Star Wars: 7 Gameplay Features The KOTOR Remake Should Keep, According To Reddit

Regarded as both one of the best Star Wars games and RPGs in general ever made, the Knight of the Old Republic Remake was finally revealed at Sony’s PS5 showcase and fans were elated. The original KotOR games are beloved to this day but are noticeably dated for gamers who weren’t already fans or acquainted with the style at the time.

A complete remake from the ground up rather than a remaster is warranted, as some of the gameplay mechanics from the original Xbox RPG in 2003 need tweaking on top of taking advantage of the power the PS5/PCs can provide. However, the core components of what made the original so acclaimed are things fans will hope are retained in Aspyr’s remake.

7 Classic Voice-Actor Returns

Being an RPG, Knights of the Old Republic used its compelling characters as one of its greatest assets of the gameplay experience. Naturally, fans hope that returning voices will return for the cast, especially given the narrator of the remake’s trailer. It was easy for fans to deduce that the character speaking over it was Bastila Shan, a Jedi member of the protagonist’s party in the original.

Industry veteran and fan-favorite actress Jennifer Hale voiced her in the 2003 game, and it’s been confirmed that she reprises her role. It’s been suggested that others may return, and casting announcements down the line will be eagerly anticipated–namely for the main party of characters and key antagonist.

6 Semi Turn-Based RPG Combat

The combat mechanics of KotOR are simultaneously one of the most dated but loved aspects of the game according to Redditors. It came out when CRPGs were a more common game genre, and the combat resembled Dungeons & Dragons dice-rolls in a queue-based system of commands. Though modern mods for Knights of the Old Republic help it, this is understandably something that didn’t age well technically. But modern CRPG love letters like Divinity: Original Sin proved that this style of turn-based combat can still work.

Conversely, it’s something that would be unsurprising to see changed to real-time action akin to the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but if it’s handled with that level of care, it could work out for the best for a modern audience. The groundwork for good lightsaber fights, for instance, has been set with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order should Aspyr look for reference material.

5 Retain Narrative Elements Into Canon

There’s no official word yet whether Knights of the Old Republic Remake will be part of the Disney-era canon, but it’s certainly something fans would hope for. The Old Republic era is one of the things largely stricken from canon after the acquisition that disappointed many, given fans’ reverence for it and the fact that there wasn’t much need to do so. It takes place thousands of years before the start of the Skywalker saga/The Phantom Menace, so it wouldn’t conflict much (if at all) with any stories from the prequels or Star Wars characters introduced during the sequels.

Pieces of the Old Republic have been canonized over the years–including Darth Revan himself–and only certain plot points like the history of the Mandalorian Wars and Battle of Malachor V would need to be adjusted. Additionally, the advanced technology of the time is explained by the Republic Dark Age.

4 Retain The RPG Elements With A Balance Of Action

Similar to FFVIIR, some longtime fans of KotOR will likely brace themselves for this remake to lean harder into action mechanics. FFVIIR turned out to be well-received, with the action being one of its biggest assets, signaling that neither “action” nor “RPG” genre elements have to cancel the other out.

It’s an understandable question to have, especially at such an early stage, as the original game made its attention to detail to the character-driven story, choice, and customization aspects are easily why it’s one of the most celebrated games of all time. A balance can certainly be achieved, and the aforementioned Jedi: Fallen Order can be the blueprint for the action while the meat of the story and RPG elements that make the original’s experience so intimate should be a solid overall outline on how to handle both.

3 Light/Dark Morality System

The Light/Dark Side morality system that the KotOR games implemented is undoubtedly among its staples and is one of the deep, layered RPG mechanics the game executed well and Redditors love. In any Star Wars game that uses the RPG genre, it’s obvious that a system like this would be used to give the player freedom to play as a Sith Lord or Jedi. This was a crucial piece of the experience, as it also helped decide how the story would progress.

The big twist of the game at the time was that the player character is the fabled Revan, and this morality system of which side of the Force to align with decides whether they rejoin the Sith or stay with the Jedi. Regardless of how much action is used in the remake, this is arguably one of the gameplay pillars it can’t afford to cut out.

2 Dialogue Options

Dialogue options are one of the finer RPG elements that make Light/Dark morality work for Reddit players. In any game touting itself as being a profound RPG, direct player choice when it comes to shaping the mainline and side quests is something fans will look at quickly.

Games like Fallout 4 were criticized for stripping the game of a lot of role-playing mechanics, including dialogue options. The impact from choices was minimal due to answers largely being limited to essentially yes/no/maybe responses. KotOR not only had dialogue that had meaningful impacts, but many responses had genuine personalities written into them.

1 Character Skill & Class Customization

Skills, classes, and builds are all vital for a game like this, and it’s also imperative that these return in the remake. The concept of skill trees and character classes are things that other genres started incorporating, but if this remake is to respect the original, it can’t be overly linear/simplistic.

Admittedly, given the heavy D&D influence, how creating effective character builds worked is something that shows its age now. KotOR Remake needs to keep the essence of this feature to assure player freedom while simultaneously making it more streamlined and intuitive.

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