Summary
The last five years have offeredStar Warsfans and gamers severalStar Warsgames, with Respawn Entertainment’sJedi: Fallen Orderarguably paving the way for more by redeeming the franchise’s name in the gaming industry. Last April saw the release ofJedi: Survivor, the sequel toJedi: Fallen Order, and although its performance didn’t quite live up to expectations, it nonetheless sustained the hope that the industry would see moreStar Warsgamesreleased that dared to innovate on an increasingly familiar world and formula. Massive Entertainment’sStar Wars Outlawsis the most recent attempt to do this, putting players in control of a non-Jedi antihero and offering players an experience they aren’t used to having in theStar Warsgaming space.
Now, that theStar Wars Jediseries andStar Wars Outlawshave allowed gamers to play as a Jedi and a non-Force-using scoundrel, respectively, there may not be a better time for the release of the highly anticipatedStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremake. Unlike mostStar Warsgames,KOTORpresents players with the opportunity to play as a character smitten with the dark side of the Force, so launching it sooner rather than later could finish whatOutlawsonly started by offering players a much darker way to play.
The KOTOR Remake Is Needed Now More Than Ever
The KOTOR Remake Would Allow Players to Play as a Sith
One of the key differences betweenStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicand otherStar Warsgames is that it allows players to explore the dark side of the Force.Star Wars Jedi: Survivorentertained this for a brief period in its third act by allowing players to"embrace the darkness"and go on a temporary dark side rampage. TheStar Wars: The Force Unleashedseries andStar Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sithalso gave players the option between light and dark side endings, but these choices only affected the outcome.KOTOR, on the other hand, lets players define their path throughout the game with its Alignment system, which is altered according to the choices they make.
Despite not being the onlygame to let players join the dark sideof the Force, no game has ever done it quite likeKOTOR. In light of that, now that gamers have had plenty of experience playing as a Jedi in theStar Wars Jediseries, and now an outlaw and scoundrel inStar Wars Outlaws, there’s a strong case for theKOTORremake to be released very soon, as it would allow players to once again experience what it feels like to be in full control of a Sith character in a video game.
Unfortunately, despite persistent confirmations thattheKOTORremake is “alive and well,“according to Saber Interactive’s CEO, it has had one of the most arduous game development cycles in recent memory. Much of this is likely exacerbated by the fact that theKOTORremake is so highly anticipated, so bad news of any kind can make the process seem like it has gone on longer than it actually has. Nevertheless, with very little to depend on in terms of concrete news, fear often creeps in that theKOTORremake will never see the light of day.
Assuming theKOTORremake truly is in an ongoing and healthy state of development,Star Wars Outlawsand theStar Wars Jediserieshave broken ground for its arrival, providing it with what is arguably its best time to launch — or at least provide fans with a more extensive reveal than the 2021 teaser. The option to play as a Sith in theKOTORremake is especially enticing now that players have had ample time to play as a Jedi and, more recently, a non-Jedi scoundrel.
