Release date: December 6, 2004

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Publisher: Lucas Arts

Platforms: Windows, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

 

“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II greatness is truly underappreciated as it is often overshadowed by the more mainstream first title and associated with a suboptimal launch that was marred by bugs, technical issues, and cut content. It took years of hard work and dedication from the passionate community members to finally give the game treatment it deserves. So the players would fully enjoy this marvel, a hidden gem in the Star Wars universe game library which has no analogs in terms of depth of story writing and character development.”

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Developing the sequel to a game from a different developer which won several “Game of the Year” awards is not an easy task. Back then Obsidian Entertainment was a newly created studio founded by Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, and Chris Jones. But despite those big names, who were the core team of Black Isle Studios and the soul of the heavy-hitter RPGs including Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Fallout 2, the new team had a lot to prove. Other than delivering the highest quality successor of one of the most important RPGs of the new era, Obsidian was also tasked to do that in a very limited time.

 

The game takes place five years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic (Kotor) and 4,000 years before the first episode of the Star Wars saga. The player's character is a former Jedi Knight exiled from the Jedi Order, and referred to as "The Exile" or "Jedi Exile". Although it is not crucial playing the original game to understand the happenings of the sequel, nevertheless it is desirable as the two stories have connections through big-picture events, locations, and characters that encounter during the course of the game. With that said players who are not familiar with the first title shall be able to enjoy the game, as Kotor II is a standalone self-sufficient story of its own and developers tried their best to minimize the burden of the first title lore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The comparison between Kotor and Kotor II is an inevitable, complex, and interesting topic. Are these games truly different from each other? The answer is: yes and no. The core gameplay, user interface, skills and abilities tree, map navigation, interactions with NPC, and environments transferred from the first game to the second with little adjustments but no noticeable changes. Those who played the original game shall have a jump start within a familiar game ecosystem. The player takes on the role of Jedi who travels from planet to planet, fights enemies on his way, develops his connection to the force, and communicates with other NPC along the way. The game features real-time combat with pause, which may feel clunky at times. Skill progression and ability tree are straightforward to understand, with most of the skills responsible for out-of-combat interactions such as computer proficiency, security, and persuasion with abilities (force and non-force) responsible for combat execution with few exceptions.

 

Nonetheless, the whole atmosphere, emotional tone, approach to character design, plot emphasis, and philosophical topics behind those games are different. Kotor is in line with the classic space opera theme Light vs Dark and the epic feeling, while Kotor II tells a story of a broken man in a broken world. The feeling of loneliness and despair is perfectly reflected by the game events, and characters as the Exile throughout the game shall find himself either in unfriendly environments or outright hostile ones. The player never feels secure and safe in this game. This approach gives a fresh perspective on the Star Wars universe game world and narrative building, no wonder the lead writer and designer of this game Chris Avellone would be invited as a writer for another recent successful Star Wars title Jedi Fallen Order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The companion core system is the same as in the original game. During the course of the game, the player shall encounter different characters who shall join the Exile on his journey. The companions aid the player in battles and provide information and insights about the events of the game during the travels. Each character is a unique personality, with complex background and motivations. They can react to your actions in the game positively or negatively considering the circumstances. It may seem that they join the Exile character solely to pursue their own goals, but it only seems that way… What is more interesting is that player’s actions directly influence companions’ disposition, behavior, and views. Certainly, some characters make an impression of being light-sided, others – dark-sided but it is up to the player, to lead by example and to shape your companions’ views and disposition. There are romance options and committing to certain characters may lock you out from communication with the romance rival. Another worth-mentioning fact is that the gender of your character influences your character’s interaction not only with companions but with other key story-related NPCs as well as even the available companions.

 

The choice between the light side and the dark side is one of the vital threads of the plot. During smaller local encounters the players most often than not shall be offered with a choice of being a good guy by making light side decisions or being a bloodthirsty psychopath by making dark side decisions. As in the original game being evil is not associated with a cold, selfish, calculating, mean thug but rather a sadist who is living to cause unstoppable violence around him. Despite that, no matter which side the player shall pick during the playthrough the general plot is far greyer than in other Star Wars games including the original game. It deals with the galaxy universe big picture events to a lesser extent but rather focuses on the player’s character internal struggles and his place in this world which makes it more of a personal experience.

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Despite the before mentioned character-focused drama approach external conflict is also thought out in a deep and refined way. There are several main antagonists in the game and their visual design, background, personalities, and combat sequences are vastly different. What is more interesting is that while they are at the height of their power they also have their struggles. The price they paid for the power they attained proved too high and in some respect could become the reason for their eventual downfall which is hinted at the game events. This lust for power is one of the themes of Kotor II and obvious parallels with real life can be drawn.

 

From the technical point of view, the lone category in which Kotor II truly excelled is the original soundtrack which is epic, dark and perfectly supports the game’s atmosphere. It feels very Star Wars at its core but with additional suspense flavor. Graphically the sequel improved on the original game visuals but still even back then in 2004 they were nothing special, as the small under-40 men development team focused on game design rather than technology. The game’s initial release was a rushed one as the game was released in a half-baked state with plenty of bugs and tons of cut content. Right now it is not an issue anymore as the game’s community helped to fix the bugs and restore the cut content. Interestingly, Kotor II achieved cult status and was ported both to Android/IOs and even Nintendo Switch which could do wonders for this Star Wars Old Republic franchise branch in long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II greatness is truly underappreciated as it is often overshadowed by the more mainstream first title and associated with a suboptimal launch that was marred by bugs, technical issues, and cut content. It took years of hard work and dedication from the passionate community members to finally give the game treatment it deserves. So the players would fully enjoy this marvel, a hidden gem in the Star Wars universe game library which has no analogs in terms of depth of story writing and character development.

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Strong points:

• A fresh take on the Star Wars universe game worldview avoiding the most aggressive cliche.

• The themes of the story are deep and personal, and the overall dark atmosphere of the game enhances this feel.

• Great depth of character writing in comparison with the original game avoiding light characters cliché and focusing on the misfits’ theme of the companions. Game protagonist and companions shape each other in many ways.

• Robust antagonist writing and the concept behind them is very clear and powerful. They are different but share the same thing – their initial strength is bound to become their weakness.

• Supporting cast and the planets’ encounters perfectly complement the overall tone of the game.

 

Weak points:

• The main portion of the game fills a bit linear and somewhat predictable, the dramatic tension is disrupted after finishing each planet as the player needs to start over the same process again.

 

This couldn’t be any different. Just one word. Kreia. The whole design of this character is just out of the world and I would go as far as calling her one of the most charismatic and powerful characters in the game’s history. From the very first encounter of finding Kreia’s “body” on Peragus to the revelations at the very end on Malachor V, each moment is meaningful and exciting. Kreia has a complex personality and strong beliefs and she immediately lets the player know about this from their first interactions after she wakes up from the dead. That is one of the reasons that she may appear as an unlikeable character, especially in comparison with Atton Rand who is also found in the Peragus mining facility. She blatantly clinches into every conversation expressing her very important opinion trying forcefully influence the player’s character and setting herself in a mentor role right from the start. Kreia is an intriguing character and different people can have different perspectives regarding her views and personality. One may look forward to the first chance to ditch her and lock her out, while someone may not sympathize with her views but still find debates and conversations with this character interesting and insightful. Others shall embrace the role of her student and follow her wisdom.

 

Mentor and student relationship is one of the main melodies of not only the Exile and Kreia relationship song but rather the whole game’s symphony. Despite being an extremely powerful jedi and adept force user Kreia hates force, she despises everything connected to force and there is nothing worse in the world than someone abusing their force power to determine the destiny of others. Kreia is sith but feels nothing but hatred for Darth Sion, Darth Nihilus, and Atris as the force became the essential source of life for them, and life itself. They lost themselves in pursuit of power to the extent that if they turn away from the force, they shall die. Something that Kreia sees as an ultimate weakness. The Exile was cut from the force but still found a way to survive, to live, and to follow his path, that is what Kreia sees as the real strength. The Exile becomes a symbol of everything that Kreia cherishes, one would go as far as could say that she loves him in a way even though the Exile is just another tool to achieve her objective. She passes the valuable knowledge, guides, and mentors the Exile throughout the journey, but at times she is never hesitant to give him the tough love to test his limits to challenge him in the most extreme ways. As for other characters, Kreia sees them as disposable material, tools who are drawn to the Exile. She uses them, manipulates, and belittles them. The difference in how Kreia reacts to the Exile and other characters is consistent and another point for the narrative design of the game.

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One could argue that Kreia being the main antagonist is somewhat predictable as her cryptic shadowy personality and shrouded past heavily hint throughout the game toward that possibility. And with each visit to the new planet, the suspicion shall be only enhanced. But the game doesn’t even try to hide the importance of this character, moreover, if the player passes certain checks he can discover very early the real identity of Kreia. Kotor II doesn’t try to impress you with some kind of groundbreaking twist but rather takes the player by the hand and lets him enjoy the flow of the ride naturally. As even the in the last Exile conversation with Kreia when the Exile asks Kreia what is so special about him, she answers that there is no secret revelation or mysterious reason why the Exile is destined to do what he does. It is just the way things are, and this is truly beautiful one of the most powerful lines in game history.