Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) Review

While playing the newer Star Wars games, I realised that I actually hadn't reviewed Jedi: Fallen Order even though I have reviewed the Sequel Jedi: Survivor so it is time to review it after playing through the game. The premise of the games sees a young Jedi escape Order 66 and when he discovered he must find his true identity and a reason to fight. 

Characters

Cameron Monaghan plays Cal Kestis and I love this performance and it was a true pleasure to play as the character. Cal's development throughout the game is fantastic and we really see him develop and come to realise how important he can be to the galaxy. You see him gain more confidence and it feels like we are on a journey with him which is fantastic. 

Cal's main companion of the game is BD-1, a little droid who is full of character. I don't think it is an overreaction to put him on a similar level to R2-D2 & BB-8 and the development of their friendship is so charming and I love watching it on screen. 

Debra Wilson plays Cere Junda, a former Jedi who is helping Cal and she is a fascinating character. She is shrouded in mystery throughout the game and we learn little things throughout that makes things complicated between her and Cal and adds this layer of character. 

Greez played by Daniel Roebuck and Tina Ivlev plays Nightsister Merrin and they are great additions to the crew of The Mantis. Greez is the pilot and is charming and funny, clearly being the comedy relief but it really works. Merrin is a fascinating character, she gives a look at the Nightsisters that we have never seen before and I just wish we could have spent more time with her in the game. 

The villains are also really well written, there are spoilers involving one of the villains identity so I won't go into too much detail but they are well written and kept interesting throughout the game. 

Story

The story is really heavily emphasised here and I really enjoyed it. Cal is a fantastic lead character and I love how they handled his character development. The crew of The Mantis are great together and I love the banter and emotion between the three/four of them. The ending is also really rewarding and the last 10 mins of the game is just peak Star Wars. 

Side Content 

Now this game heavily focused on its story but that means there is literally no side content and that is not good enough. The game tries to trick you to go back to planets to find things but there is no point, sure there are collectibles but they aren't particularly interesting and it just feels like the amount of content here is not good enough and it makes the game feel a little empty and I completed it pretty quickly. 

Gameplay

The gameplay is a lot of fun, the lightsaber combat is fresh and exciting and there are plenty of enemies to face off with that feels unique. There are cool climbing sequences and the missions feel different throughout with some great locations. However, this game had an issue and that was the final boss, I am happy to have a challenge but the final boss is really cheap and it became more of a chore to complete then actually a fun challenge. 

Graphics

The game looks beautiful, the character models look life like and credit to these real performances that bring them to life. It was great revisiting some planets we already know and some new ones and every one was designed fantastically well.

Overall

Overall, Jedi: Survivor is a good game but I can't lie that I was a little disappointed playing it through. I just remember the game being better and I truly feel like the sequel Survivor is a huge improvement. But Jedi Fallen Order is a good game that focuses on its story and characters and if you are a fan of Star Wars and Single Player Games, then it should be played. 

Rating - 7/10

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023) Review

I thought that it was about times I added video game reviews to my list of reviews and what better way to start then reviewing the new Star Wars Jedi: Survivor the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order which was one of my favourite games of recent memory. The premise of the game is set 5 years after the ending of the first game, Cal Kestis has split from his previous crew and is trying to take the Empire down by any means necessary. 

Characters

Cameron Monaghan once again voices Cal and he is fantastic in this game. The character has become one of the most interesting in the whole of Star Wars and that gets expanded here. You can tell that Cal has been through a lot in the 5 years between games and that has made him see certain things in a different light. Monaghan sells it perfectly and this is a character I thoroughly enjoy playing as.

The crew from the main game - Merrin, Cere, BD-1 & Greez are back here in slightly different roles and they are all fantastic. The relationships between Cal and these characters is thoroughly developed and I loved how natural it felt that these people hadn't been together for years. They have changed since the first game and I like how their stories were treated alongside Cal. 

The new characters are also really well realised. Bode Akuna who is voiced by Noshir Dalal who also voices Charles Smith in Red Dead Redemption plays a new ally of Cal and he is a well realised character. Their chemistry is well realised and makes you care about this new character and his motivations for working with Cal. As it was shown in the trailers the new characters from The High Republic is really interesting, especially from someone who isn't that familiar with this time in Star Wars. It makes me want to pick up the books and find out more. 

Main Story

The main story is possibly my favourite part of this game. It feels like a natural progression of the story from the previous game and does an excellent job of progressing our main characters from the first game while developing new characters. Some people have dubbed this game as The Empire Strikes Back of this trilogy and I would agree, it is much darker then the first game but it feels appropriate and like it suits the world being built. It has its twists and turns and it all fits really well and satisfying for a fan of Star Wars and this franchise. 

Side Content 

One huge improvement this game has is that there is way more to do here then their was in the previous game. The majority of missions are pretty linear but well designed. But when you go to the planet Kobah there is plenty of side missions and activities for the player to take part in. It encourages the player to take part in these and even if they aren't all great I appreciate these additions. A couple of these side missions are fantastic with rewards that feel like they are worth doing. The game has added training to the meditation rest point and for new players this is a useful addition. 

Gameplay 

The gameplay is really great. It feels familiar to fans of the first game that it is easy to jump in. But it is more fluid and feels like Cal is a much stronger Jedi then he was in the previous game. There are new enemies to face and some of them are really challenging which is nice to see for sure. The new teammate system isn't used much but it is a nice change that shows Cal works well with his allies to defeat enemies. Things as mount travelling and Fast Travel are really nice additions to the game and makes it easier to explore the world. But probably the biggest addition is the stances, players get to select from 5 different stances based on what is required for the mission. They all feel really different and it was nice to try out these different stances and seeing what worked and what didn't. I did feel there was some issues in terms of the platforming and jumping which seemed to be the ways I died the most. Also the game has a similar issue to the previous game in that the final boss is incredibly cheap, it was incredibly frustrating and I only defeated them by turning the difficulty down which was really frustrating. 

Graphics

The game looks amazing, it continues the good work that the previous game had in terms of the great graphics. The cutscenes are amazing to look at and the planets all look great. This game has huge customisation with Cal. Whether it is his hair, beard or clothes he is so customisable and everybody can have different looking versions of the character. Creating his Lightsaber and designing BD is a really fun part of the game and makes this game stand out. 

Overall

Overall, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a fantastic game that is a must play for any Star Wars fan. I would even say if you aren't a huge fan play Fallen Order and then get this game as these are amazing single player games that prove that this concept is not dead just yet. 

Rating - 9/10