Underrated 83 OpenCritic RPG with the best plot on Xbox and more on the way

22 years later, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still revered for its vast cast of well-written, diverse characters, its laser-focused plot, and its ability to capture a wonderful yet sometimes menacing atmosphere Star Wars universe. But above all, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic it is remembered for its plot twist, which went down in history as one of the best plot twists on Xbox.

The story leading up to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's Big Plot Twist

For those who haven't played BioWare's 2003 masterpiece, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic players take control of a customizable, unnamed character who wakes up in the middle of a space battle over the planet Taris with virtually no memories. It is 4000 years before the events of the year Star Wars: A New Hopeand there is a brutal war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire led by Darth Malak.

Throughout the first and second acts of the game, players will meet and recruit various characters to help them in their mission to track down ancient star maps that the Jedi Council believes could lead to a powerful superweapon known as the Star Forge. Throughout the game, the player character is haunted by visions of Darth Malak and his former master Darth Revan, who is believed to have died at the hands of their Sith apprentice.

Why Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's Plot Twist is Xbox's Hardest

After activating three star maps and making their way to the fourth, the player's party is captured by Darth Malak and brought aboard the Sith leader's flagship, the Leviathan. It is here that Darth Malak reveals that the player character is actually Darth Revan, who survived Malak's assassination attempt and had his memories suppressed by the Jedi Council in hopes of leading them to the Star Forge. Close companion and Jedi Knight Bastila Shan confirms this to be true before sacrificing herself so the group can escape.

Brilliance Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicThe plot twist is how multi-faceted it is. on the surface Star Wars: KOTORThe plot twist immediately shocks. The reveal that the player has actually been the big bad of the galaxy all along is a surprise, yet enough tidbits are thrown in that it makes perfect sense and rewards those who pay close attention to the game's dialogue and lore.

But Star Wars: KOTORThe plot twist goes far beyond the initial, satisfying shock. After escaping from Darth Malak's Leviathan, the weight of this twist is immediately apparent. Companions who otherwise trusted the player character with their lives waste no time in voicing their fear and concern that they are unwittingly serving the warmonger Sith Lord. At the same time, players are fully immersed in Revan's role, as they are as blinded by the revelation as Revan and are forced to react on the spot to their companions' interrogations.

Even after players restore or rebuild their relationships with their companions, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's twist won't let go. Ultimately, this affects how players view their own relationship with the character they have created, as well as the direction that character has taken. For example, when players followed them KOTOR's Dark Side path, they may see this twist as confirmation that they are fulfilling Revan's destiny, while those who followed him KOTORThe Light Side's journey could consider their journey as Revan's redemption after the twist. Regardless of how players choose to act after the reveal, there's no denying it Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's Revan twist is one of the strongest elements of the game and affects almost every aspect of the game from this point on.

More great plots on Xbox

Of course, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic isn't the only Xbox game that has an incredible storyline. Here are some other Xbox games with memorable storylines centered around the player character:

• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty — Raiden is the main playable character, not Snake
• Hello 2 — The Arbiter is a secondary playable character, and the Prophets turn against the Elites, leading to a Covenant civil war.
• Silent Hill 2 — The player-character is responsible for the death of his wife, and the monsters of Silent Hill are a manifestation of his grief.
• BioShock — The player character was washed and controlled during the game
• Spec Ops: The Line — The main villain was actually a hallucination caused by the player-character's PTSD
• Assassin's Creed 3 — The first playable character is actually a member of the Templar Order

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic plot twist set an incredibly high bar for future games

Just a handful Star Wars games over the past four decades have delivered their own original plot twist and those that haven't always succeeded. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is one of the exceptions. Throughout Jedi: Survivor, players work alongside Bode Akuna, a mercenary who assists protagonist Cal Kestis in his search for the hidden planet Tanalorr. After finding a sanctuary planet, Bode turns on Cal, killing Jedi Master Cordova and revealing himself to be a former Jedi and fellow survivor of Order 66, but one who was forced to work for the Empire as a spy.

Star Wars Jedi: SurvivorThe plot twist is definitely shocking and gives Respawn Star Wars the continuation of an intense third act with high personal stakes. But even Jedi: Survivor's twist can't reach the high bar that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic set over 20 years ago.

No more plot twists Star Wars video game history has managed to transcend the medium quite happily KOTORand even with the original KOTOR game director Casey Hudson on board, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic will struggle to deliver such a strong or memorable twist. Nevertheless, with KOTOR remake hopefully it will happen someday and maybe a bright future with PHOTOGRAPHERRevan's legacy and plot twist may one day be overshadowed. Until then though KOTOR is always a great game to come back to.

Released

July 15, 2003

ESRB

T for Teens: Violence