![]() ![]() BioWare’s new presentation style heavily utilized pre-rendered and in-engine cutscenes. With Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare established a cinematic focus as one of the major genre expressions of contemporary AAA/blockbuster “Western” RPGs, contrasting with the sandbox style of Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series (where the previous year’s Morrowind was an early pillar). Knights of the Old Republic adapted and adjusted familiar Star Wars iconography and narrative themes to a new timeline far away from the mainstream corporate canon. Simultaneously, KotOR was a bridge in BioWare’s concept of roleplaying game design with Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II on one side and Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age (which hewed slightly closer to the older games’ setting and gameplay) on the other. While there have been exemplary efforts since (like Obsidian’s unfinished excellent sequel Knights of the Old Republic II-The Sith Lords and the recent Disney+ series Andor ), BioWare’s classic has seldom been matched by Star Wars in any format since its release. ![]() Other experiences expanded my perspective, but Knights of the Old Republic set a firm baseline of expectation for role-playing games, which I came to see as the core game genre before its components were grafted onto every mass market shooter. Born too late to come up on Baldur’s Gate (my only brief experience was Dark Alliance ), this is where BioWare got their hooks in me. KotOR and its sequel sit alongside the original trilogy in defining this franchise for me-potential, related disappointments, and occasional surprises. I remember the surprise and excitement of watching the opening crawl. ![]() I remember seeing the game on my dad’s desk and opening the case, reading the manual, puzzling over this potential new Star Wars experience. 20 years after its first release, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ( KotOR ) remains among the best things to come out of Lucasfilm’s sprawling space fantasy franchise. ![]()
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