For some people, the biggest announcement at this month's PlayStation Showcase wasn't God of War Ragnarök or Marvel's Wolverine—it was a remake of an 18-year-old Star Wars RPG. Developed by BioWare and released in 2003, Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Maybe even the best. It's set 4,000 years before the Skywalker Saga, which means it's a rare opportunity to witness first-hand the ancient, previously unseen history of everyone's favourite galaxy far, far away. Not only that, but it's a great RPG, with memorable characters, a compelling storyline, an atmospheric world (well, worlds), and a fun Force-based morality system that shapes your character's powers and personality.

When the game begins, the Republic is at war with the Sith, led by the evil Darth Malak. Once a powerful force for good in the universe, the Jedi are now scattered and weakened, with many turning to the Dark Side and joining Malak's army. This is where you come in: an amnesiac who discovers they have untapped Force powers, and joins the Jedi in the fight against the Sith. You create your own character, and through your actions you can steer them towards the Dark or Light side of the Force. It's similar to Mass Effect's Paragon/Renegade system, but a little deeper because you can unlock alignment-specific powers—like being able to electrocute people with Force lightning if you lean into the Dark side.

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Like all the best Star Wars stories, Knights of the Old Republic takes place in the Outer Rim—a remote, lawless corner of the galaxy favoured by mercenaries, pirates, and smugglers. Early in the story you get access to a ship, the Ebon Hawk (which is almost as cool as the Millennium Falcon, but not quite), which lets you travel freely around the region. It's a real thrill getting to explore the Star Wars universe in your own starship and at your own pace. Standout locations include Taris, a planet-sized city that's like an edgier Coruscant; Kashyyk, forested homeworld of the wookiees; high-tech waterworld Manaan; and, naturally, the desert planet Tatooine, which every piece of Star Wars media is legally obliged to feature.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Even though Knights of the Old Republic is set thousands of years before the timeline we're all familiar with, it's still identifiably Star Wars—sometimes to a fault. BioWare could have made everything look wildly different, reflecting the gulf of millennia separating this story and the films. But then it might not have felt very Star Wars. The presence of speeders, blasters, astromech droids, noble Jedi, cocky smugglers, and all those other recognisable tropes provides a familiar foundation to tell this new story on—even if you occasionally question why technology or society barely seems to have changed in 4,000 years. This is something the remake could address, but at the risk of betraying the original art direction.

As you explore the galaxy you encounter self-contained quests that reveal more about the culture, history, and politics of each planet. There's a larger plot to follow, and it's a great Star Wars yarn, with an infamous plot twist that you'll have done well to avoid. But the smaller, lower stakes quests are just as engaging, giving you a slice-of-life look at this universe that the films rarely get time to dwell on. You also recruit a few allies along the way, including grumpy Mandalorian war vet Canderous Ordo, headstrong Jedi Bastila Shan, and—best of all—HK-47, an assassin droid with a deep hatred for all organic life. BioWare RPGs are famous for their likeable, well-written companions, and these are some of the developer's best.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic is still immensely playable—but it's clearly a game from 2003. The quests, characters, story, and all the actually important stuff hold up. But the visuals have aged badly, the UI is a mess, and the character animation is laughably stiff and lifeless. So despite feeling uneasy about the number of remakes in the world at the moment, I'm excited to play a modernised version of this story. Developer Aspyr says it's being rebuilt "from the ground up with the latest tech", so it won't just be the existing game upscaled to 4K. As long as this new team doesn't mess with the story, or make any major artistic changes, I'm all for a fresh take on Knights of the Old Republic that feels nicer to play.

I'm also wondering if this remake will make Knights of the Old Republic canon again. When Disney bought Star Wars, it declared this game, along with thousands of other books, comics, and spin-offs, as non-canon Legends. This was always a little confusing, however, because a few things BioWare created for Knights of the Old Republic—including card game pazaak, the planet Taris, and the selkath race—feature in Star Wars projects that are considered canon. Canon ultimately doesn't matter. This is still a killer story whether it 'actually' happened or not. But I'd still love to see the saga of Malak and Revan entered back into the official record, because a Star Wars story this good deserves the recognition.

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