Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC) review "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away where the BioWare name meant something..."

We have had many Star Wars games in recent years. Surely some good, but most not so much. Many leave us unsatisfied wanting more. A deeper story perhaps, a time period untouched by the typical star wars fare, or maybe just the ability to wield a lightsaber for any side of the force. By this time many readers have no doubt heard of Star Wars: The Old Republic. By all rights a successful MMO to be sure. Many of you however may not have heard of one of its predecessors, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; a game published by BioWare in its heyday. I've recently rediscovered this game in the form of its Android release (something I hope you all can forgive me for, not having the proper classification in this review). I remember first playing this game many years ago as a young boy--perhaps not at the urging of my father but rather that he sent me a copy of the game--and having very fond memories. I'm happy to say that after all these years those memories do not disappoint.

I'll refrain from talking about the story too much here as the game is officially 15 years old at the time of this review. Suffice it to say that it's the stuff of Star Wars fans dreams. A mysterious past and a promise to build your own future, for good and bad. A plot set 4000 years before episode one, and yes, the ability to be as good or as evil as you see fit. You start off by selecting a character with one of three classes: the soldier, scout, or scoundrel. The soldier is your average bruiser, focusing heavily on combat oriented skills. The scout, a more rounded class focusing less on blowing stuff up and more on weapons oriented feats. Last but not least we have the scoundrel, perhaps closer to the typical rogue archetype in the average role playing game. Focused on deception and combat from stealth. You get a chance to expand your class later on in the game, but I'll leave that for you to discover on your own.


The controls are a joy to work with. After less than an hour with the game I almost felt like it was built for a touch screen. Far better than the console variant to be sure; No longer are there any clunky button presses or menus to be had. Everything is now literally at your fingertips, and more intuitive than ever.


Like many BioWare games KOTOR uses a real-time with pause combat system that seems to translate perfectly to a mobile port. On smaller displays the menus may seem a little cumbersome and button presses less than accurate, but even with my larger than average fingers and smaller than average phone screen I've gotten along just fine. The one time I've had trouble with this is on the level up screen, where the tiles and text for perks seems *just* a little too small.

The big advantage of having this mobile port is just that; being able to play anywhere, anytime, and be involved with the game as much or as little as you choose to be. Many of us longed in years past for deep meaningful gaming experiences on the go that just couldn't be had with the likes of the Gameboy, and to some degree the DS or PSP. With great games such as KOTOR, Icewind Dale, and Baldurs Gate coming to mobile phones and the Nintendo Switch gaining as much traction as it has, those experiences are now available to anyone who knows where to look.

All in all, I find this a great port for an already excellent game. Definitely worth the 10 dollar price tag for veterans to the series looking for another playthrough, those who may not have had a chance the first time around, and anyone in between. Featuring a rich story with many choices to be made that lend heavily to replayability, dozens of hours of gameplay, and one of the best plot twists of the last few generations. If you're a fan of Star Wars or crave a deeper than most gaming experience on the go, I urge you to try out Knights of the Old Republic. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

Community review by MirdBird (July 28, 2018) Zeph White is a chef and avid gamer. He's been known to play just about anything but is most at home on his Switch or PS4 with a good RPG.