Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, more than any other Star Wars game, fundamentally understands why the Dark Side is so appealing. By putting the choice of which force power to invest in, and making the dark side powers so easy to upgrade and effective at getting out of stressful situations, Jedi Academy actively puts the choice of which side to fall on in the hands of the player every second of the game. Which adds a whole new thematic layer to the story.
Jedi Academy focuses on the player character, Jaden, as they work their way up through the ranks of Luke Skywalker's newly formed Academy for rebuilding the Jedi Order. Of course, the remnants of the then recently defeated Empire, and the remaining disciples of Emperor Palpatine, make plans to stop this grand return of their old enemy before it gets off the ground. Using Star Wars: Jedi Academy's lightsaber combat, not to mention its array of other weapons, Jaden must resist the pull of the dark side of the force and save the Academy from destruction.
The game puts the decision of which side of the war Jaden will fall into in the hands of the player. But rather than communicate that choice in the traditional way, Jedi Academy goes a more clever route. It forces the player to resist the urge to make the game easier to avoid falling to the dark side.
Falling To The Dark Side Makes Jedi Academy An Easier Game
Jedi Academy was a revolutionary entry in the series for a lot of reasons, of particular note being Jedi Academy's approach to lightsaber combat. But the game incorporates force powers, and the light/dark dichotomy thereof, in an even more clever manner. While other Star Wars games give the player a binary moral choice system where they must decide at key moments in the story which side of the spectrum they wish to indulge, Jedi Academy plays on the players' agency, frustration, and impatience to tempt them at every turn.
The dark side powers in Jedi Academy are easy to invest in, are useful right off the bat - whereas the light side powers need to be upgraded once or twice before reaching their full potential - and overall actively make the game easier. Between stormtroopers, dark Jedi, and Star Wars: Jedi Academy's Sandworm level, the game throws a lot at the player. Combine that with how easy it is to lose health, and players may find they don't need a cutscene where the villain tries to talk Jaden into ing the dark side of the force. The game confronts the player with that choice every time the upgrade menu is open, and the ability to make the game significantly easier is only a few button clicks away.
This simple change adds a whole new layer to the gameplay of Jedi Academy, and the choice between light and dark. It depicts the struggle against the pull of the dark side as a battle a Jedi must wage every minute of every day. This mechanic sums up brilliantly the deep understanding the Jedi Knight duology had of the lightsaber and the Jedi, and the depth of choice Jedi Academy gives the player.
