Star Wars Most Anticipated Project Will Never Happen And That’s Great
The original Knights of the Old Republic felt nothing short of magical when it first came out. In addition to getting a great RPG filled with awesome characters and gameplay mechanics, we also got a truly original story set in the Star Wars universe.
Stories in a galaxy far, far away that don’t focus on the Skywalker family are few and far between, and that’s one reason that fans were looking forward to the KOTOR remake from Asypr Studios. Now, that project appears to be dead in the water, but it’s looking more and more like a great thing this project isn’t going to happen.
Thousands Of Years Before Luke And Company
To understand our relief that the remake seems to be dead, you need to know a bit more about what made the original Knights of the Old Republic such a success. Because it took place thousands of years before the time of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, fans got to see how scary an entire Sith Empire could be. We also got to learn more about how the Jedi of old operated, and that included some shady decisions that would form the core of that game’s shocking reveal.
Allowed Gamers To Choose Their Path
Furthermore, Knights of the Old Republic helped popularize the morality systems that have dominated RPG games for the past two decades. Based on the various actions you take and dialogue choices you make, your character can move further into either the Light or Dark side of the Force. These decisions ultimately affect everything from which Force powers you can make the most of to how your various traveling companions treat you.
The Remake Is Likely Dead
In short, the original Knights of the Old Republic was a masterpiece on almost every level. Understandably, fans were initially stoked about the remake, but everyone got a bad feeling about it after many devs left, and the title was taken away from Aspyr Studios and given to a Saber Interactive studio in Eastern Europe.
One month later, a trailer for the game was removed by Sony over alleged copyright issues related to the music. Most recently, games journalist Jeff Grubb reported that the remake was not being worked on in any capacity whatsoever.
Why It’s A Good Thing
When hearing that the remake of Knights of the Old Republic was no longer being worked on, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of inner peace that would have made Yoda proud. Chances are great that a remake would have tried (much like the Final Fantasy 7 remake) to trade turn-based battles for something more frantic and real-time.
This is just a matter of preference, but a remake that doesn’t play very similarly to the original would functionally be a brand-new game. This arguably defeats the purpose of remaking a classic).
Limitations
Another reason that we’re happy the Knights of the Old Republic remake won’t see the light of day is that its once innovative design would now seem very limited. After the success of this Star Wars game, devs began to fine-tune the popular formula, and titles like Mass Effect (from original KOTOR developer Bioware) took elements like branching dialogue and morality system to the next level. A remake that hews closely to the original game would be a disappointment because it would feel like a boring retread of a decades-old title that now seems quaint compared to modern RPGs.
Original Fans Are Better Off Without A Remake
This is the essential paradox the Knights of the Old Republic remake was always going to face. It could either keep everything mostly the same and feel outdated and redundant or change everything up and become essentially a new game that original fans might hate. Because of this, we’re happy that the remake seems like it’s dead in the water. While the Star Wars movies and shows are now endless returns to the trough of nostalgia, it’s good to know that this new developer has taken Kylo Ren’s advice to kill the past.
Hopefully, unlike a certain evil Emperor, this remake will know when to stay dead.
