Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [Review]

Years ago, while I was still a Prime member, somewhere hidden in the depths of hell, I mean, Amazon, were digital licenses distributed for the subscribers of (at the time) Twitch Prime Gaming or something. Although I never really downloaded anything from them, I still redeemed the games, because you never know, right?

Now, 2026, not a subscriber anymore, and I am remembered about this service because of an app on my current Linux computer: Heroic Games Launcher can list, display and install everything from hell– sorry, I mean, Amazon, and it works like a charm. Buried in my library, between a shovelware and a retro fighting game, there it was: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (and the second, too!).

KOTOR was always somewhat around me. Growing up, I remember playing a lot of it on my family's computer, but progress was daunting at the time. After replaying it now, I can see that I've gotten as far as the second star map, about, what, 50% of the game. There were places that I entered, but never finished. Others that I've done more than once because they were easier to understand. I decided, then, to finally play the game as grown up and finish it properly.

Amazon's version was... something. Although it was very easy to mod controller support for it, the widescreen mod isn't applicable because I've installed through a compatibility layer on Linux. But I played on a big TV, so the 4:3 aspect ratio wasn't actually that bad, and the resolution could scale properly to 2878 × 2160.

It doesn't take long to understand why the writing in the Knights of the Old Republic is so good, even if it starts full of tropes. The playable character is really a blank slate, with a short backstory and a curious case of forgetfulness.

After a big attack on a Republic ship that I was in, I find myself partnered with the Republic Soldier Carth, in a mission to find Bastilla, a Jedi with incredible powers that was stranded somewhere on the city planet of Taris.

More than anything, KOTOR is an RPG and cleverly uses the "light side" "dark side" alignments of Star Wars as a gauge of player decisions, and from the very beginning it is important to talk with everyone having those goals in mind. Conversations are surprisingly deep, with character not always available for the Protagonist, and choices that don't show their consequences at the moment of choosing, unlike more modern RPGs.

So it is required an unexpectedly high amount of reading and interpretation when doing some choices. Of course that "I'm a hutt in human form and I'm poised to destroy the Republic" will lean me to the Dark Side, but some interactions are way more nuanced, mostly with the stellar cast of party characters.

The visuals of the game have some kind of... crunch and texture to it. The maps aren't big by any means, but most of them are big enough, with shops and NPCs scattered throughout as well as a wide array of similar looking Cantinas across the galaxy. Knights of the Old Republic adds some clever mini games throughout the planets, with most being fun and story related, even with quests attached to them from time to time.

Winning a podrace tournament in a planet may result in special dialogue and interactions in another – and this synchrony between the side activities and the main progression is one of the best implemented in any RPG. The worldbuilding does feel reactive not only to the choices I'd made, but also their consequences.

As the game progresses, the quality of writing only improves. Almost every side character has some kind of a strong personal flaw, regardless of their ethical alignment inside the Force. Carth Onasi, the ex soldier, doesn't know how to trust others. Bastilla Shan, one of the galaxy' strongest Jedi, has doubts about herself and the Force. Mission Vao is too naive and can't face reality, while her lifelong friend and partner, the wookie Zaalbar, was exiled from his home planet of Kashyyyk for reasons that he simply won't share.

Understanding these characters is key to progress on their storylines, and it was surprisingly fun how they also interact with each other, in some brief but endearing conversations that often happen between them and are presented in cutscenes without the protagonist input. KOTOR creates a livable and interesting world not with cutting edge visuals of today standards, but with rewarding and reactive writing that is timeless and unique.

The game isn't ugly, but it isn't a looker as well, due to the overall tone being bit dull, with some exceptions. The battle, though, is always fun to watch, with lightsabers reacting accordingly, and acrobatics that really remind the Prequel Trilogy from the early 2000s.

Each character could be leveled up as I wanted, but their Classes are set and cannot be changed, so there's some limitation with the party members. The game was clearly designed with characters that won't be able to do everything, so each run can feel unique depending on the choices made. Still, some traits and attributes are way better than others, and playing the game without any form of persuasion doesn't even seem to be feasible for me (but I know it is!).

The progression in the game is somewhat non-linear, with several moments that gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted, even returning to other planets if I needed to. No fast travel means lots of walking, but the said party members conversations can only happen while exploring the game, so even walking around felt rewarding. It is one of those games that a bit of text and dialogue feels like a major reward. No intrusive quest markers make paying attention that more important to know where to go next as well.

As the game goes, more and more characters enter the party, like the recluse but passionate "ex" jedi Jolee Bindo, that needs some insistence with persuasion to be befriended and the evil – but hilariously sassy – droid HK-47, that can be cured of his missing memory cores if I have enough repair skill. I can't overstate how unique and awesome the party members in this game are, not only when compared to other RPGs, but also with Star Wars in general. It is a colorful and brilliant cast.

Because each character has a different class, it is often required to wear many different hats while traversing through the galaxy. The combat may seem real time, but it actually isn't: each character can have 4 queued abilities, and the turn "rolls" a dice for these abilities. The game can be paused (both automatically in the end of the turn and with user input) at any time, so while managing three characters and their queues can be haptic, pausing helps a lot to better plan the encounters. It works well with a DualSense controller, but I needed to use a mod to make it work with the Amazon version of the game.

Building the mystery of the war that weakened the republic some years ago is as poignant as why the Jedi Council feels so standoffish about me and my quest. Everything builds up to a revolutionary series of narrative twists that begs a second play-through of the game just to see the other side.

What Bioware Corp and LucasArts created with Knights of the Old Republic is the best story that any Star Wars media have ever had outside (some) of the movies and TV Series, with a strong cast of characters, fun mini games, decent exploration and average – but serviceable – battles. It is a believable time capsule of what scale used to be without sacrificing a pristine narrative. For that, it is very much worth it, even in 2026.

9/10