By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Star Wars fans recently celebrated a milestone: the 20th anniversary of Knights of the Old Republic II. When the game first came out, it was criticized by fans and reviewers alike for being an incomplete story that couldn’t quite live up to the majesty of the first game. While it still stands in the shadow of its predecessor, KOTOR II is now celebrated by fans who have lovingly restored much of the cut content, and the game’s narrative influenced the Disney era of Star Wars in many ways, including the storytelling of The Acolyte.
The story of Knights Of The Old Republic II
what is Knights of the Old Republic II But approximately? In this game, you take on the role of a Jedi exile who has been cut off from the Force after committing a brutally decisive act in the war against the Mandalorians. Along the way, you’ll meet a shady mentor and a motley crew of supporting characters, and you’ll need all their help in the fight against two powerful new Sith Lords who dream of taking over everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away.
That was back then Knights of the Old Republic II The protagonist upset some fans because they assumed players would pick up where the first game left off. In the first title – beware of spoilers if you’ve never played these games before! – You play an amnesiac character who is later revealed to be Darth Revan, a fearsome Sith Lord whose mind was wiped out by the Jedi and used as a weapon against his former apprentice Darth Malak. The reveal is arguably the best Star Wars plot twist since the reveal that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, and it still hits harder than most franchise reveals before or since.
The change in protagonist was off-putting to some fans, while others were upset by it Knights of the Old Republic II Some of the most ambitious content has been shortened in order to be released in retail in time for the holiday season. Why is the game so much more popular today than before? For one thing, fans have been working hard to modify the game and restore much of its lost content. This helped fans better understand the game’s epic plot and its wide variety of morally cruel characters, and it also helped them enjoy the game in a whole new way.
Grayscale in Star Wars
Speaking of which, the moral ambiguity of characters like Kreia means this Knights of the Old Republic II adds much-needed depth to the Star Wars universe. This fictional galaxy has long been populated by characters who are cartoonishly good or evil, and while this added to the archetypal charm of the original trilogy, such one-dimensional heroes and villains were already worn out in the prequel trilogy and seemed completely played out of that Time when the sequel trilogy came out. Audience demand for more complex characters is a big reason for this Andor is so beloved and worth celebrating that KOTOR II gave us this level of complexity almost two decades ago Andor blew us all away.
Speaking of the Disney era of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II had a surprisingly direct influence on the controversial series The Acolyte. Showrunner Leslye Headland previously confirmed that she was inspired by the character Kreia, and while she didn’t elaborate further, it’s fair to assume that Kreia influenced the design of Qimir, a villain who expresses her disdain for the Jedi and shares her skepticism about the way these space wizards define both the light and dark sides. Such open criticism of the on-screen Jedi seemed overdue, especially since we haven’t had much of it since KOTOR II came out first.
Everything fans want from modern Star Wars
Far too many people didn’t know it then, but in 2004 Knights of the Old Republic II gave us almost everything that the modern era of Star Wars lacks. We had original heroes who had nothing to do with the Skywalker clan, complex villains even more compelling than Darth Vader, and a story with more shades of gray than the inside of the Death Star. Add to that the gameplay is equally incredible and you have a title that remains one of the most refreshing Star Wars content ever created.
Knights of the Old Republic II isn’t a perfect game, but it does something modern Star Wars hardly ever does: take big risks and take big swings from start to finish. At a time when the franchise can do almost nothing other than try out familiar characters to evoke our nostalgia, this game tried something bold and new and was largely successful. It’s been 20 years now, but this title from a long, long time ago is still worth checking out for any fans who want to remember why they fell in love with the greatest sci-fi franchise in film history.