Review - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, today is May 4th, which makes it a perfect day to talk about arguably the greatest Star Wars game ever produced: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Originally released on Xbox and PC, the game has since gotten re-released as part of the Star Wars Heritage Pack, which consists of seven beloved Star Wars games which are now part of the Star Wars Legends continuity. 

         Knights of the Old Republic is set four thousand years before the events of A New Hope, and sees the galaxy in the midst of a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, which is being led by Darth Malak. Malak amassed his fleet after betraying his Master and best friend Revan, seemingly killing the former Sith Lord when a Jedi strike team attempted to capture the two Sith Lords. 

        As the player, you take on the role of either a Soldier, Scout, or Scoundrel loyal to the Republic, and you can play as either a male or a female. For my most recent playthrough, I chose to play as a male Soldier. But, it's entirely the players' choice. Regardless, the player character starts off aboard a Republic flagship called the Ender Spire, which falls under the attack of a Sith fleet in the skies above the planet Taris. The player character teams up with their bunkmate, Trask Ulgo, to fight through Sith soldiers and reach the bridge of the Endar Spire to assist a Jedi knight named Bastila Shan. 

        Luckily, Bastila had already made her way to the escape pods, so the player and Trask follow suit. However, Trask has to say goodbye, as he fends off a Sith apprentice named Darth Bandon, allowing the player to join another Republic soldier named Carth Onasi at the escape pods, and the two take the last pod and escape to Taris. Regrouping in an abandoned apartment in the Upper City of Taris, the player and Carth make their way to the Lower City, where they meet Gadon Thek, leader of a swoop bike gang called the Hidden Beks. Gadon reveals that the Beks rivals, the Black Vulkars, located the other Endar Spire escape pods in the Undercity, and they took Bastila as a hostage and plan to put her up as part of the victory prize for the Taris swoop race. Gadon offers to represent the player and have them race for the Beks...with a catch: recover a prototype accelerator that the Vulkars stole from the Beks. As for how to sneak into the Vulkars base? Traverse through the sewers in the Undercity with help from a teenage Twi'lek named Mission Vao. 

        So, the player and Carth meet Mission in the Undercity, where she asks for help in saving her Wookiee companion Zaalbar in exchange for getting the player into the Vulkars base. Zaalbar was captured by Gammorean thugs and taken to their camp in the sewers. Eesh. So, along with Mission and Carth, the player fights through Gammorean thugs and creatures known as Rakghouls, and they safely rescue Zaalbar, who swears a life-debt to them. Next, is onto the Vulkars base, which is guarded by a Rancor. After getting past the massive beast, and fighting through dozens of Vulkars including Kandon Ark, the player recovers the prototype accelerator and returns it to Gadon. As promised, the player races for the Beks, and goes on to win the top prize. Unfortunately, the Vulkars leader, and Gadon's traitorous former protege, Brejik reveals that the player used the prototype accelerator and thus cheated, and the Vulkars withdraw their share of the prize. Bastila, however, uses the Force to escape and works with the player to deal with the Vulkars, including Brejik. 

        The next day, the player works with Bastila, Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar to find a way off of Taris. Luckily, a Mandalorian merc named Canderous Ordo has a plan: steal the Ebon Hawk, a freighter under the ownership of crime boss Davik Kang, and fly off of Taris. Unfortunately, the Sith blockade is a problem. The solution? Break into the Sith base on Taris, steal the Taris launch codes, and then steal the Ebon Hawk. How to break onto the Sith base? With the help of a utility droid called T3-M4, who is on hold in a droid shop run by Janice Nall. At the cost of some Credits, the player acquires T3, and he helps break past the door codes onto the Sith base. After fighting several troops, droids, and a Sith acolyte, the player recovers the launch codes, and meets Canderous in the Lower City cantina, where Canderous takes them, along with an ally of the players' choosing, to Davik's estate. 

       Aboard a Sith flagship called the Leviathan, Darth Malak orders a complete orbital bombardment of Taris, thus preventing Bastila from escaping. At Davik's estate, the player and his allies, including Canderous, fight through thugs and droids, acquire the access codes to the Ebon Hawk hangar, and fight off both Davik and his associate Calo Nord. Davik dies from the bombardment, and Calo is buried in rubble before being able to set off a thermal detonator. The player and his allies escape the devastation of Taris aboard the Ebon Hawk, destroy a few Sith fighters, and escape to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. 

       Back on Taris, Bastila suggested that the player could potentially be Force Sensitive, and the Jedi Council on Dantooine confirms this to be the case, and begin the player's tutelage in the ways of the Jedi. And, much like how the player chose between either a Soldier, Scout, or Scoundrel, here the player gets another choice: Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, or Jedi Consular. This choice is also a part of choice of lightsaber color: Blue for Guardians, Yellow for Sentinels, or Green for Consulars. Of course, there are other colors too, like Violet and Red, but that's beside the point. Once the player has their lightsaber, and a few Force abilities, it's time for one final test: cleanse a nearby Meditation Grove from a taint of the Dark Side, which is causing aggression amongst local Kath hound packs. 

        The cause of the dark taint is a fallen Jedi named Juhani. And after a brief duel, the player can either kill Juhani (bad idea), or give her a chance at redemption (good idea), and allow her to return to the Enclave and rejoin the Jedi. Either way, the test is passed, and the player is officially a Jedi Padawan. Next up: explore some nearby Ancient Ruins once visited by Revan and Malak. Inside the ruins are three ancient droids, two ancient consoles, and an ancient Star Map. The Star Map was left there by an ancient race that once ruled the galaxy with a massive factory called the Star Forge, which itself is powered by the Dark Side. Unfortunately, the Star Map doesn't show the location of the Star Forge itself, but four planets with Star Maps: Tattooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban (which in official Canon has been renamed Moraband). 

        Reporting the discovery to the Council, they task the player with locating the Star Forge so it can be destroyed, as it's clearly the source of Malak's Sith armada. Joining the player will be Bastila, Carth, Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, T3, and Juhani (if the player spared her). So, it's off to one of four planets: Tattooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, or Korriban. The order of visitation doesn't matter, but I do recommend the following order: Kashyyyk, Manaan, Tattooine, and then Korriban. 

        Now, before we get into the bulk of the story, I want to talk about the combat, leveling system, and morality system of Knights of the Old Republic. The combat and leveling system are both heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, in that combat is turn based, and leveling is based on attributes, skills, feats, and Force powers. Also, certain weapon proficiencies are required to use certain weapons. Otherwise, the player can't equip said weapon for use. In other words, you can't equip a non-Jedi with a lightsaber, as they won't have the required weapon proficiency. Also, droids are only able to be equipped with blasters and droid-specific weapons, and cannot use melee weapons such as swords. The morality system is entirely based on player choices. Good choices can gain Light Side points, while bad ones can gain Dark Side points. Accumulated Light Side/Dark Side points will affect player alignment, and will dictate the ending the player gets at the end of the game. And, this is a big part of what made Knights of the Old Republic so beloved: being able to choose your path: one of the Light Side or one of the Dark Side. Now, according to several sources in regards to Knights of the Old Republic canon, the player character was intended to be a Light Side male, but it's entirely player preference. 

        And, now, let's get to the main bulk of the story for Knights of the Old Republic: collecting the Star Maps and locating the Star Forge. And, to do so, we must visit the following planets: Kashyyyk, Manaan, Tattooine, and Korriban. 

        On Kashyyyk, the player learns that Zaalbar was exiled as a mad-claw for attacking his brother, Chuundar, over the latter aiding Czerka Corporation in enslaving the Wookiees. Heading into the Shadowlands, the player meets an old Jedi named Jolee Bindo, who guides them to the Star Map, and also helps find Freyyr, father of Zaalbar and Chuundar, and helps regain a sacred Wookiee relic, Bacca's blade, from a beast known as a terentatek. And, as for whom to side with, the player can suggest Zaalbar side with Chuundar, meaning the enslavement of Wookiees will continue (bad idea), or side with Freyyr and held end Wookiee enslavement for good (good idea). 

      On Manaan, the player helps recover a data module from a Republic droid taken by the Sith, who have also been abducting some of the native Selkath youths and training them in the ways of the Dark Side. By helping the Selkath youths turn away from the Sith, and proving to the Ahto City court of wrongdoings by the Sith, the player is absolved of wrongdoing. Back at the Republic Embassy, representative Roland Wann reveals to the player that the Republic and some Selkath set up an underwater base on the Hrakert Rift, where the base can mine kolto, a healing substance and Manaan's signature export, directly. However, something awoke and caused the Selkath on the base to turn hostile, along with a school of Firaxan sharks. What happened to awaken? A massive Firaxan shark known as the Progenitor. Unfortunately, the Progenitor is guarding the path to the Star Map. How to get past? Either plug a vile toxin into the mining machine, thus killing her (bad idea), or overload the mining machine and destroy it, saving her (good idea). Now, if the player chose the toxin, the Ahto City court will forbid the player from entering Auto City. So, it's better to overload the machine and destroy it. 

      On Tattooine, the player assists Czerka Corporation from a barrage of attacks from the Tuskens. One option is to simply kill all of the Tuskens (bad idea), or go through a more elaborate way that involves minimal bloodshed (good idea). What's the more elaborate plan? Acquire a translation droid, HK-47, from a local droid shop, collect some Tusken robes as a disguise, and offer a peaceful solution with the Tusken chieftain, who requests a set of moisture vaporators, which can be purchased at the Czerka office. With the vaporators in hand, the chieftain hands over his gaffi stick as thanks, allows the player to release two sets of prisoners, a group of Jawas, and a Twi'lek named Griff, who is Mission's brother and a bit of a slime ball. As for the Star Map? It's deeper in the Dune Sea, in a cave housing a Krayt Dragon. Kill the dragon, and get past it and collect the Star Map, as well as a holocron belonging to Bastila's late father. 

        On Korriban, the player must pose as a prospective Sith initiate, and gain prestige with Sith Academy master Uthar Wynn to gain access to the Tomb of Naga Sadow. How to gain prestige? Understand the Code of the Sith, and work on collecting artifacts and holocrons from throughout the Tombs of Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos, and Tulak Hord. Upon achieving enough prestige, it's off to the Tomb of Naga Sadow, where the player collects the Star Map and a ceremonial Sith lightsaber, and can choose to either kill Uthar (good idea) or his apprentice Yuthura Ban (bad idea). If the player kills Uthar, he can either kill Yuthura (bad idea), convince her to rejoin the Jedi (good idea, but it does lead to having to fight off every Sith on Korriban), or spare her and allow her to take over the Sith Academy (good idea, and with no fighting). 

        Now, one thing that Knights of the Old Republic was heavily praised for was the character driven side quests. For instance, there's a side quest involving Mission's brother Griff, a side mission involving Bastila's mother Helena, a side mission involving Carth's son Dustil, and a side mission involving an old friend of Jolee's named Sunry. Some of these side missions are unlocked with further conversations with allies, and others are simply introduced by sheer happenstance. There are also a few romantic side plots that are entirely based on the player's choice. For instance, female players can unlock a romantic side plot with Carth, while male players only get a single romantic side plot with Bastila. And, for male players, that romance becomes very important later on in the game. 

        Throughout the game, there are two confrontations: first is with Calo Nord, who survived the devastation of Taris, and second is with Darth Bandon, who survived the destruction of the Endar Spire. But, after visiting three planets and collecting their Star Maps, the Ebon Hawk is captured by the Leviathan, where Admiral Saul Karath reveals that the Sith bombarded Dantooine, destroying the Jedi Enclave, and Malak is on board. With the aide of one of their allies (Jolee, Juhani, Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, T3, or HK), the player, Carth, and Bastila are released, fight their way to the Bridge, kill Admiral Karath, and face Malak on the way back to the Ebon Hawk. 

         Now, a wise man once said that "every great story ever told can be broken up into three distinct parts: the beginning, the middle, and the twist." And, oh boy, does Knights of the Old Republic have one hell of a twist. Apparently, the player character has been none other than Revan, Malak's former Master, the entire time. Yes, apparently the Jedi strike team, led by Bastila, saw that Revan survived Malak's attack, barely alive, but Bastila spared them with the Force, thus creating a Force bond between herself and Revan. The Jedi Council repaired Revan's mind, but reprogrammed it with a new identity: that of someone loyal to the Republic they once betrayed. After a fight with Malak, Revan is given a chance to escape when Bastila holds off Malak, allowing Carth and Revan to rejoin the rest of the Ebon Hawk crew. After fending off a few Sith fighters, it's on to the next destination. But, a massive conversation is needed first. 

        In the main hold of the Ebon Hawk, Carth and the player reveal the player's true identity: Revan. Mission and Zaalbar ask if the player remembers their past as Revan, and are relieved when the player reveals that they only get a handful of flashes and nothing more. Mission and Zaalbar stay loyal to Revan, as they are loyal to who Revan is at this point, not who they were in the past. Canderous stays loyal to Revan, having a respect from the Mandalorian Wars, and Jolee already know Revan's true identity, and stays loyal. T3 sticks with Revan, and HK reveals that Revan was his original master, and upon his return to Revan's side, HK's previously deactivated assassination protocols are reactivated. Juhani also reveals that it was Revan that convinced her to become a Jedi when she was younger, and thus she also stays loyal to Revan. With the rest of the crew voicing their confidence, Carth agrees to see the task through to the end and stays by Revan's side. 

       Upon collecting the final Star Map, it's off to the Star Forge, which is drawing its energy from the sun above Rakata Prime. The Ebony Hawk is damaged by a disruptor field emanating from Rakata Prime, so Revan has to shut it down and pick up some parts to fix the Ebon Hawk.  So Revan, along with a couple of his allies, meet with a Rakatan tribe known as the Elders, who helped Revan in the past, but Revan betrayed the Elders. To know if Revan's newfound conviction is true, the Elders ask Revan to rescue one of their own from another Rakatan camp led by The One. Revan accomplishes this, and the Elders agree to send Revan into the temple alone. But, Jolee and Juhani have a Force vision, indicating that they need to go into the temple with Revan, who has the Elders agree to allow the trio to enter together. After fighting through droids and Dark Jedi, Revan, Juhani, and Jolee reach the top of the temple, and the worst has come to pass: Bastila joined the Dark Side and is Malak's new apprentice. 

        After a brief fight with Revan and the others, Bastila flees to the Star Forge, Revan shuts down the disruptor field and the energy field locking down the temple, and returns with Juhani and Jolee to the Ebon Hawk, which gets fixed and back into the air, and joins the Republic fleet, and a few Jedi ships, on an assault on the Star Forge. Inside, Revan and his allies fight through more droids, Sith troops, and Dark Jedi. But, it's down to two major confrontations that Revan must make alone: Bastila and Malak. First, with Bastila, there's a fight, which ends with Revan choosing to either end Bastila or redeem her. By the way, when playing as a Light Side male, this is where Revan and Bastila finally embrace their love for each other, and it's that love that redeems Bastila in the end. As for Malak, Revan is in a tough battle, but is victorious nonetheless. 

        Now, this is where the morality system and player choices come into play. If the player chose a Light Side path, the Star Forge is destroyed and Revan and their allies are hailed as heroes of the Republic. If the player chose a Dark Side path, then Malak is defeated, the Republic fleet is crushed, and Revan is the Dark Lord once more, with Bastila at their side. So, play carefully, and make sure you get the ending you prefer. 

           Overall, Knights of the Old Republic is a truly immersive Star Wars gaming experience that is a "once in a lifetime" title. The gameplay is awesome, the voice performances, such as Jennifer Hale as Bastila, Rafael Sbarge as Carth, Courtenay Taylor as Johani, Kevin Michael Richardson as Jolee, Catherine Taber as Mission, and so forth. And, the many Star Wars worlds both new and familiar are truly immersive and amazing to look at. I cannot recommend this game enough. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I will see you guys in the next review. And, yes, I do have plans to review the sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, which was the 2004 game Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. But, that's going to probably drop sometime in the next month or so.