Star Wars: Jedi Knight | |
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Genre(s) | First-person shooter, third-person shooter |
Developer(s) | LucasArts Raven Software |
Publisher(s) | LucasArts Activision |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, Macintosh, PlayStation, Linux, GameCube, Mac OS X, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
First release | Star Wars: Dark Forces 1995 |
Latest release | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy 2003 |
Parent series | Star Wars video games |
Star Wars: Jedi Knight is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe. The series focuses primarily on Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial officer who becomes a mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance, and later a Jedi and instructor at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. While the first game is set a year after the events of A New Hope, the sequels take place in the decade following Return of the Jedi.
The Jedi Knight series began in 1995 with the release of Star Wars: Dark Forces for DOS, Macintosh, and PlayStation. This was followed in 1997 by Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II for Microsoft Windows, in which Katarn learns the ways of a Jedi. In 1998, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith was released as an expansion pack for Dark Forces II, this time giving the player control of Mara Jade as well as Katarn. In 2002, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was released. Jedi Outcast was developed by Raven Software and powered by the id Tech 3 game engine. It was released for Windows, Mac, Xbox and GameCube. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy followed in 2003 on Windows, Mac and Xbox. It was powered by the same game engine as its predecessor. Jedi Academy was the first game in the series where the player does not control Katarn at any point, although he is featured prominently in the storyline.
The games in the Jedi Knight series have received generally favorable reviews. Multiple publications have commented on the quality of the series as a whole. The use of the lightsaber in the series, a prominent gameplay element in all but the first game, has received specific praise for its implementation.