Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Game Review

This new Star Wars game, Jedi Survivor, is a sequel to the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game that came out in 2019. This new game is kind of an overall improvement on the previous game as it has kept everything that people loved in the previous game but offers some new gameplay elements and even developing the main character’s quest even further. This is definitely a game that will make you fall in love with Star Wars if you have fallen out of touch with the Force. 

Specs
Platforms	PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Price	$70
Release Date	28th April 2023
Genre	Action, Adventure

There are two aspects to this new Star Wars game that make it so popular. The first thing is that it stays strong to its Star Wars media and gives the fan exactly what they’d be expecting from the franchise. The second thing that makes this so popular is the true “next-gen” experience that takes advantage of the new PS5 and Xbox Series X’s hardware. 

The Story

The story of the Star Wars: Jedi Survivor game takes place multiple years after the previous Jedi: Fallen Order game. Just like in the previous Star Wars game, you will play as Cal Kestis as he is going to continue his battle against the Galactic Empire and his quest to try and get the surviving Jedi all back together. If you had played the previous game you would remember that Cal became obsessed with completing these goals he had, which then caused his friends and comrades to all split. Now, in Jedi Survivor, Cal as well as his droid BD-1 will need to get them all back together to try and stop the new threat to the whole galaxy. 

Just like in the Star Wars franchise, the Jedi Survivor game has amazing thrills and massive setpieces packed into the game which fans know and love. Although this game’s narrative is a little bit darker than the usual scenes in Star Wars, there are still more than enough moments in the game that are light hearted thanks to some of the sillier aliens and droids that you tend to run into. If you are someone that has been invested in the Star Wars lore then this game would be great for you as its plot expands what you would know about the Jedi and actually reveals some events between the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope. 

Although there is a much bigger picture in this game there is still a lot of focus on Cal’s personal journey as well as the different relationships he has and will build. The writing as well as the voice acting is really excellent and work perfectly with each other to make the characters in this game feel very believable, and also enhances the games cinematic quality. 

The Gameplay

With regards to the gameplay of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, it keeps the same basic gameplay as its predecessor. Since this is an action- adventure game, it has a mixture of combat, platforming, exploration and puzzles in it to keep you entertained all the time. Even though there are a lot of different things that you will be doing in the game it will never keep you engaged in an activity for too long, which is great because it then makes 100% certain that the game will never get boring or repetitive. 

When you think of a Jedi in combat you’ll think of a lightsaber, which you will be using in this game to fight enemies with. Not only will the lightsaber be able to defeat lots of foes but it can also be used to deflect blaster shots from enemies. Using your lightsaber, whether it be when you’re parrying or deflecting, feels good and impactful and once you master some of the basics, you’ll feel like a real Jedi. There are also a lot of different lightsabers and stances to choose from and each will be useful in different situations. An example of this would be that using a double-bladed lightsaber setup is the best for when you are combating more than one enemy at once whilst using a cross-guard blade setup is perfect for one-on-one combat. Luckily you’ll be able to switch lightsabers by the click of just a few buttons anytime, which is great when you see opponents changing their attack patterns. 

When you progress through the game and defeat enemies along the way, you’ll receive skill points, which are used to unlock new abilities for your character in the game’s skill trees. All of the abilities that you are able to get within this game’s skill trees include new lightsaber attacks, force powers, just to name a few. All of the skill trees have multiple branches that you’ll be able to choose to unlock in order to suit the play style that you may have. There are a lot of Star Wars gamers out there that appreciate this ability to be more specific with your upgrades a lot. 

The new Star Wars game has a gameplay feature that they have taken inspiration from the Dark Souls game and this is that enemies respawn when your character rests at the different meditation points that have been spread out across the levels. If your character dies then you’ll also return to the latest meditation point that you had visited. Another cool thing about the respawning in this game is that if you die while fighting against an enemy then you’ll get another chance to go back to that spot and defeat that enemy in order to get your lost experience points back. A lot of gamers will also appreciate the fact that the foes in this game are tougher than you may have expected from an action-adventure game, so you will need to strike with a purpose and won’t be able to just button smash your way to victory. 

Exploration is another huge part to this game and each of the worlds that you’ll get to traverse will be expansive. One each of these worlds and new areas that you will be exploring you’ll also be able to find shortcuts, which will help you visit areas a lot easier than you initially found them. You will never feel like you’re wasting your time whilst exploring because you’ll almost always be rewarded with treasure boxes or loot that’ll reward you with customization items, tech or relics. Even though each of the worlds that you’ll be visiting is expansive and huge, you won’t feel too overwhelmed when you’re exploring them and that is thanks to the awesome map system this game has in order to keep you on the right track. 

Customization

When it comes to the customization that you are able to do in this game then Star Wars: Jedi Survivor hasn’t skimped on anything. Although the customization doesn’t necessarily change anything when it comes to gameplay, it most certainly is a great way to add some flair to Cla’s style and personalise him to your liking. 

You’ll be able to dress up Cla in a number of different outfits and even change his hair and beard styles. You’ll also be able to customise your lightsaber by changing the lightsaber’s hilts and even changing the colour of the blade. Finally, you’ll also be able to customise your droid companion appearance as well, to ensure you and your friend are always looking fly. 

Visuals and the Sound

Although the Star Wars: Jedi Survivor game runs on the last-gen Unreal Engine 4, it still has excellent graphics and since this game is only available on the current-gen systems, we see the game take further advantage of their respective hardware, in order to give you these jaw-dropping graphics people love to see. Lots of people who played the previous Star Wars game loved the fantastic graphics and believed that it would be challenging to outdo them but somehow Star Wars: Jedi Survivor has managed to do just that. 

This game is filled with details everywhere you look, whether you’re exploring a lush alien forest or an abandoned lunar colony, you are sure to be wowed. Just as the Star Wars franchise were popular for their awesome aliens, this new Star Wars game also has extreme detail in every unique friendly and not-so-friendly aliens you are bound to encounter along your journeys. 

The soundtrack that has been used in this game has been inspired by John Williams and makes the game really feel like you’re in the middle of a Star Wars movie. The game has a good mixture of both some new tracks that are specific to this game as well as some of the classic motifs. 

Final Words

So, in conclusion the Stars Wars Jedi: Survivor game is really one of the best games that you can purchase now, in 2023, at the moment. It gives you some solid gameplay, a great story that will have you hanging on every scene as well as some spectacular graphics to top it all off. So, although this game may be just a continuation of the Star Wars game that we got back in 2019, it’s hard to complain about a game that’s so expertly crafted and so satisfying to just play.