Common Sense Media Review
Fun game lets players explore the dark side.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 4 parent reviews
Based on 23 kid reviews
Kids say this game is one of the best entries in the Star Wars franchise, praised for its engaging story, character development, and immersive role-playing experience despite its outdated graphics. However, parents should be aware of certain mature themes, such as violence, mild sexual content, and moral choices involving the light and dark sides that may be more suitable for older players.
- engaging story
- mature themes
- role-playing experience
- outdated graphics
- moral choices
- fun gameplay
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC lets fans of Star Wars live out the life of a Jedi knight. Jedi knights are masters of the \"force,\" channeling energy drawn from all things to do their bidding. Jedi can be drawn to the light side (good) or the dark side (evil), which must be in balance. Choosing actions that are benevolent and kind will draw players to the light side, but actions that use power and strength to dominate will draw players toward the dark side.
A significant amount of the game is designed to resolve situations in a peaceful way -- through dialogue or by providing alternative solutions. However, players can influence this by their decisions, and there are many occasions where combat is presented as the only option. During fighting scenes, the player can command several characters within their control. Fighting can be paused to change weapons, use artificial stimulants to increase fighting ability, or alter fighting tactics.
Is It Any Good?
The overall play of the game harkens back to earlier years of video games, with a style somewhat similar to old text adventure games or Pick-a-Path books. The game is almost literary in its depth. In fact, reading is reinforced, as players respond to computer-controlled characters by reading through several dialogue options on the screen, and then choosing the one that best fits their goal. Through these choices, players can influence the path of the story to a degree.
Nonetheless, the overall game is still quite linear, with major choices that are unalterable. Violence isn't portrayed in a particularly bloody or gruesome way; victims simply fall to the ground when defeated, and eventually fade away. Not to be conquered quickly, the game weaves missions, character storylines and overall Star Wars themes into an interesting story that is fun to play, but will take a long time to conquer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about good and evil. Are domination and power always evil? Do you think good and evil need to be balanced in real life? How does this game explore that idea?
Game Details
- Platform : Windows
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : LucasArts
- Release date : August 12, 2002
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate