Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is packed with action and excellent gameplay

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order, was recently released on 28th April 2023. Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, the game promised to be bigger and better than its predecessor, offering players a chance to revisit the Star Wars universe and take on the role of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis once again. 

While Jedi: Fallen Order had moments of brilliance, it suffered from an uneven mix of platforming and combat. However, Jedi: Survivor is a vast improvement and a masterclass in cinematic action. The game’s mechanics are elegantly implemented, resulting in arguably the best Star Wars game in 20 years.

Survivor features a more open-world design that is not disappointingly barren or arbitrarily bloated. Its areas are fewer but richer, incredibly detailed, bustling with more life, and brimming with gameplay and storytelling opportunities. 

With new movement mechanics, a plethora of ability upgrades, and a well-written although sometimes predictable storyline, Jedi: Survivor builds upon the success of its predecessor. It offers enough gameplay and visual upgrades to keep the gamers interested, and enough references to the Star Wars world to service the fans.

Storyline

The storyline that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor offers seems deliberately predictable, which is not to say that it was not engaging. 5 years on from the events of the Fallen Order, the plot revolves around Cal’s race to locate a map that leads to a lost treasure planet. This quest leads him to explore ancient puzzle chambers that require the use of his intellect, the Force, and an expanded range of gadgets. 

After an engaging Star Wars-themed opening sequence set in the city-life planet of Coruscant, Cal is tasked with finding the latest target hidden on a luxury space yacht. The ensuing 90-minute adventure is action-packed as Cal navigates through Coruscant’s underbelly, battling stormtroopers and manoeuvring across the city’s incredible architecture.

The game also sees the return of some familiar faces from Fallen Order, with BD-1 returning as Cal’s sidekick. The protagonist itself takes on a more mature, determined role, focusing multiple times on past regrets and what could have been had he taken different decisions in the aftermath of Order 66.

The game’s pace never feels rushed, providing plenty of opportunities to engage with a plethora of side quests spread around the open world. Instead of simply fighting the Empire, Cal’s motivations are driven by a desire to find a safe home and let go of his guilt. While quite a few major plot devices seem to have been severely foreshadowed right from the start, the story in itself is well-written and keeps you engaged.

The plot in itself feels as if it has been created to accommodate the high degree of action and combat that Jedi: Survivor offers, rather than dwelling too much on the story itself. Cal quickly reveals a huge shift in his overall personality. Rather than being full of anger and a desire for revenge, he seems more intent to escape his past and is no longer a Jedi Padawan. He is now a Jedi Knight.

Graphics and Environment

Right from the moment you enter the game, the stunning graphics and the visuals stand out. High attention to detail means that Star Wars fans have plenty of references and easter eggs to enjoy. The game offers two open-world planets to explore, Koboh and Jedha, unlike Fallen Order, which had 5. However, the two planets are much larger and more engaging than any of the areas that Fallen Order had to explore.

The environments are beautifully crafted, with meticulously designed features that bring the Star Wars universe to life. The game’s transitions between scenes are also impressive and are reminiscent of classic Star Wars films. From grasslands to swamps, underground facilities, and even its own version of Cloud City, Jedi: Survivor is a comprehensive upgrade over its predecessor when it comes to graphics and environment.

The game offers a good variety which in combination with the beautiful graphics means that Jedi: Survivor is a treat to the eyes. The majority of the story takes place on the vast planets of Jedha and Koboh, and both environments offer a wide range of well-crafted assets including high-rise towers and facilities, ancient Jedi temples, vast deserts, grasslands, mountains and a variety of flora and fauna. 

While the storyline leaves things to demand gamers and fanatics alike, there is not a lot more that Respawn could have done when it comes to graphics and environment.

Combat and Gameplay

Easily the most important category for a Star Wars-themed game, Jedi: Survivor gets a lot right when it comes to the actual game mechanics. The game includes moves that will already be familiar to fans of the franchise. Cal incorporates Jedi and Sith moves into his own sword-fighting style, making players feel like they are part of the Star Wars universe. 

Cal’s acrobatic abilities include running along walls, flipping in midair, and scurrying up surfaces. Survivor adds a grappling hook and a midair dash to these manoeuvres, resulting in incredibly kinetic movement used to build elaborate traversal challenges. 

There are five different fighting stances to choose from, each with its own unique animations and abilities. The fight mechanics look realistic, satisfying, and well, amazing. Gamers are able to carve through enemies with a lightsaber and use abilities in creative ways both for combat and navigation.

There are well-defined and engaging levels and a wide variety of enemies that gamers will come up against. From Imperial Inquisitors to salvaged Separatist battle droids and giant beasts, Cal will have a number of challenging enemies to fight. He also finds himself caught in the middle of battles between different factions, adding further variety to the in-game combat.

Finally, while the open world’s side-quests might sometimes feel like a waste of time, the incentive to explore them is in the form of ability upgrades, rewards, and simply the high engagement that these puzzles offer. The side-quests in themselves are entertaining and varied, although they might not be directly related to the central storyline at times. 

Verdict

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a much more diverse, visually stunning, and densely packed game than its predecessor. Despite a rather predictable storyline, the game feels highly engaging and its returning cast of characters lend a familiarity that game sequels often do not possess. With an excellent level of design, animation sequences, and graphics, the game is highly entertaining from start to finish and is definitely worth exploring.

While Jedi: Survivor is, as its name suggests, a survival game at its core, its challenging combat and rewarding movement mechanics give gamers the most realistic Jedi-fighting experience seen to date. The game offers dazzling spaces to navigate, taking players to some stunning locations and has a logical plot that only serves as a buffer to what the game is actually about Action-packed Jedi combat.