A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… is a phrase we all will never get tired of. I personally didn’t think the first could be topped but here we are. Star Wars Jedi Survivor is a direct sequel to Star Wars Fallen Order, developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by everyone’s lovable Electronic Arts.
We return into the boots of the Gen Z jedi royalty Cal Kestis as he continues his ongoing resistance against the Galactic Empire. This story takes 5 years after the first one and it’s a good follow up. Cal has joined a band of resistance members and they are on a mission to infiltrate a based to retrieve military secrets. After a whole load of action and espionage they get the data only to find out the Empire have grown stronger so there is a lot more to do. This sets off a journey for Cal to recruit his old gang together to foil the enemies plans. it’s one hell of a journey.
Cameron Monaghan returns As Cal, this time round as a more matured and experienced Jedi. He’s grown into his leadership role and his voice acting is stellar. Debra Wilson reprises her role as Cere Junda. Now in a more higher-ranking Jedi role, she’s moved on from being the simple pilot of the Mantis. Replaced now by Greez voiced by legendary Daniel Roebuck, he provides the comedic fearful relief and he’s enjoyable whenever on screen. Tina Ivlev is back as the magick wielding Merrin, playing a more advanced role in this game. We are then hit with a host of newcomers into the franchise. Newcomer Cody Fern is the big bad here as Dagan Gera. An ancient Jedi figure from 1000 years ago, accompanied by the goliath looking bad ass Rayvis voiced by DC Douglas. They make for an interesting villainous duo in the game.
What I love most about this sequel is once we gain control of Cal in this new story you will find he is exactly as we left him from the last game.
He has all his jedi powers, lightsabre, and traversal abilities so from here you can imagine the only way is up! Where Jedi Survivor shines most for me is in its traversal gameplay. The controls you have access to, to get Cal across tight knitted corridors as well as vast massive canyon areas is outstanding. It helps given the well-designed thought-out levels. From wall runs to force jumps to force boosts to outright just flying, you certainly feel the powerful jedi you signed up to use. All skills you will need to tackle the various puzzles in the game. However, we are talking of Jedis here so of course the lightsabre will always be the star of the show. The combat is more of the same and it’s still good. This time around you have access to a lot of moves. For example, lightsabre moves are assigned to 5 different stances. Each stance has its own combos, specials, and abilities. It’s a fresh take but it’s not the best thing about the game. You won’t find yourself using all 5 stances, you will most likely find one or two and use them through the whole game. I do wish they created scenarios whether puzzles or enemies in which require certain stances to get past. Perhaps in the sequel! I stuck with dual and double bladed after getting access to all 5. The fantastic takedowns return and this time round there are more variety based on what stance you have equipped. Customization is heavy here however its limited to solely aesthetics. Nothing that effects combat stats or anything along those lines. There are loads to choose from for Cal himself from hair, beard, clothing etc. then the lightsabre and blaster as well. Even BD-1is customisable this time round. There are so many options here so if dress up is your thing? You’re going to love it here.
It’s a gorgeous looking spectacle. So easy to get lost in the scenery. Levels are designed in a Metroid Vania style in which its all linked together with shortcuts etc. the worlds you visit are distinctive with their own livestock and enemies. There is a variety of enemies and I don’t think I saw any enemies from the previous game, I could be wrong though. Bosses are unique and well designed and the battles are enjoyable. There are some memorable herculean fights which gives you that full jedi feeling. Character models are splendid and I always prefer when character voices are matched with likeness and that’s what they did here.
All in all, Jedi Survivor simply doubles down on everything we loved about Fallen Order. It took it all and made it bigger and better, exactly the way sequels should be done. If somethings not broken don’t fix it, feel free to add to it. I fully recommend playthrough but do play the first before touching this one. Both beautiful journeys to embark on.
Do you want another sequel after this one? What was your favourite stance to use? Do you want to see these guys appear in the live action shows/films? Would coop work in this type of game? React and comment below…
