Holy crap, I finally made it! We’ve saved the galaxy from the horrible Sith and especially from Darth Squiggleypants. (Side note: I’m sorry, JJM. I know his ridiculous last name was never supposed to stay canon but it’s funny and it’s Malak. I can’t help it.)

Now that we finally have all the map pieces, we can go to the Star Forge and figure out what the heck it is. Turns out that it’s a crazy efficient factory that’s been making all of the Sith ships and droids. (Hence why they’ve been able to be such a threat to the Republic.) Before we can make it to the Star Forge itself, a disruptor field knocks the Ebon Hawk down to the only planet in the system where there are a lot of other disabled ships and that really weird Rakata race who made the Star Forge ages ago. They are a weird looking species and I am terrible because watching them walk is kind of hilarious.

And now I get to kill a lot of rancors. Why? Because why not! It’s a great way to get some more XP as I have to fight my way through different parts of the beach and grasslands to go rescue a prisoner from the bad tribe so the good tribe will trust me because apparently Revan betrayed them last time and we really need to get into that temple. I also managed to stumble upon another new-to-me mini plot line! The not cool part of this is that the good Rakata tribe is looking into eugenics to try and solve their lack of Force sensitivity. The game lets you call them out but it’s still totally unnerving.

Technically, I’m supposed to go into this temple alone once I win their trust but Jolee and Juhani have some sort of vision and we bully the Rakata until we get our way. How very Jedi of us. The temple ends up being about two solid levels of Sith/Dark Jedi killing. They just keep getting in the way! I’m also realizing that I’ve used Juhani approximately never this game since she’s only a Level 6 or Level 7. Whoops. (Listen, I play favorites and I will not apologize. Her and Zaalbar are boring.) All of this is worth it, including the infuriating pattern you have to run to unlock a room and the Sith Master who won’t die, when you get to the top of the temple because (dun dun dunnnnn) Bastila is there!

Bastila’s been having a really crappy time since she sacrificed herself for the rest of us. Like… a really crappy time. Malak’s been torturing her a lot and being all-around creepy as hell in a very uncomfortable way. The way he treated Jarael in the latter part of the comics was gross at best and this has a very similar feel. No wonder Revan sliced his jaw off. She should have sliced off another few parts too. Unfortunately, torture has not only been a pretty awful experience for Bastila but it’s also (for some reason) turned her to the dark side and now she’s Malak’s new apprentice. Oh boy. She tries to make me fall to the dark side again and it doesn’t work because her arguments were kind of lame and I’m playing through as a light sider. Take that, dark side! Since she can’t beat the combined forces of Revan, Jolee, and Juhani, she runs away and now we’re off to the Star Forge. (It’s at this point, by the way, where I realized that I’ve screwed something up and didn’t actually romance Carth and let me tell you how GOSH DARN BITTER I AM ABOUT THIS. ARGH.)

The Star Forge is rough. Like… really rough. It’s probably because I’m playing the game on hard which usually isn’t too bad up until it remembers that it’s on hard and makes you want to cry a little. It’s not that any of the enemies the Star Forge throws at you are particularly tricky. It’s more that they just keep coming and they’re a little harder to beat than the Sith you were fighting in the Temple. Malak did his darndest to slow Revan down and he actually did a good job for once, which is rare for him.

Before we can kick Malak’s stupid butt, I have to fight Bastila again and I’d like to thank my finely honed video game instincts for making sure that I had a save from right before the confrontation started. When you use my method of lightsaber dueling, it’s not terrible tricky to beat Bastila. That method, by the way, is throwing my lightsaber at my opponent two to three times and then running away again and healing if necessary. Repeat as often as you must until you win. Maybe die a few times in the process. Is it flashy? Nah. Does it work? Mostly. What drove me freaking insane this play through was getting Bastila to turn back to the light side because that ridiculous woman did not want to cooperate and apparently wanted to die or something. Apparently there is a very precise dialogue path you have to follow or else she decides that the dark side is great and the light side is dumb… even though it’s clear you’re going to kill her if this fight keeps going. I feel like this probably would have been easier if I’d done a play through as a male Revan but whatever. POINT IS that Bastila Shan has been redeemed and everything is fine. Except for my lack of Carth romance. That’s decidedly not fine.

Malak can’t hide like a scared child forever though. I’M COMING FOR YOU, MALAK. YOU MUST BE STOPPED. He is waaaaaay harder to take down than Bastila or literally any other boss in this game and I routinely pull my hair out during this fight. I think it took me a solid two hours the first time I played this game although admittedly, that was partially because I kept making dumb moves and didn’t realize that you could neutralize the Jedi he keeps using as creepy medpacks. He also does this super crazy Force leaping strike thing that makes me shriek and try and run away as fast as I can. This, by the way, was the fight that the Burst of Speed power was made for so you can run far enough away from Malak to heal. In the end, Revan wins and it leads to one of my favorite exchanges and why I love this game so much. I took a few screenshots but it’s worth watching the exchange on YouTube if you haven’t played before.

And uhhh wow. That’s it. Malak’s dead. The Star Forge is gone. Revan and Bastila are redeemed. And everyone’s going to live happily ever after except wait no this is Star Wars. That’s literally impossible. Oh man though. I love this game. I really do. The mechanics definitely feel creaky after playing Mass Effect but I still adore the story. It’s so delightfully Star Wars while still having twists and turns that surprise you and characters that don’t feel completely cookie cutter. It’s a good game, Brent.

This project’s will be on hiatus for about three weeks. Celebration is next week and the end of the first game seems a good pausing point for the time being even if I am eager to get to all the interactions with Kreia and Atton. We’ll be back soon!