Star Wars has been dormant over the past decade years in terms of video games. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm 10 years ago, one of the unfortunate casualties was the disbandment of their videogame division, LucasArts, producers of popular Star Wars games such as the original Battlefront (2004), Empire at War, and The Force Unleashed.
In the years since LucusArts’ disbandment, the videogame rights have been licensed to EA with mixed results. Among them was Jedi: Fallen Order, among the first video games in the new Disney canon to be story-driven – following a renegade Jedi apprentice, Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan), hiding from The Empire.
Despite the positive reception, Jedi: Fallen Order was more of a beta test for game mechanics than an actual experience. It was all these lessons that the developers at EA have taken into for its sequel, Jedi: Survivor. After racking up over 40 hours of gameplay, I can confidently say that Jedi: Survivor is the best Star Wars game since The Force Unleashed.
Story
It’s been several years since the end of Fallen Order. During this time, the crew of the Mantis split, leaving Cal Kestis on his own as he continued to lead his own anti-Imperial crusade alongside one of Saw Gerrera’s rebel cells. Eventually, Cal discovers a hidden world called Tanalorr, an unchartered planet that was discovered by the Jedi 200 years ago during the newly explored High Republic era.
Cal believes that a hidden world like would be a refuge for forced sensitives hiding from the empire. However, he’s confronted by several power players. In addition to The Empire, he is confronted by a rogue band of pirates known as the “Bedlam Raiders” seeking out a long-lost Jedi that discovered Tanalorr. Eventually, Cal’s greatest enemy would turn out to be the ones closest to him.
Gameplay
Versatility
The one bright spot in the game is the number of lightsaber combat styles available from the start. You can wield a single blade, dual wield, and the saber staff (my personal favorite). Later on, you also get the option of a blaster for ranged attacks. The most significant is the claymore-esque “crossguard” emitter, like the saber used by Kylo Ren in the sequel trilogy.
As for force powers, much is still somewhat left to be desired. While levitation/”force grip” is available, it’s not free-floating like it was in other games consisting mainly of pulling and pushing objects directly to the player rather than freeform telekenisis. However, more advanced ones, including human shields, are also available. A welcome addition to your strategies is using “force confusion” (Jedi mind tricks) to convince your enemies to attack each other briefly. This is especially useful if you are facing dozens of enemies, as you can brainwash the brutes or, in some cases, monsters.
Puzzles
Perhaps the most frustrating part about the game is the puzzles you have to take. Some are cleverly hidden in plain sight, while others are obscured in a contrived way. It works best with a person with an eagle eye. However, there’s a good bet that some of you will be tempted to watch playthroughs online as I did.
Worldbuilding
Like some of the best Star Wars titles, Jedi Survivor establishes much more about the universe and the lore.
For one, this is the first time on-screen we see the elements of the High Republic era come to light. This was a period told only in the comic books at a time when the Jedi were spreading to expand their missionary work in the outer rim.
This was also the first time onscreen we get to see what’s known bleeding of the crystal, where a dark Jedi infuse their hatred into their crystal, turning it red. This process is usually considered the final, irreversible step for a Jedi to fully commit to the dark side.
A Tale of Two Villains (Spoiler Alert)
There are two main villains in this game’s story, but they don’t seem to compliment each other at all.
For the majority of the game, you are embattled with fallen Jedi Dagan Gera and his Bedlam Raiders. Dagan was a High Republic-era Jedi frozen in time, kept in a sealed bacta tank for over 200 years. Cal frees Dagan with the hopes he could be a potential ally only to realize too late he was the real leader of the Bedlam Raiders.
Degan plays the role of villain well enough, if a bit whiny. He wants to create a safe place for the Jedi to be free from the teachings of the order but is betrayed and left in a bacta tank. However, exactly how and why Tanalorr became his obsession to the point he leads the Bedlam Raiders with an iron fist feels mute.
Bode is a harder character to make out. Starting at the big Bode was an ally and “trusted” friend of Cal only to be the villain the whole time. To astute observers, it was apparent he was going to be the twist villain from the start. To its credit, the initial reasons were well established. Starting as a deep-cover Jedi agent who switched allegiance to the empire is a concept that hadn’t been fully seen before.
Unlike most twist villains like that in many recent Disney projects, his turn was carefully planned from the beginning. He doesn’t become different after he betrays Cal; he even encourages Cal to save his friends after stealing the compass.
Though his actions were deceitful, his expressions of love for his daughter were genuine. His entire motivation is keeping his daughter safe. Until your final battle, his motives were clear from and center. It’s when you fight Boud in the final boss battle that it falls apart.
For most of the game, Boud’s motivations made sense; protecting his daughter was his only motivation to betray Cal and his friends. However, even after he’s successfully escaped to Tanalorr with his daughter without the leverage of The Empire, he just turns into a one-dimensional villain again.
His motivations for fighting Cal at the end feel like they added at the last minute because the writers think they needed him to be the final boss battle, no matter how little sense that makes. This is a problem that may be worth an article of its own. Bode’s motivations were there but weren’t conveyed very well, leaving a messy climax to an otherwise solid Star Wars story experience.
Conclusion
There were some details in the story that could’ve been polished. This was the SW video game that fans had been waiting for years. Not just for its gameplay but also the story and characters involved. It is my hope that in the future this story can continue even if it means Cal and his friends would have to die to preserve continuity.
