(Reviewed on PlayStation 5)
In my mind there was never a worry about how good the quality of the follow up to 2019’s Fallen Order would be. The game that introduced Star Wars fans to Order 66 escapee Cal Kestis was in many ways a lilypad in an ocean of possibility. The new Star Wars Jedi: Survivor doesn’t just tread the waters, it makes waves and the result is the best single-player Star Wars experience to date.
This is a video game that understands what its fun factor is and doesn’t endanger that by making you have to reacquire your abilities and powers from the first game due to some idiotic plot device like convenient amnesia. You start out every bit the Jedi knight Cal Kestis ended as in his first adventure. In fact, the game’s early mission puts you in a storm trooper shooting gallery getting us reacquainted with force powers and light saber dueling. For anyone playing as Cal for the first time, it’s a treat to be this powerful off the bat.
As it is a game sequel you will be introduced to new mechanics. Game developer Respawn Entertainment gives Cal a sweet new grappling hook that adds to already enjoyable platforming movement of the first game. Where the game makes a big leap is the light saber combat. The new fighting stances you can choose from add a variety of slick animations to execution moves and give the combat a new level of enjoyment. You’ll need to experiment with each of the five a bit to decide which you’ll turn your Cal into. By the end, my Cal Kestis relied on the gunslinger hybrid Blaster stance and the Kylo inspired crossguard which turns your saber into a broad sword. Each of the five styles has their own strengths and weaknesses but the strangest part is only being able to equip two styles at a time. Yes, most Jedi in the Star Wars universe mastered only one style but in a game we’re meant to believe the memory banks of Cal Kestis mind is essentially a 2Gb flash drive.
When it comes to the story of the game the overall result is a solid B+. It does the job of getting you from one big set piece to the next while not making anything feel thrown away. The DNA of this part of the Star Wars universe has threads of Uncharted and Tomb Raider shinning through it. Having to use a map to find a treasure planet certainly puts it on that path and combined with all the puzzle solving you’ll need to do, you can’t help but make Nathan Drake comparisons. The writing in the game threads just enough intrigue from the shadow of the empire showing how much it takes advantage of its place in the Star Wars timeline.
The entire cast from the first game is back leveled up in their own ways. Cere has more connection to the force and her old powers which get put on display in a major way. Merrin has a more combat oriented look to her and is even more charming in her Guardians Drax sort of way. These upgrades come into play as in specific parts of the game you’ll be able to fight alongside these characters. During particularly memorable action scenes, Respawn absolutely knock it out of the park in how fun it feels to have all that power on your side.
For Star Wars fans looking to explore new territory, Survivor has you covered as most of its locations are never seen before planets like Koboh. What you’ll notice most is how multilayered these worlds feel. As actual planets do, each has a variety of ecosystems that change the landscape of your exploration. On the same planet, one minute you’ll explore swamplands, then the next phase of it can have you exploring dry desert areas. Here, none of the planets you’ll explore feel as one-note death valley as the trope of Tatooine.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an incredible stand alone sequel. You don’t need to have played Fallen Order to know what’s going on. It tells its own emotional and action packed story which by the end makes you feel reintroduced to these great characters. Mechanically, Respawn expands on everything that was fun about the original and it achieves the same feeling of simple but awesome combat Rocksteady did in their sequel Arkham City. In a year you thought Tears Of The Kingdom was going to run away with Game Of The Year, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has something to say about that.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launches on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC on April 28, 2023.
