There is a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake in development, but a case could be made that 2003’s Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academyis more deserving of a modern-console update. A long-wished-for KOTOR remake was announced during last September’s PlayStation Showcase livestream, but a great disturbance in the Force soon followed when it was revealed that this KOTOR Remakewould be delayed indefinitely back in July. Reported issues at previous developer Aspyr Media were cited as the recent for this sudden delay – as evidenced by reports that parent company Embracer Group transferred development duties over to Evil Dead: The Game studio Saber Interactive – and it seems highly unlikely that KOTOR Remake will be released anytime soon.

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Developed by BioWare, who would go on to find success with original IPs like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic brought players to a time period set long before the mainline Star Wars films, with both the heroic Jedi Order and evil Sith Empire at the height of their power during the days of the Old Republic. The player takes control of a group of heroes as they travel the galaxy to uncover the secrets of the dreaded Star Wars Dark Lord Darth Revan and stop the Sith from unleashing a dangerous weapon known as the Star Forge. Thanks to its memorable cast of characters and timeless RPG gameplay mechanics, the original KOTOR is still considered by many to be the benchmark of Star Wars video games – so much so that a remake might not be entirely necessary.

While the idea of an updated version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is an exciting prospect for fans, there are plenty of other Star Wars titles that might be better suited to a jump to modern hardware – such as Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. Releasing in the same year as the original KOTOR for the PC and Xbox in 2003, Jedi Academy is the third installment of the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series – which itself began with the classic FPS Star Wars: Dark Forcesand evolved from a simple Star Wars version of DOOM to a more Jedi-centric action experience. Jedi Academy saw series protagonist and Star Wars Legends fan-favorite Kyle Katarn step into a mentoring role for a new playable hero named Jaden Korr, a young Jedi who players could customize and lead on the path to becoming either a champion of the light or disciple of the dark side.

Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Remake Is Just What Star Wars Games Need

Gameplay-wise, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is considered by many to be the best and most polished game in the Jedi Knight series, with multiple Force powers and lightsaber fighting styles at the player’s disposal – including some alluring Star Wars dark side abilities like the devastating Force Lighting and health-restoring Force Drain. However, Jedi Academy’sgraphics – like KOTOR‘s – haven’t aged as well. A Jedi Academy remake could refine the original’s already impressive lightsaber combat with modern graphics to create a truly memorable Star Wars gaming experience, whereas KOTOR Remake will likely require a drastic rework of its mechanics to reflect modern gaming sensibilities, along the line of what was seen with Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Star Wars gaming fans are already getting a spiritual successor of sorts to the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series in the form of 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its upcoming sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – with many hoping the latter takes lessons from the best aspects of older Star Wars titles like Jedi Academy for its lightsaber combat. However, a remake of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academycould prove to be an even more worthy revival than the already-troubled Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake, with plenty hoping to see the legendary Kyle Katarn return to Star Wars canon.