by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer
It’s been a little under four years since EA released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, one of the most critically adored games of this console cycle. The release found Cal Kestis, a fledgling Jedi, fighting to rebuild the Jedi Order in the wake of the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Pairing the challenging yet rewarding gameplay loop of a Dark Souls game with the space opera’s ever-expanding world was a stroke of genius. Fans fell in love with a colorful cast of new heroes and villains, and were able to interact with characters from their favorite films, shows, and comics. While flawed, it was pretty much exactly what any fan could’ve hoped for, and left everyone clamoring for more. As of this past week, EA finally fulfilled that request with the release of the highly anticipated sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. I have spent the past week grinding the game to see if it is a worthy successor, and while I haven’t completed it, I am pretty confident I have the answer to the question!
Fallen Order found the main crew searching the galaxy for a group of children to rebuild the Jedi order, but concluded with them opting to allow the children to remain hidden for their safety. There was also a novel between the two games that found the crew clashing with the Empire yet again. The main thing you need to know is that the group has splintered since we last saw them. They remain on relatively good terms, but grew distant because they all had different opinions on the current state of the rebellion. The newest entry pits Cal and company against a series of threats and enemies, new and old, as he seeks a safe haven for himself and the victims of the empire’s ceaseless persecution.
I’ll split this review into two pieces: gameplay and story. And I’d like to start with gameplay because there seems to be a cloud of controversy surrounding the title’s release. Fans of the franchise were presented with the opportunity to preload the title so they could enjoy it the second it became available. Console players were able to indulge themselves with little to no issues. Unfortunately, PC players weren’t so lucky. The PC version of the game was saturated with glitches, bugs, and graphical errors to the point of unplayability. I bring this up for two reasons: Firstly, this review reflects my experience with the game and that alone. I haven’t had any technical issues, so I am able to move forward and rate the game on other merits. But I don’t begrudge people for dishing out low ratings because they weren’t sold a full product on release. Secondly, this is problem that is becoming increasingly common. The overreliance on post-release patches, and the burden imposed by unnecessary deadlines and crunch time, is tragic. The greed and apathy of large corporations are ruining the player’s experience and erasing the hard work of the passionate developers they employ. I was fortunate enough to not be affected this time, but have certainly had my fair share of launch days soiled by endless updates and game-breaking bugs. Now that I have that out of the way, I’ll hop off my soap box and talk about the actual gameplay.
Honestly, my thoughts here are pretty simple: If you have ever dreamt of becoming a Jedi, you have to play these games. A game like this has to be challenging enough to reward skill, but not make you want to log off and throw your console in a microwave. That is relatively easy to justify when your protagonist is human, but it becomes complicated when you are controlling a Jedi master. I think this game manages to thread the needle and make the game believably hard, while still making the hero feel like an absolute force of nature. The boss fights in this game are extremely punishing, and will often require a couple of tries at the bare minimum. Even the normal enemies provide enough of a challenge to keep you engaged. If they don’t kill you, they will often whittle you down enough to pave the way for a climactic boss battle with limited resources. These culminate in some incredibly gratifying moments where the player perseveres through seemingly insurmountable odds and become the capable hero at the forefront of the franchise’s films.
I have a few hangups that hold me back from calling the combat perfect. The fighting feels like it was taken directly from the imagination of a particularly creative child. This leads to epic moments of sheer spectacle and inventive uses of the force and other abilities. However, there are some moments where an enemy resists or counters a specific attack or ability without explanation. Enemies may as well be shouting, “You can’t defeat my anti-mind control helmet,” or, “You’re no match for my force-resistant boots, Jedi.” Maybe it was explained in the last game and I simply forgot, but it was frustrating to have your plan completely neutralized without a prompt or line of dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love that this game actually challenged me. There have been a handful of boss fights that made me want to unplug from technology and live an agrarian lifestyle in the wilderness. However, all of those were eventually followed by success and an overwhelming sense of pride that made it worthwhile. I just wanted to note that there is a difference between challenging and unfair.
I want to applaud the developers for expanding the movement system and crafting gorgeous planets to explore. A fundamental strength of the Star Wars universe is the blank canvas it allows. There is always a reason to travel across the galaxy, and each planet can be whatever you want it to be. These worlds have beautiful landscapes and unique flora and fauna that makes every destination feel distinct. The levels are also carefully crafted in a way where paths naturally loop back on each other, which makes navigation easy and intuitive. I still the think the map is a little too stylized to be particularly useful, but I haven’t had to refer to it enough for it to be a real issue. Traversal is made even easier by the introduction of the grappling hook, dash, and various mounts throughout the game. If I had to give any notes, though, I would probably tone down the climbing, jumping, and maneuvering throughout the game. They included a lot of different elements to keep it fresh, but it can still become monotonous after a nonstop session of spelunking, clambering, and scaling.
The second part of the review dedicated to the story will be a little briefer. I want to reiterate that I haven’t completed the main story because I wanted to get this review out in a reasonable timeframe. Instead of speedrunning the campaign, I chose to play it in a way that felt natural, and to complete the review when I felt like I had something to say. I progressed relatively far in the main missions, completed many side quests, and talked to as many auxiliary characters as I could. And I just have to say that I absolutely love spending time in this world. There are so many memorable bit characters that immerse you in the world and keep you busy. These quests are fun in the moment, and they even enhance the primary story by making you care about the people and communities you are fighting for. The voice actors do great work, and I have to praise Cameron Monaghan for the sheer amount of work does as Cal, and Debra Wilson for the subtle gravitas and wisdom she brings to Cere Junda. The depth of the game is truly something to marvel at. The main crew has great chemistry with the player and each other. Every side character has a seemingly endless well of dialogue and interactions. And I never tire of quips and comments between Cal and his lovable droid companion, BD-1.
You can feel the exhaustive time and effort the developers and writers put into this release. They knew these games were an opportunity for fans to finally explore a world they’ve loved for decades. The main story itself isn’t groundbreaking (so far at least) by Star Wars standards, but it’s definitely serviceable. The solid pace consistently provides looming threats that keep me fretting and anticipating the next encounter, and the consequences of Cal’s actions. His growth throughout the game reflects in the gameplay and his actions during the cutscenes. I think this story would’ve made for a solid one-off film or series. But the opportunity to feel every single moment enhances the story in a way that only video games can. And the fact that characters from the movies and shows appear in the story proves Cal and the crew aren’t limited to their current medium. Ultimately, if you are a console player, this release fully justifies the price and time commitment. If you are a PC player, you may want to catch it in a Steam sale a few years and patches down the line. And if you are a Star Wars fan who doesn’t like games, cross your fingers that these characters and planets make it to the big screen, because they really are special.
Score: 8/10
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