Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic skipped out on the PlayStation Showcase, and with Embracer’s CEO dismissing questions regarding the remake it seems like it’ll be a long while before fans hear from it again. So long as the remake is still in development, though, fans shouldn’t be too disheartened. KOTOR’s remake has huge potential with how much the original put in place as a framework to iterate off of, and many of its features could easily be adapted to modern sensibilities. Considering this, there are many features that should return.
KOTOR’s storytelling and writing are in line with how a lot of modern Star Wars stories are still told, for example, so not much would need to be changed or improved in that regard. Turn-based combat will likely be changed in some way, while a graphical overhaul is almost guaranteed. One feature that makes a notable impact in KOTOR is its Pazaak mini-game, although it can almost always fall to the wayside with many more exciting activities to engage in. The remake, however, should lean into Pazaak a little more and embrace it as a great point of interest.
KOTOR’s Pazaak Could Be on the Level of The Witcher’s Gwent
The premise behind the Old Republic era’s Pazaak will not be unfamiliar to fans who have seen similar mini-games since, and as a game to have this sort of collectible card game within its looming catalog of more important features, it would be great to see it reprised. Not every attempt at a card- or collectible-based mini-game has gone over incredibly well, with Splatoon 3’s Tableturf Battle seemingly taking a backseat to other content, for instance.
That said, Pazaak could be brought back and made an even more substantial part of gameplay while players idly explore each available planet. Pazaak is essentially the casino game Blackjack with a bit more finesse to how players decide if they want to stay or bump, and the number players want to hit is 20.
Cards are purchased or collected throughout KOTOR’s planets, and each of them has an associable number on it that either adds to or subtracts from their current score. This way, players could choose to end their turn or stand depending on what their cards could amount to, and numbers higher than 20 could be whittled down if players have minus cards.
The only downside to Pazaak is that even though it is relatively straightforward, it makes no effort to tie into any lore or references embedded in Star Wars. Gwent is reinforced by the fact that players are able to subconsciously learn about The Witcher’s geopolitical allegiances, races, and creatures through osmosis as they build their respective decks and play certain cards.
If it didn’t supersede any canonical connections that it has in Star Wars, it would be fun to see Pazaak feature similar changes that allow cards to represent alien races or creatures in the remake’s galaxy. Pazaak could be structurally identical to how it is in KOTOR, but having simple cosmetic changes to the cards and maybe even codex lore entries for whatever they depict could be an interesting way to share that lore with players.
This would not be unlike Horizon’s Machine Strike, either, which further depicts the franchise’s mechanical animals as game pieces. Pazaak might not be as game-changing or emergent in terms of its rules, being closely related to a ubiquitously known casino game, but mini-games such as Pazaak are becoming a new trend in modern AAA games that KOTOR already has prepared and packaged for Saber Interactive’s remake.
The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is in development.