The Problem Nobody Wants To Admit About Star Wars Games

For Over A Thousand Generations

Going further, such has been the prescriptive, tick-box nature of Star Wars games over the years, that the only real outliers, the most innovative Star Wars titles were the Knights of the Old Republic games.

The original KOTOR and, to a slightly lesser extent, its sequel The Sith Lords, put the player in the boots of a custom character and allowed them to set off on a huge, sprawling adventure across the galaxy, uncovering the secrets of the Force, and allowing the player to take on side quests and tackle missions at their leisure, all the while levelling up their character and engaging in beautifully written conversations with NPCs and party members.

The player had choice, agency, and freedom in the Knights games, and the chasm in class between these engrossing, compelling RPGs compared to some of their more generic, paint by numbers siblings was as stark as the schism between the Jedi and the Sith themselves.

But the success of the Knights titles was never truly capitalised on, and no further entries in the franchise have ever come to fruition. Players had - for a moment - a brilliant new type of Star Wars game which, although certainly featured their share of action and combat - represented something altogether more compelling than most other titles.