Players have the ability to construct their own lightsaber by choosing the hilt style and blade color.
The game is powered by the same version of the Quake III engine used in its predecessor, Jedi Outcast, containing modifications to the Quake code to give a third-person view and new lightsaber effects (Jedi Knight II had these 3rd person effects as well). A spin-off of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy allows players to create their own Jedi, train in the Academy under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn and ultimately choose to follow the path of the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force.
