The underrated 83 OpenCritic RPG with the best plot twist on Xbox, and more to come

22 years later, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still revered for its expansive cast of well-written, multi-faceted characters, its laser-focused plot, and its ability to capture the wonderful but sometimes ominous atmosphere of Star Wars universe. But above all else, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is remembered for its plot twist, which has gone 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 sees players take control of a customizable, nameless character who wakes up in the middle of a space battle above the planet Taris with virtually no memories. It is 4,000 years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hopeand a brutal war rages between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, led by Darth Malak.

Over the course of the game's first and second acts, players meet and recruit a variety of characters to aid in their quest to track down ancient star maps that the Jedi Council believes may 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 his Sith apprentice.

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

With three star maps activated and on their way to the fourth, the player's party is captured by Darth Malak and taken 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 that he would lead them to the Star Forge. Close companion and Jedi Knight Bastila Shan confirms this to be true before sacrificing herself so the party can escape.

The brilliance of Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicThe twist in the plot lies in how multifaceted it is. On the surface, Star Wars: VERTEBRAs plot twist is immediately shocking. The reveal that the player has actually been the galaxy's big bad all along is surprising, but there are enough breadcrumbs to ensure that it makes total sense and that it rewards those who pay attention to the game's dialogue and lore.

But Star Wars: VERTEBRAs plot twist goes far beyond the initial, satisfying shock. After escaping Darth Malak's Leviathan, the weight of this twist sets in immediately. Companions who otherwise trusted the player character with their lives waste no time expressing their fear and concern that they have unwittingly served a warmongering Sith Lord. Meanwhile, players are fully immersed in Revan's role as they are as blindsided by the revelation as Revan is, and are forced to react on the spot to their peers' interrogations.

Even after players recreate or reshape their relationships with their peers, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republics twist doesn't let go. It ultimately affects how players view their own relationship with the character they've created, as well as the direction they took that character. For example, if players followed VERTEBRAEs Dark Side path, they may see this turn as confirmation that they are fulfilling Revan's destiny, while those who followed VERTEBRAEs Light Side path could see their journey as Revan's post-turn delivery. Regardless of how players decide to act after the reveal, there's no denying it Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicThe Revan twist is one of the most powerful in gaming, affecting almost every aspect of the game from that point forward.

Other great plot twists on Xbox

Of course, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic isn't the only Xbox game with an incredible plot twist. Here are some other Xbox console games with memorable plot twists centered around the player character:

• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty — Raiden is the main playable character, not Snake
• Halo 2 — The Arbiter is a secondary playable character and the Prophets turn against the Elite, leading to a civil war in the Federation
• Silent Hill 2 — The player character is responsible for the death of his wife, and the monsters in Silent Hill are manifestations of his grief
• BioShock — The player character has been brainwashed and controlled throughout the game
• Spec Ops: The Line — The main villain was actually a hallucination caused by the player's PTSD
• Assassin's Creed 3 — The first playable character is actually a member of the Templar Order

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

Just a handful Star Wars Games over the last four decades have put forward their own original plot twist, and those that haven't have always done so successfully. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is one of the exceptions to this. Throughout Jedi: Survivor, players work alongside Bode Akuna, a mercenary who assists protagonist Cal Kestis in their search for the hidden planet Tanalorr. After finding the sanctuary planet, Bode turns on Cal, kills the Jedi Master Cordova, and reveals himself as a former Jedi and another survivor of Order 66, but one who has been forced to work for the Empire as a spy.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivors plot twist is truly shocking, and it brings Respawns Star Wars sequel to an intense third act with high personal stakes. But even Jedi: Survivor's twist cannot reach the high bar that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic took place over 20 years ago.

No other plot twist in Star Wars video game history has managed to transcend the medium quite as VERTEBRAEs, and also with originals VERTEBRAE game manager Casey Hudson on board, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic would have a hard time delivering a twist as powerful or memorable. Still with KOTOR Remake hopefully happens sometime and a possible, bright future with PHOTOSRevan's legacy and plot twist may at some point be overshadowed by himself. Until then, though VERTEBRAE is always a good game to go back to.

Released

July 15, 2003

ESRB

T for Teen: Violence