It was in 2019, the giant Electronic Arts offered players a certain Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, under the aegis of Respawn Entertainment. Exit multiplayer (and loot boxes), and make way for a real narrative single-player game under Star Wars license, demanded by fans around the world for many years. An excellent surprise, which has seduced fans (and others), and it is therefore logical that the American giant is back, with the release this week of Jedi Survivor.
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Star Wars Jedi Survivor Test Time
A few weeks ago, we were able to enjoy a taste of this Jedi Survivor. For a few days now, the full version (PS5) has arrived at the editorial staff, the opportunity for us to go through this new episode from top to bottom. Obviously, no spoilers on the horizon, except that we find ourselves here five years after the events that occurred in Fallen Order, with Cal Kestis and his faithful BD-1, the two acolytes starting their new adventure in very bad posture on Coruscant.
Quickly, those who have played Fallen Order will regain their reflexes, since this Jedi Survivor takes up the main ingredients. As was the case in 2019, the first section allows you to become familiar with the controls, whether at the level of the platform phases, as for the combat system, which is still just as dynamic. As a result, Cal benefits here from new abilities to facilitate his progress, not to mention new combat postures and Force management, with the possibility of upgrading everything via various skill trees.
A more complete, more controlled suite
Unquestionably, this Jedi Survivor is more complete, more mastered, than the 2019 opus. As mentioned a few weeks ago, the gameplay is less floating, more precise, and this is an excellent thing for the platform phases (without count the presence of a grapple). However, do not expect to be close to perfection, since we are not immune to certain collision bugs and other various and varied concerns when it comes to gripping a rope or a low wall… not to mention a camera that sometimes struggles (a lot) to give a perfect view of the action.
Some sequences are superb and very (very) immersive
This does not prevent you from taking real pleasure in handling the twirling Cal Kestis, whose relationship with BD-1 has been masterfully worked to make the little droid very (very) endearing. Ditto on the fighting side, always with this clever mix of action and reflection, which requires knowing how to attack at the right time of course, but also to parry and dodge certain attacks.
In total, the game offers five difficulty levels to suit the greatest number. Throughout the game, the player will be able to benefit from various postures, with the possibility of juggling between two on the fly… and yes, one of them allows to wield the saber with the right hand, and the blaster with the hand LEFT.
It will be wise to use the correct posture according to the enemies, even if there again, the game does not impose any specific gameplay, and it is quite possible to stay on the basic posture if desired. This plurality of gameplay remains however very appreciable, and makes it possible to apprehend the play of very many manners. The fights, although sometimes a little confusing when several resistant enemies enter the scene, remain very exhilarating, with the added bonus of many bosses to slay (some well hidden).
Indeed, with this sequel, EA has seen big, very big… and Jedi Survivor offers larger environments (so much so that it will be possible to ride certain mounts), starting with the base planet Koboh, which is full of secrets and areas to discover. This is where you can also chat at the local Saloon, buy customization items and take part in various more or less thrilling activities, such as… gardening. The gigantism of this second opus is also felt on the narration, much denser, much more present, with nice reversals of situation, but also some “surprises” a little over the phone, but which still have their little effect.
On the personalization side, like Fallen Order, this new opus allows you to take advantage of many possibilities on the side of lightsaber, blaster, but also with regard to BD-1 and of course Cal Kestis, whose clothes, hairstyle, style of beard… Excellent.
A fairly classic game… and uneven?
Undoubtedly, Jedi Survivor is an excellent title for anyone who appreciates Star Wars, with its excellent mix of action/exploration, but also its very elaborate universe, full of references, winks, and relying in part on Haute Republic. However, like its predecessor, difficult to see in it anything other than a game with an overall very classic design, drawing its (good) ideas from the competition, starting with Uncharted, Tomb Raider, God of War or even the From Software games for the meditation points, which work like campfires (and which we still struggle to understand the reason for their presence here).
Star Wars Jedi Survivor is often very easy on the eyes…
Not necessarily very original in substance (videogame speaking), Star Wars Jedi Survivor is also a very uneven game. Graphically, the game (available only on PS5 and Xbox Series, and PC) displays grandiose panoramas, with the added bonus of a very beautiful staging, especially when arriving on the planets.
However, if it is sometimes sublime, Jedi Survivor can also display, a few moments later, a rather visually poor environment, in no way justifying its unavailability on the previous generation of consoles. Ditto on the side of the characters (my God these NPCs…), with often a very vague, very poor rendering… and also sometimes (often?) a terrible lack of soul and life during the dialogues.
… and sometimes much less
On the gameplay side, the whole thing has also been optimized compared to Fallen Order, but there are no exceptions to collision bugs and other inaccuracies during the platform phases. The camera is not to be outdone, and can literally shoot down the immersion during certain phases, but also certain fights. This was already the case in the first opus.
Coruscant
Too bad also to have (over) exaggerated the movements of Cal’s hair, giving a rather grotesque side to certain sequences… We also regret the many round trips to be made via the Mantis, which break the rhythm, in addition to impose loading times (which moreover try as best they can to hide their side “old gen” for once).
So yes, basically, Jedi Survivor is a pure success, with superb biomes, many emblematic characters and a very skillfully constructed story, but technically, in addition to a just non-existent next-gen side, impossible to deny the very uneven side of the whole, with a lot of finishing concerns…
Yes, some phases are stunning, some panoramas are sublime, but others let out a sigh of boredom, and make you sketch a little grimace in the face of environments that are sometimes quite poor, and platforming phases that are not always very inspired/precise.
On the lifespan side, Star Wars Jedi Survivor asked us for a little less than 20 hours of play to overcome the plot, while taking care to perform various side effects. This was already the case in the first (and this is not necessarily a fault in our view), the plot is very interventionist overall, even if the game sometimes seems to give the player a semblance of freedom… without really do it. Finally, we also appreciate the fact that the game is not (too) marked out, and lets the player search for himself, without always indicating the direction to follow.
Completers will obviously be able to add a few extra hours to the counter, just to unearth all the secrets, the customization elements, not to mention a secondary quest aimed at eliminating certain very specific enemies, scattered over the different play areas. so generous for a game of its kind.
Our opinion on Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Let’s be clear, Star Wars Jedi Survivor is a very good game… Star Wars. The universe is more than respected, the play areas are more open, more generous, the game is full of references, winks and content capable of capsizing the hearts of fans of the saga, not to mention the Cal/BD-1 relationship just extraordinary of humanity. However, as a “video game”, we remain on a rather classic title overall, which borrows very good ideas here and there (Uncharted, God of War…), and which remains above all relatively uneven overall . Unequal technically, with breathtaking passages and others almost unworthy of the PS4/Xbox One generation, unequal in its fights, with very well thought-out battles and other ultra-confusing ones, unequal gameplay-wise, with grandiose passages (but really!) and others that put the camera (and our nerves) to the test… We often glimpse a certain form of excellence, without unfortunately ever achieving it.
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This does not prevent you from taking real pleasure in browsing this Star Wars Jedi Survivor, discovering as many secrets as possible and following this very (sur)surprising original plot. However, once completed, the game will not necessarily leave an unforgettable memory in the memory of the players. A blessing in disguise in the end, because this will quickly free up the 150 GB of space required on your console’s SSD…
