The Knights of the Old Republic games are a highly respected addition to the gaming catalog of Star Wars media, and it is clear to see why. Offering a truly expansive RPG experience set within a relatively unexplored older era of the iconic space-set franchise, rumors and reports of remakes for the titles have long dominated sections of the Star Wars discourse.
While the Knights of the Old Republic games carry a level of prestige with them, a relatively underappreciated aspect of the titles is the exploration of more macabre horror elements that are not seen elsewhere in the Star Wars franchise. Given the recent state of Star Wars media and a growing fan desire for more unique approaches to the franchise's media, remakes for the Knights of the Old Republic games would do well to lean into these aforementioned horror aspects.
The State of the Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Official confirmation that a remake of the original Knights of the Old Republic is in the works first came in 2021 during the PlayStation showcase, generating huge amounts of hype for long-term fans of the franchise. The original title released in 2003 and was developed by BioWare, with the intense cult following that the game possesses to this day leading many to believe that an eventual remaster of the game was an inevitability.
Despite the clear desire for such a remaster, fans were recently disappointed with the news that development of the Knights of the Old Republic remake had been suspended indefinitely. The title was originally under the development of Aspyr Media, with the team being made up of some of BioWare's original KOTOR writers who wanted to bring the title up to speed with the modern gaming landscape while remaining faithful to the original story.
However, a spate of firings and internal disappointment regarding the state of development behind the remake has led to significant delays and likely outsources to other companies, leaving the future of the remake shrouded in uncertainty. That being said, given the work that has already been done with the remake as well as the intense fan desire for the project, it is still likely that the game will eventually release, and it could provide a much-desired darker twist to Star Wars media.
How a Knights of the Old Republic Remake Could Use Horror Elements
While it is true that Star Wars has an undeniable level of family-fun charm to it, the sheer scope and scale of the universe it is set in fosters an essentially limitless amount of tones and genres to be explored. Given how serious the stories of Star Wars media often are at their very core, fans have wanted darker and even scarier themes have long been desired to come to the forefront of the franchise for some time.
For example, the recent Andor TV show owes a lot of its success to its darker themes, which has won the show a perhaps unexpected amount of plaudits from viewers. Many have used this success as a tangible indicator for a desire for darker Star Wars games, and a KOTOR remake would be the perfect place to deliver this.
The KOTOR games are already known for their comparatively darker tones, with the earlier time in which they are set evoking an almost Medieval overarching influence to the story and overall ambiance. A remake would do well to expand upon these pre-existing themes, utilizing the already-sinister role of dark side forces in a more foreboding and overtly malicious manner. With how the game allows the player to choose either the light or dark side of the force, the horror elements of the title could even be propagated by the player themselves, should they choose to explore the dark side. Given the already existing darker tone of KOTOR and the more recent success of darker themes within Star Wars, a more horror-focused tone within the highly anticipated remake of the original title would be a fantastic move.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake is reportedly still in development.