Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still exceptional 18 years later, and this new Switch port is the best version we’ve ever played.

88%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, grinding

91% User Score Based on 47,828 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 25 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is a canonical Star Wars RPG set in an untouched era, 4000 years before the Galactic Empire. As the last hope of the Jedi Order, you must master the Force, harnessing over 4

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic screenshot

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 47,853 reviews

story9.3k positive mentions

stability1.4k negative mentions

The story of 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' is widely praised for its rich narrative, memorable characters, and moral choices that lead to significant plot twists, making it a must-play for RPG enthusiasts and Star Wars fans.
The game's atmospheric soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule, enhances immersion and evokes the iconic Star Wars atmosphere, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth.
The replayability of 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' is highly regarded, with diverse character builds and branching storylines that encourage multiple playthroughs, offering new experiences each time.

The gameplay is criticized for being clunky and repetitive, with many missions feeling like fetch quests and significant backtracking through empty maps.
The graphics are considered dated, with clunky animations and glitches that detract from the overall experience, particularly on modern systems without mods.
The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and performance problems, which can significantly impact the enjoyment and accessibility of the game.

story
16,902 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The story of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is widely praised as one of the best in gaming, featuring a rich narrative filled with memorable characters, moral choices, and significant plot twists that keep players engaged throughout. Set thousands of years before the films, it allows for a fresh exploration of the Star Wars universe, with players navigating a compelling journey that can lead to different outcomes based on their decisions. Despite some dated gameplay mechanics and graphics, the storytelling remains a standout feature, making it a must-play for both RPG enthusiasts and Star Wars fans alike.
- “The endings are unique and driven by player decisions, and there are many interesting side quests that one can take to earn upgrades and manage relationships, like with Bastila's mother in whether to mend their past or not.”
- “Not only is this an exceptional story, one that could have easily made one of the greatest Star Wars films, but the freedom of choice truly augments the essence of this tale with incredible twists and turns.”
- “The story is so worthy as are the side quests.”
- “Story is very basic and linear.”
- “The story doesn't hold a candle to KOTOR but it still gives you plenty of the vibes from the original.”
- “The gameplay is so mind-numbingly boring, environments are repetitive, almost all missions are fetch quests, and there is just so much stupid backtracking through empty maps you just cleared.”
gameplay
5,034 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The gameplay of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" (KOTOR) has received mixed reviews, reflecting its age and mechanics. While many players appreciate the engaging story, character development, and the innovative use of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired mechanics, they also note that the gameplay can feel clunky and outdated, with turn-based combat that may not appeal to everyone. Some players find the combat system enjoyable and strategic, while others criticize it for being repetitive and simplistic. Overall, KOTOR is often recommended for its narrative depth and immersive world, despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “Kotor introduced a groundbreaking blend of real-time with pause combat and strategic decision-making, setting a new standard for RPG gameplay.”
- “Its engaging storytelling, memorable characters, and innovative gameplay mechanics have inspired countless RPGs and left an indelible mark on the genre as a whole.”
- “The gameplay flows seamlessly with the narrative, creating a cohesive experience that never feels disjointed.”
- “The gameplay is so mindnumbingly boring, environments are repetitive almost all missions are fetch quests and there is just so much stupid backtracking through empty maps you just cleared.”
- “I don't care how moved you are by the story, it mechanically isn't fun to play.”
- “The gameplay just feels like a chore to me and I want to like this game.”
graphics
4,724 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
66%
14%
The graphics of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its 2003 release. Many players note that while the visuals were impressive for their time, they now show significant age, with clunky animations and occasional graphical glitches. However, the game's strong narrative and character development often overshadow these graphical shortcomings, and numerous mods are available to enhance the visual experience for modern systems.
- “With a few mods to modernize the graphics and aspect ratio, it truly is a fantastic RPG from Bioware that withstood the test of time.”
- “While old now, when this came out it was groundbreaking in so many ways from the story to even the visuals in some ways.”
- “The graphics may be dated, but the art direction and world-building evoke wonder and adventure.”
- “The only flaws I can think of are the graphical limitations (somewhat remedied by mods) and occasional buggy jank.”
- “The graphics have not aged well and without mods it does not work well on PC.”
- “The graphics are clunky and glitchy.”
stability
1,470 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, character freezes, and various graphical glitches, particularly on modern systems. Many recommend saving often to mitigate the impact of these bugs, while some suggest using community patches or mods to improve stability. Overall, the game's technical issues significantly detract from the experience, making it challenging to recommend the Steam version without reservations.
- “No glitches, frozen screens, or cutouts!”
- “I can recommend the Xbox version with its backwards compatibility, utterly reliable and bug-free experience.”
- “This game still runs great on modern systems and the story is fantastic.”
- “I'd recommend checking out the guide of 'how to make your first playthrough more enjoyable' as there you'll find a community patch that I implore you to install, as the game is very unstable and buggy if played with the default Steam version.”
- “The other problem which is a little more concerning is that it is buggy and crashes a lot.”
- “This game is far too riddled with bugs, glitches, and crashes to deliver a fun gameplay experience.”
music
986 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
50%
2%
The music in "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is widely praised for its ability to evoke the iconic Star Wars atmosphere, featuring a sweeping orchestral score composed by Jeremy Soule that resonates with nostalgia and enhances immersion. Many players highlight specific tracks, such as those for the planets Dantooine and Manaan, as standout pieces that contribute significantly to the game's emotional depth and storytelling. While some critiques mention repetitive tracks and occasional audio mixing issues, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a major highlight, elevating the gaming experience to a classic status within the Star Wars franchise.
- “The game's atmospheric soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule, enhances the immersion, with sweeping orchestral scores that echo the grandeur of John Williams' iconic compositions.”
- “The music and atmosphere of this game alone is unmatched by any modern Star Wars media!”
- “The soundtrack is perfect, it evokes the right emotions at the right time, also being beautiful to listen to and really immersive, showing to the player the beauty of the light side or the chaos and how ominous the dark side is.”
- “Probably the most annoying thing I found was that the game's music would cut out while the loading screen to a sub-area was up and it always felt jarring.”
- “I think the other thing about the music is that you hear so many of the same tracks over and over and over and over and over again that your brain just kinda starts to tune them out.”
- “The only thing that always bothered me here is the lack of authentic star wars music, but then again, this is the 'old republic'.”
replayability
826 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
49%
1%
The replayability of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is highly praised, with many players noting its immense value due to diverse character builds, moral choices, and branching storylines that encourage multiple playthroughs. The ability to choose between light and dark side paths, along with various dialogue options and companion interactions, adds depth and variety, making it a game that players can return to repeatedly for new experiences. Overall, it is considered one of the most replayable RPGs, even years after its release.
- “Great story and almost unlimited replayability.”
- “It's infinitely replayable with new choices to make and different arrangements of characters you can bring with you on missions opening new dialogue options.”
- “I think this is a bad thing if you want to play this game as a lot of replayability comes from adding in your custom modded items through save game editing.”
- “The attention to detail with additional dialogue branches depending on your character build and the companions you travel with add a level of replayability that many games lack.”
- “The story itself is brilliantly written with one of the best plot twists I've ever seen, and with the option to play as male or female, light side or dark side, there is immense replay value seeing what would have happened if you made different choices, or how optional romances play out depending on what gender you are.”
character development
354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
39%
1%
Character development in "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is widely praised for its depth and intricacy, with players highlighting the memorable and diverse cast that evolves significantly throughout the game. The alignment system, which tracks moral choices between light and dark sides, enhances the role-playing experience and impacts narrative outcomes, making character interactions and development feel meaningful. Overall, the game is regarded as a benchmark for storytelling and character development in RPGs, offering rich lore and engaging gameplay that captivates both fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
- “The game's alignment system, tracking players' choices on the light or dark side of the force, adds depth to the role-playing experience, shaping character development and narrative outcomes based on moral decisions made throughout the journey.”
- “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is a landmark title that masterfully combines deep storytelling, rich character development, and engaging gameplay, solidifying its place as one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.”
- “The character development is intricate, with a cast that's both memorable and diverse.”
- “Outside of morality decisions, character development was generally unfulfilling; class distinctions get lost and leveling up didn't feel very noteworthy.”
- “There should have been more background/character development in the beginning, so that when the situation becomes dire, you would care for the characters you try to save.”
- “Skip this and grab KOTOR 2; controller support, user-added content, and no glaring glitches make it a far better option—not to mention the story and character development for 2 is infinitely better.”
humor
322 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, particularly for its clever dialogue and memorable characters like the assassin droid HK-47, whose darkly comedic quips often steal the show. Players enjoy the balance of light-hearted banter among companions, especially during party interactions, and the absurdity of dark side choices that lead to hilariously unexpected outcomes. Overall, the writing effectively combines humor with emotional depth, making for a compelling and entertaining experience.
- “Dialogue with HK-47 was funny enough to cause many of us to laugh out loud on several occasions.”
- “The good party members: HK-47 is the hilarious assassination droid.”
- “The extreme changes in light side vs dark side outcomes are downright hilarious.”
atmosphere
310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
51%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and authentic representation of the Star Wars universe, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack and rich world-building. Despite its dated graphics and mechanics, players find the atmosphere to be captivating, with each planet offering a unique and memorable experience that draws them into the narrative. Overall, the combination of strong storytelling, character depth, and atmospheric design makes it a standout title that resonates with both fans and newcomers alike.
- “The game's atmospheric soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule, enhances the immersion, with sweeping orchestral scores that echo the grandeur of John Williams' iconic compositions.”
- “The creators of the game develop the perfect atmosphere on each planet, from the desolate loneliness of the Taris streets, to the dark and terrifying undercity of the planet, to the ancient and mysterious tombs of Korriban, to the watery intrigue of Manaan, the peacefulness of Dantooine, and the vast expanses of Kashyyyk and Tatooine.”
- “The atmosphere is dark, tainted by evil, and the level design is both eerie and welcoming.”
- “The whole game has an uncertain, uneasy atmosphere, as every action you take is second guessed, and your character slowly wanders in the darkness of the future.”
- “The atmosphere is dense and captures everything we like about Star Wars, likeable characters traversing colorful worlds but it never really does anything with the unfamiliar timeframe of the game.”
optimization
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
52%
22%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including crashes, stuttering, and graphical glitches, particularly on modern systems. While some users have found workarounds and mods to improve performance, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for contemporary hardware, making it a frustrating experience for many. Despite its nostalgic value and engaging story, the lack of proper optimization detracts from the enjoyment and accessibility of the game.
- “Combat based on a Dungeons and Dragons setup, which any optimization nerd will appreciate.”
- “Once you learn all the keys and tricks, the game should run smoothly, though.”
- “It's an old game now and can struggle to run on any remotely recent system, but if you haven't played it, it is worth the effort and mods it takes to run smoothly.”
- “This is an average RPG minus the technical issues, but it really gets set back by its performance issues which is sad because I really wanted to like this game.”
- “Strange stuttering, long loading, resolution cycling, and even crashing occurred.”
- “The game is not optimized for Windows 10.”
grinding
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
16%
82%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, which is a positive point for many. However, some reviewers note that certain combat sequences and travel can feel tedious and slow, leading to a sense of monotony, especially in later stages. While the game offers a rich story and engaging content, the pacing and repetitive nature of some battles can detract from the overall experience.
- “Things aren't really grindy, so you don't have to commit lots of time into enhancing your character.”
- “Kotor will give you a solid 40-50 hours of gameplay if you read all the lore, talk to all the extra characters, and complete every side quest (except racing, forget racing), and it requires no grinding at any point; the worlds and levels will level you accordingly and very nicely.”
- “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
- “It's a shame because I want to experience the entire story, but I can't endure the tedious battles.”
- “The only criticism I can give is that at a certain point in the game you progress tediously slow and the combat bugs.”
- “The only major downside to this game I would say is that it can get pretty monotonous; the combat system is cool and all, but killing generic Star Wars animals over and over gets pretty grindy after a while.”
emotional
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players expressing deep attachments to characters and their stories, often leading to laughter, tears, and a profound sense of nostalgia. The writing, character development, and moral dilemmas create a rich emotional experience that resonates with players, making them feel invested in the narrative and their choices. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke a wide range of emotions, from joy to heartbreak, solidifying its status as a memorable and impactful RPG.
- “The moral dilemmas presented throughout the game challenge players to consider their choices carefully, contributing to a rich emotional experience.”
- “Flying away from the Star Forge and the rest of the voiceover for the ending of the game made me cry from being overwhelmed with accomplishment and crushed that the story was over... my favorite game hands down.”
- “I found myself nearly in tears at certain points of this emotional rollercoaster of a game.”
monetization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
37%
50%
The reviews highlight a strong aversion to modern monetization practices, particularly microtransactions, with many praising the game for its lack of such features. Critics express concern that upcoming remakes may prioritize profit over genuine game development, labeling them as potential cash grabs. Overall, there is a nostalgic yearning for an era when games focused more on player experience than on monetization strategies.
- “No microtransactions ✅”
- “Great game by Bioware, and it doesn't have microtransactions.”
- “For all seeking refuge from annoying microtransactions, play this great RPG that I have fallen in love with. 10/10”
- “I honestly can't believe they are trying to remake this for a cash grab rather than take an actual risk and make the third one, the one we have been waiting for.”
- “If the description of cash grab was in the dictionary, KOTOR 1 PC port would be next to it.”
- “This game was made when developers actually cared about the games they put out instead of the cash grabs we see all too often now.”

85%Critics’ scoreBased on 28 critic reviews

Buy Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

30h Median play time

100h Average play time

29h Main story

48h Completionist

15-50h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 218 analyzed playthroughs

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86%18.6kreviews