// PC GAMER — GAMING
Knight of the Old Republic 2 was great because it peeled back Star Wars' black-and-white morality
The Light Side of the Force, now with the original fifty shades of grey.
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From the archives: This story originally ran in PC Gamer (UK) #287.
Reinstall invites you to join us in revisiting PC gaming days gone by. Today, Richard revisits one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever told.
What stands out most about Knights of the Old Republic II is that it’s less a sequel than a deconstruction. At times, an assassination. Most licensed games, at least those that don’t just put familiar characters into a platform or kart racing game, are incredibly careful. They give us the accepted face of their licence, and maybe sprinkle on a few jokes and meta-references for the hardcore fans. They’re respectful. They don’t tread on any toes.
KotOR 2 goes for the throat. It’s a game about questions and about darkness, and designer Chris Avellone is particularly keen to peel back the more uncomfortable niceties of its universe, such as the convenient split between ‘good’ and ‘evil’, and the damage that leads to those labels.
Much of it is designed to invert the original game, as BioShock 2 did with its predecessor. KotOR was, by and large, set in the light side of the universe: a heroic quest, noble warriors fighting evil from a position of moral authority and righteousness.
There was a Dark Side path and moral choices, but it was clear what you were ‘supposed’ to do. Rise up. Become a Jedi Knight. Beat up the guy in black armour who wants to conquer the galaxy. It was the right story at the right time, the Star Wars experience everyone wanted. KotOR 2 uses the same engine and style for entirely different purposes.
For starters, it takes place primarily in the dark—among the poor and criminal-controlled corners of a galaxy still scarred and bleeding from both the Mandalorian Wars and a brutal Sith assault that has largely wiped out the Jedi Order.
The player character is no hero, but an outcast, the Exile, banished for making a difficult decision at the right time, who draws allies not by need or force of charisma but a subconscious Force Bond that binds them (much as the Mark of Torment drew suffering souls to The Nameless One in Planescape: Torment).