Game news If Star Wars Jedi Survivor fixes these flaws in Fallen Order, it’s going to be huge!
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While Star Wars Jedi Survivor is just over a month away, I recently came to the end of its predecessor, Fallen Order. Believe me, if Electronic Arts and Respawn correct everything that is lacking in the first installment, we could have something very successful. Here is my little review.
A story of perspective:
This article is an opinion piece, it is by nature subjective. The opinion of the author is personal and is not representative of that of the rest of JV’s editorial staff. Thanks in advance, happy reading!
Say see Indee, do you like Star Wars? I would say I’m a ‘moderate’ fan. I grew up and dreamed with the prelogy (The Phantom Menace especially), I had stars in my eyes – died of laughter – when I heard the main theme at the beginning of episode 9, but I never hooked on the extended universe, whether it’s TV series or books. On the other hand, in the galaxy of George Lucas, I wandered around the world of video games. I have fond memories of Rebel Strike on Gamecube and Revenge of the Sith (PS2). I quite liked The Force Unleashed, in 2009. And here comes Jedi Fallen Order.
A new hope
You will have understood it: I finished the baby of Electronic Arts and Respawn a few days ago to prepare for the release of its sequel, Jedi Survivor (April 28, 2023 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series). As you will have understood again: the 2019 episode clearly has flaws in my opinion, but flaws that are not complicated to correct ! It gives me hope for the new adventures of Cal Kestits.
To put things into context, Fallen Order is an action-adventure title that mixes Souls-like and 3D metroidvania. Basically, on the one hand, lightsaber gameplay is demanding and often leads to returning to a checkpoint after a failure. On the other hand, in the explored planets, there are passages that will only open once a key skill has been unlocked (for example, wall running). For this last point: either it’s 100% optional, or it’s included in the progression.
Overall, the Fallen Order formula works pretty well. There are really times when I enjoyed the exploration phases | of action, whether thanks to an artistic direction which sends – sometimes – heavy or a gameplay which expands without warning (in particular by the double lightsaber). But, these two aspects can still be largely refined! For my part, I found the level design of Fallen Order quite uneven | fights that are often imprecise or even frustrating, especially when the number of enemies comes to multiply. The animations also lack polish as does the writing. The two “last” planets, Dathomir and Nur, are in my opinion far too far below.
Return of the Jedi
What could Jedi Survivor do better than Fallen Order? Finally… almost everything. From what we already know: Call Kestis will soon benefit from five combat stances (against two in the first part). They haven’t all been revealed yet, but among them is a dual-blade mode, another blaster and lightsaber at the same time, the latter with the Kylo Ren-style quillon heavy sword. We therefore imagine that the last two will be the “standard” posture, a classic laser sword in hand, and a mode entirely devoted to the Force. Improvements in this aspect would also be more than welcome: Fallen Order does not often allow the player to be creative.
Finally, we know that Jedi Survivor will offer a new palette of movements to the hero – with the arrival of a grappling hook, a dash in the air, even mounts (this is undoubtedly the promise of more open areas). The icing on the cake, in addition to the droid BD-1 and Cere, already present in the previous part, Cal Kestis will be able to count on Bode Akuna, a new character… Stig Asmussen, at the head of the project, describes him as a “companion IA” which will be there in the combat and exploration phases. Respawn arguably holds the key to advancing its storytelling ! As a reminder: Jedi Survivor promises to be “darker and more challenging” than Fallen Order. I hope above all more successful.
“Set 5 years after the events of Fallen Order, (Jedi Survivor) follows Cal’s fight, the outcome of which seems increasingly unfavorable (…) Pushed to the edge of the galaxy by the Empire, he will have to face ever-increasing threats, including familiar-faced opponents” – Description of Star Wars Jedi Survivor (via Steam)
