station. A space station near Yavin is accessible to players in the PC, Mac OS X, and mobile versions of the game and is available to Xbox players via download from Xbox Live. Travel between these locations happens aboard the freighter Ebon Hawk, which is also a playable location. Characters and locations Joining the player character's quest are veteran human Republic pilot Carth Onasi, the Twi'lek teenager Mission Vao and her Wookiee companion Zaalbar, the Jedi Bastila Shan, 'Gray' Jedi Jolee Bindo, utility droid T3-M4, Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo, and assassin droid HK-47 if he is bought. Juhani, another Jedi, may also join the party if she is spared by the player. Republic soldier Trask Ulgo is also briefly playable during the game's opening sequence on the Endar Spire. The game's main antagonist is Darth Malak, the Dark Lord of the Sith. Other antagonistic characters include Black Vulkar gang leader Brejik, crime boss Davik Kang, bounty hunter Calo Nord, Zaalbar's brother Chuundar, Sith apprentice Darth Bandon, Admiral Saul Karath, Sith Overseer Uthar Wynn, and Rakatan tribe leader The One. Czerka Corporation, an unscrupulous corporation operating on several planets, is an ally of Darth Malak's Sith forces. Supporting characters who assist the player's party in some capacity are Hidden Bek gang leader Gadon Thek, Jedi Masters Vandar Tokare and Zhar Lestin, game hunter Komad Fortuna, Zaalbar and Chuundar's father Freyyr, Uthar's Sith apprentice Yuthura Ban, Republic representative Roland Wann, the Rakatan tribe "The Elders," and Republic Admiral Forn Dodonna. Plot The game opens with the player character, whose background, gender, appearance, and name are player determined, awakening aboard a Republic ship, the Endar Spire, which is under attack by Malak's forces over the city world of Taris. Republic soldier Trask Ulgo soon arrives and informs them that they must abandon ship. Fighting their way to the escape pods, Trask and the player are soon confronted by Sith Lord Darth Bandon. With no other options, Trask sacrifices himself while the player continues to make their way to the escape pods. The player meets Carth Onasi, a skilled pilot and Republic war hero, and they escape the doomed warship. Crashing on the surface of Taris, the player is knocked unconscious, and Carth pulls them away from the wreckage. After suffering a strange vision, the player character awakens in an abandoned apartment with Carth, who explains that Taris is under martial law by Malak's forces who are searching for the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, known for her mastery of battle meditation, a Force technique that strengthens one's allies and weakens one's enemies during battle. Carth and the player search for her and meet new companions along the way, such as the Twi'lek street urchin Mission Vao and her Wookiee companion Zaalbar. The group finds and rescues Bastila from the Black Vulkar gang. With the help of utility droid T3-M4 and Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo, the group escapes Taris aboard the star freighter Ebon Hawk, moments before Malak's fleet decimates the planet's surface in a vain effort to kill Bastila. While taking refuge at the Jedi Academy on Dantooine, the player trains to be a Jedi, discovers a "Star Map," and learns of the "Star Forge," the probable source of Malak's military resources. The player and their companions then search planets across the galaxy—Dantooine, Manaan, Tatooine, Kashyyyk, and Korriban—for more information about the Star Forge, gaining new companions along the way such as the Cathar Jedi Juhani, assassin droid HK-47, and Jedi Jolee Bindo. After discovering three more Star Maps, the player's party is captured by Darth Malak and brought aboard his flagship, where Malak reveals that the player's character is in truth an amnesiac Darth Revan; the Jedi Council wiped their memories after their presumed death at Malak's hands in the hopes that Bastila could lead them to the Star Forge through her bond with them. Bastila sacrifices herself so the player can escape, and is subsequently turned to the dark side by Malak. On the light side path, the player kills or redeems Bastila, defeats Malak, destroys the Star Forge, and is hailed as a savior and hero. On the dark side path, the player allies with Bastila, overthrows and kills Malak, takes control of the Star Forge for themselves, and reclaims their title as Dark Lord of the Sith. ==Production==

Development In July 2000, BioWare announced that they were working with LucasArts to create a Star Wars role-playing video game for the PC and next-generation consoles. Lucasfilm rejected proposals by Bioware to show the culture of the Tusken Raiders as the company did not want them developed further beyond their film appearances. In August 2002 it was announced on the game's forums that its release had been delayed: the Xbox version was to be released in spring 2003 and the PC version in summer 2003. It sold 250,000 copies in the first four days of its release, making Knights of the Old Republic the fastest-selling Xbox game at the time of its release. and re-released digitally on Steam on May 14, 2012, for Mac OS X and PC. The game was released for the iPad Remake In September 2021, Knights of the Old Republic — Remake, a remake, was announced to be in development by Aspyr for Windows and PlayStation 5. It will be a timed console exclusive for PlayStation 5 before releasing on other platforms. However, Tom Kane will not be returning due to his retirement for medical reasons. John Cygan and Ed Asner will also not return due to their deaths in 2017 and 2021 respectively. In August 2022, Saber Interactive's European studios officially took over as leading the development of the game from Aspyr. ==Reception==

Sales After its release on July 16, 2003, and best computer game of November 2003. During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded Knights of the Old Republic with "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development", "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year", and "Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year"; it was also nominated for seven other awards including "Console Game of the Year", "Computer Game of the Year", and "Game of the Year". Knights of the Old Republic was named game of the year by several publications, including IGN, Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer, GMR, The Game Developers Choice Awards, Xbox Magazine, and G4. Computer Games Magazine named it the best computer game of 2003, and presented it with awards for "Best Original Music" and "Best Writing." The editors wrote, "The elegance and accessibility that BioWare made part-and-parcel of this game should be the future standard for this genre." IGN gave KotOR additional awards in Best Sound (Xbox category), Best Story (PC category), Xbox RPG of the Year 2003, PC RPG of the Year 2003, Xbox Game of the Year 2003, PC Game of the Year 2003, and Overall Game of the Year 2003 across all platforms. At the 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards, HK-47 won the category of "Original Game Character of the Year." IGN listed KotOR at #27 on its 2007 list of the Top 100 Games of All-Time and at #3 on its list of Best games of the Decade (2000–2009), beaten by Shadow of the Colossus and Half-Life 2. In 2007, the plot twist in KotOR was ranked number two in Game Informer list of the top ten video game plot twists of all time and number 10 on ScrewAttacks "Top 10 OMGWTF Moments." The Los Angeles Times listed Knights of the Old Republic as one of the most influential works of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. In 2010, Game Informer named the game the 54th best game on their Top 200 Games of All Time list. In November 2012, Time named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time. == Legacy ==

The game is part of Xbox Platinum Series/Classics for sales in excess of 1 million units. In early 2017, plot elements from the game were referenced by the animated television series Star Wars Rebels, including the Mandalorian Wars and the ancient Sith planet Malachor. In the official book guide to the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, one of the legions of Sith troopers of Palpatine's Final Order is named after Darth Revan. LEGO produced a Darth Revan minifigure, which was free with qualifying LEGO Star Wars purchases as a part of the company's 2014 "May the Fourth" promotion. In April 2019, Kathleen Kennedy was asked by MTV News about a potential adaptation of Knights of the Old Republic and stated, "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now, I have no idea where things might fall". In December 2025, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic was announced as in development by Arcanaut Studios and will be published by Lucasfilm Games. The studio considers the action role-playing game a spiritual successor rather than a direct sequel or continuation of the Knights of the Old Republic series. The project is led by Arcanaut's game director Casey Hudson ==Notes==