I’ve played a lot of fantastic games in my time: Chrono Trigger with its landmark of character development, Shadow of the Colossus and its pioneering minimalist game design, Persona 4 with writing that rivals classic books. This is why it’s so strange that my favorite game is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which is generally only considered slightly above average.
I’ve been a Bioware fan since my gaming career began, simply because it began with Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). Their writing style of deep, rich universes, combined with deep character development driven by gameplay-encouraged party conversations, has always made for recognizable Bioware titles, like Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins and their sequels and predecessors.
KOTOR however, has always struck me as different because it took a universe already well-known — George Lucas’ Star Wars universe — and it took a different look at the ideas of its technology, governmental systems and mystical orders. It was a brilliant change from the regular Star Wars tedium in which the Rebels were constantly good and the Empire constantly evil. In this universe, all problems were multi-faceted: money, social order, tradition and governmental preference were all called into question. In a universe so black and white, shades of gray were finally introduced.
With incredibly memorable characters from simple backgrounds — Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, Canderous Ordo — gamers can gain a deep understanding of the world around them. It also brilliantly used the video game staple, in which the character has a natural affinity for skills he needs to complete his quest with no explanation, and shot you in the back with it. It took your dismissiveness towards the trope and used it for a fantastic twist.
The game was built on a strong foundation, with one of the best game writers of his time, Drew Karpyshyn, to make for a fantastic environment that simultaneously felt focused and unrestricted. Strong dungeon design, great combat, characters that you could connect with and the genuine feeling that what you were doing was important made everything perfect. From first waking up on the Endar Spire to your final duel with Darth Malak on the deck of the Star Forge that truly tested your will to do good, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is my favorite game of all time.