Hello, dear reader, I hope you’re having a good day. I’ve played and reviewed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) on my channel Lunar Nebula LLC Gaming. I’m not being paid to write this blog, and it contains information based on my opinion after beating the game. I think the game’s age rating is appropriate (12+ on the App Store). It contains fantasy violence, some adult themes, and occasional curse words.
Parents should know- This is a more adult Star Wars. Adult situations like adultery, drug smuggling, murder investigations, slavery up-close, etc. can show up in the story depending on the player’s choices for quest lines. Fantasy Violence is present. It’s not graphic. It’s like the Clone Wars cartoon level of violence. However, one quest item is the Head of a Mandalorian. No blood is shown, but you do get a Boba Fett-like helmet in the inventory with the inferred head inside it. There’s some mention of Drug use and smuggling. If your child has seen Lost, NCIS or nightly news from most media outlets, they should be fine. If you’ve tried to shelter your child from the world, think twice because the Dark Side path is exactly as described: Dark. Mild torture scenes happen to your characters, and, if you go to the Dark Side, the player has the option of torturing people for information. Many Young Adult novels feature similar subjects, but without the visual stimuli. I think the age rating is appropriate with its Revenge of the Sith PG-13 level of heaviness.
Life Lessons- The game teaches players their choices have consequences. Sometimes doing the Light Side path costs you something. Choosing the Dark Side will lead your character further down the Dark Side path and impact your teammates. Not to mention scar your soul.
Story- There are lots of decisions to make and conversations to have. Over 40 hours of gameplay means you have plenty to keep you occupied. The game has great pacing with its combat and story in normal difficulty. The only complaint I have is that some boss fights go far too quickly with Master Speed on normal difficulty. The story is well crafted and one of the reasons amnesiac main characters are a trope in role-playing games (RPG).
Gameplay- Great pacing for an RPG. Combat can be approached many different ways, but it’s hard to micro-manage tactical fights unless you’re constantly pausing the game. Players aren’t always able to see buffs queued in the combat action bar when they initiate combat with buffs. Buffs don’t always carry through cut scenes so spending force points and items before a big fight feels useless.
Sound- The sound seems to be off-kilter. Sound effects, like air vents or howling monkeys, are very loud and can interfere with conversations. Lip syncing does not always sync with the audio.
Controller- MFi controllers should work with KOTOR. The Nimbus Wireless controller certainly does. I’m not certain about other controllers. The site, https://afterpad.com/mfigamelist/, seems to contain information on games which work with MFi controllers. I cannot verify their information. There can and will be glitches.
Price- KOTOR gives a lot of content for the App store's $10 price! It’s often on Sale May 4th.
iPad notes- KOTOR drains a lot of battery to keep the game bright. Make sure to turn up the brightness in the options menu to save your battery. Using a Bluetooth controller compounds the battery drain! KOTOR takes up about 3 GB of data. The game has occasional glitches and random shutdowns. Save often. It didn’t break my game. Just save often!
Glitches- Buggy sound effects, random crashes, occasional locked camera movement when using the controller, and invincible Malak are present in the game. The Let's Play on my channel showcases most of these glitches. I finished the game so the glitches are surmountable.
Would I recommend KOTOR? Yes! The game shows its age, yet it’s still one of the best RPGs of all time. Just remember the iPad version has its share of glitches and quirks. It can be difficult to use precision actions with the touchscreen.
by Brian Petrilli AKA Jalinon
Parents should know- This is a more adult Star Wars. Adult situations like adultery, drug smuggling, murder investigations, slavery up-close, etc. can show up in the story depending on the player’s choices for quest lines. Fantasy Violence is present. It’s not graphic. It’s like the Clone Wars cartoon level of violence. However, one quest item is the Head of a Mandalorian. No blood is shown, but you do get a Boba Fett-like helmet in the inventory with the inferred head inside it. There’s some mention of Drug use and smuggling. If your child has seen Lost, NCIS or nightly news from most media outlets, they should be fine. If you’ve tried to shelter your child from the world, think twice because the Dark Side path is exactly as described: Dark. Mild torture scenes happen to your characters, and, if you go to the Dark Side, the player has the option of torturing people for information. Many Young Adult novels feature similar subjects, but without the visual stimuli. I think the age rating is appropriate with its Revenge of the Sith PG-13 level of heaviness.
Life Lessons- The game teaches players their choices have consequences. Sometimes doing the Light Side path costs you something. Choosing the Dark Side will lead your character further down the Dark Side path and impact your teammates. Not to mention scar your soul.
Story- There are lots of decisions to make and conversations to have. Over 40 hours of gameplay means you have plenty to keep you occupied. The game has great pacing with its combat and story in normal difficulty. The only complaint I have is that some boss fights go far too quickly with Master Speed on normal difficulty. The story is well crafted and one of the reasons amnesiac main characters are a trope in role-playing games (RPG).
Gameplay- Great pacing for an RPG. Combat can be approached many different ways, but it’s hard to micro-manage tactical fights unless you’re constantly pausing the game. Players aren’t always able to see buffs queued in the combat action bar when they initiate combat with buffs. Buffs don’t always carry through cut scenes so spending force points and items before a big fight feels useless.
Sound- The sound seems to be off-kilter. Sound effects, like air vents or howling monkeys, are very loud and can interfere with conversations. Lip syncing does not always sync with the audio.
Controller- MFi controllers should work with KOTOR. The Nimbus Wireless controller certainly does. I’m not certain about other controllers. The site, https://afterpad.com/mfigamelist/, seems to contain information on games which work with MFi controllers. I cannot verify their information. There can and will be glitches.
Price- KOTOR gives a lot of content for the App store's $10 price! It’s often on Sale May 4th.
iPad notes- KOTOR drains a lot of battery to keep the game bright. Make sure to turn up the brightness in the options menu to save your battery. Using a Bluetooth controller compounds the battery drain! KOTOR takes up about 3 GB of data. The game has occasional glitches and random shutdowns. Save often. It didn’t break my game. Just save often!
Glitches- Buggy sound effects, random crashes, occasional locked camera movement when using the controller, and invincible Malak are present in the game. The Let's Play on my channel showcases most of these glitches. I finished the game so the glitches are surmountable.
Would I recommend KOTOR? Yes! The game shows its age, yet it’s still one of the best RPGs of all time. Just remember the iPad version has its share of glitches and quirks. It can be difficult to use precision actions with the touchscreen.
by Brian Petrilli AKA Jalinon