Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords was taken over by Obsidian Entertainment, a studio founded by former veterans of Black Isle Studios responsible for classics like Fallout and Planescape: Torment, who decided to push the series in a much darker and more philosophical direction than the original. The story follows an exiled, forgotten Jedi who awakens without full memory of their past and gradually uncovers what remains of the Jedi Order after a devastating war that nearly wiped out the very concept of the Force-wielding knights.

The game delves much deeper into the nature of the Force, free will, and morality itself than the more straightforward good-versus-evil system of the first title, largely thanks to brilliantly written companions, among whom the manipulative and intellectually provocative Kreia stands out, questioning the very foundations of Jedi and Sith philosophy and forcing the player to reconsider their own choices. The newly introduced influence system meant that the protagonist gradually reshaped their companions in their own image and could train them as Force users, projecting the theme of following and manipulation directly into the game mechanics. The combat foundation remained faithful to its predecessor but expanded it with crafting your own equipment and a wider range of combat stances.

Development was unfortunately marred by extreme publisher pressure to meet a Christmas deadline, causing the game to ship with a number of unfinished and cut scenes, a missing third planet, and a rushed ending, making it a notorious example of a work released prematurely and unfinished despite the above-average quality of the rest of its content. Fans responded to this injustice with extensive unofficial mods that, in subsequent years, attempted to restore the cut content using data left on the game disc, such as a mod called Sith Lords Restored Content. Despite its imperfections, Sith Lords is still valued today as the most intellectually daring and mature Star Wars RPG ever made.