TL:DR; lots of talking about philosophy, story relies on Kotor I (or old republic era), D&D 3rd edition character building, pseudo turn-based combat. Highly recommend.

While a little rough around the edges as a result of it's rushed development, Kotor II manages to be one of the most nuanced RPGs set in the Star Wars universe. If you like games or shows where a bunch of people talk each other's ears off about things like philosophy or politics then you'll have a great time here.

The skill system is all based off of D&D 3rd edition, so if you've played any level of D&D it should make sense but additional reading on the web can help even experienced players better understand how it all works. Combat is pseudo turn-based, meaning that while everyone takes "turns" the AI doesn't wait patiently for you to do something and will attack, however there is a built in pause feature that lets you play engagements as fast or as slow as you'd like. If you've played any FTL then you'll be very familiar with this style of combat.

What should be noted is that this game relies pretty heavily on knowledge of Kotor I (or at least of the old republic era). I've seen people say that you can skip I and head into II, but I don't see any reason to bother with that. Kotor I is an utter joy to play so you're not punished for having to do your homework there. If you haven't played I then pick that up first. You'll still probably be a little confused at the start of this one, but that is intended since there is quite a bit of mystery going on so don't worry.

Lastly, I advise using the "The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification" aka "TSLRCM". Kotor II was rushed out the door by publishers and that mod indroduces many bug fixes and cut content that was close to being finished. It is essentially the definitive edition of this game. It can be installed via the steam workshop or some other modding site (the workshop can be buggy so I recommend installing manually). Just make sure to get the version WITHOUT the M4-78 mod. M4-78 was a planet that was cut earlier in development and was cut with good reason, it is god awful. Learn from my suffering through it and just stick to standard TSLRCM.

TL:DR; lots of talking about philosophy, story relies on Kotor I (or old republic era), D&D 3rd edition character building, pseudo turn-based combat. Highly recommend. While a little rough around the edges as a result of it's rushed development, Kotor II manages to be one of the most nuanced RPGs set in the Star Wars universe. If you like games or shows where a bunch of people talk each other's ears off about things like philosophy or politics then you'll have a great time here. The skill system is all based off of D&D 3rd edition, so if you've played any level of D&D it should make sense but additional reading on the web can help even experienced players better understand how it all works. Combat is pseudo turn-based, meaning that while everyone takes "turns" the AI doesn't wait patiently for you to do something and will attack, however there is a built in pause feature that lets you play engagements as fast or as slow as you'd like. If you've played any FTL then you'll be very familiar with this style of combat. What should be noted is that this game relies pretty heavily on knowledge of Kotor I (or at least of the old republic era). I've seen people say that you can skip I and head into II, but I don't see any reason to bother with that. Kotor I is an utter joy to play so you're not punished for having to do your homework there. If you haven't played I then pick that up first. You'll still probably be a little confused at the start of this one, but that is intended since there is quite a bit of mystery going on so don't worry. Lastly, I advise using the "The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification" aka "TSLRCM". Kotor II was rushed out the door by publishers and that mod indroduces many bug fixes and cut content that was close to being finished. It is essentially the definitive edition of this game. It can be installed via the steam workshop or some other modding site (the workshop can be buggy so I recommend installing manually). Just make sure to get the version WITHOUT the M4-78 mod. M4-78 was a planet that was cut earlier in development and was cut with good reason, it is god awful. Learn from my suffering through it and just stick to standard TSLRCM.