Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review – the ultimate Jedi master power fantasy
Respawn proves its mastery of the famous galaxy yet again, with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor improving on the original game in almost every way.
Following the general meh-ness of series like Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett and the absolutely disastrous way Disney's sequel trilogy concluded, it's all too easy to find oneself disillusioned with Star Wars these days. It’s true, certain aspects of that once-great galaxy far, far away have erred too close to mediocrity lately, but I’ve always held a strong belief that Respawn would follow up on its already great 2019 hit, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, with an even bolder sequel. That first game was an otherwise bright spot in the dark shadow cast by The Rise of Skywalker, of course, and I'm pleased to report that the spark ignited by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor somehow shines brighter.
Picking up roughly five years later, Jedi Padawan-turned-renegade-outlaw, Cal Kestis has become the galaxy's most wanted, completing odd jobs and rebellion contracts tied to dismantling the Emperor’s imperial machine. Shifting the timeline ahead so much works to reinforce the feeling that this truly is a universe gasping for air under the Empire’s boot, as well as being a smart way to move this excellent ensemble cast forward so much they’re almost different people. Putting this ragtag team together again (if you even can, that is) forms much of the fun in Cal’s greatly expanded adventure.
In his attempt to fight back and reunite his friends, early on in the story Cal unwittingly unleashes a once-sleeping evil, and quicker than you can say “Maclunkey” it’s time to hop back in your Mantis ship, travel from planet to planet, and fight back against this new threat in the name of the Jedi Order. Doing so feels a lot more fully formed than in 2019, largely thanks to how Cal himself starts off with all his powers from the first game. There’s no need to relearn basic manoeuvres like Force Pull, Force Push and, if you can believe it, double jump – thank heavens. Instead, inline with how much Cal has grown, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor begins with you already being a legit Jedi. It’s refreshing!
Crew members of The Mantis return, but usually not in the way you think. (Electronic Arts)
This isn’t to say that Cal doesn’t have more than a few new tricks up his sleeve – far from it. In fact his look, skillset and lightsaber capabilities are far more ambitious this time around. There’s the standard skill tree to upgrade through gained experience, sure, but now there’s a Perk system that works to let you enhance Cal’s natural combat abilities such as increasing your block meter, increasing your lightsaber throw distance and so on. Perks can be swapped in and out any time you reach a meditation point, and are a great way to experiment with your playstyle.
Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's six week delay is a good thing
Similarly broadened in scope are the customisation options on offer. No longer are you confined to simply coating Cal in such classic poncho colours as grey, blue and red.Now jackets, shirts and pants can be interchanged at any point in your journey to result in a far more personable Jedi story. Your trusty companion BD-1 can even be coated in endless colours and robotic parts too, and your lightsaber continues to be an extension of yourself, with various hilt, emitter and colour crystal options that carry across in any one of the five available stances.
All five have their benefits, but for my playthrough I settled on using a combination of the double-Handed and blaster stances. The first continues to be an ideal way to perform crowd control, mopping up droids and stormtroopers left and right whenever they gather in their packs. However, it was the dual arrangement of having a blaster and lightsaber in either hand that surprised me most; chipping away at an enemy’s guard using blaster shots from afar is just incredibly satisfying, as is the follow up lightsaber slice attack that cuts through them like butter once they’ve been softened up a bit.
Growing pains
Crucially, though, for as wildly customisable as Cal is, Respawn never loses sight of the fact that this is very much the story of a predefined character still on a journey of growth, as opposed to merely a cipher for the player. And yes, while my Cal always looked pretty cool with his samurai-like robes and man bun hairdo to match, his journey to stop an old evil from rising again makes him more empathetic than ever before. Bolstered by what has easily become my favourite cast featured in any Star Wars media – yes, even you Star Wars Rebels – I feel confident in saying that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor weaves one of the best video game narratives based on the IP in an absolute age.
This story of good vs evil doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so it helps that the handful of planets you’re fortunate to explore are diverse and winding in a way that’s initially anxiety-inducing, but ends up feeling incredibly satisfying. Whether it’s traversing the ancient sand ruins of Jedha, Coruscant’s high-flying cityscape or the many forests and outposts on your base planet of Koboh, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn’t short of things to do. The aforementioned customisation options offer enough reason to seek out secrets. And though each planet’s various pathways prove intimidating at first, rest easy knowing that all routes always ingeniously loop back in on themselves.
Cal meets various Jedi adjacent boss enemies on his journey throughout the galaxy. (Electronic Arts)If there’s one slight blemish on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s record, it’s that it can sometimes struggle on a technical level. Playing on PS5 in what should be the silky-smooth Performance mode, the game often struggles to hold a steady 60fps during locations that are particularly dense, and moments where the action moves from basic ground combat to full-on cinematic spectacle. There's the occasional pop-in present in the distance of some planets, too, but overall none of these shortfalls were enough to ruin my fantasy of being a Jedi master. It’s just a shame that as a current-gen console exclusive these minor issues still arise from time to time.
Jedi: Survivor is a Star Wars game we’ll likely be talking about for years to come. By telling a far grander, more ambitious story centred on characters I already had the chance to fall in love with, I was invested from the off. However, the fact that Respawn has managed to combine these elements with an even more refined lightsaber combat system, with enough flexibility to let players find their own playstyle, is nothing short of astounding. This is a sequel that makes the first game look like a practice run by being an improvement in every way imaginable. If you love Star Wars or even if you don’t, you’d be remiss to deny yourself one of the best games of 2023 so far.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
