Star Wars Jedi Survivor

Developer: Respawn
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 28 April 2023
Price: – $69.99 USD – Available Here $109.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

There hasn’t been a bigger repertoire of games than those from the Star Wars franchise. The first officially licensed Star Wars game came out in 1979 and for more than 40 years we had a steady stream of Star Wars game releases. Some were bad, some good and some were so bland that are not even worth mentioning. for me, all of that changed once I got my hands on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in 2019.

Although a bit straightforward, it was a well-made adventure RPG with rich lore, great gameplay, and superb voice acting. So what we have here is a direct continuation of the previous game, we just need to see if it’s more of the same or if Star Wars Jedi Survivor is bringing something new to the table.

Story

When I said direct continuation, I meant it. This game basically starts exactly where the previous game ended although with a minor time skip. If you haven’t played Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, you’ll have no idea who is who. Luckily, there is a convenient story recap from the previous game right on the main menu so you can be up to speed. Cal is still on the run from the Empire, although he is a bit more calculated and experienced this time. All the characters from the previous game are back, along with some new friends and antagonists.

Gameplay

So what new do we have in store this time? Way more exploration, an open world, companies that react to your orders, a bunch of sidequests, and an insane amount of collectibles. What’s funny is how the world is so efficient at sucking you in. After I finished the main story, I realized that I clocked in at 28 hours and I only did a small portion of optional content.

I also like how the developers avoided that old gimmick of a character having amnesia or something as an excuse for starting from scratch and having zero skills. We also have a bunch of new moves, side weapons, and lightsaber stances. Even wanted to use a blaster with your lightsaber? Now is your chance. What about swinging Kylo Ren’s lightsaber? Crossguard stance will take care of that. Now you just need to finish the game and in the new game plus you can select a red lightsaber color for full dar side cosplay.

Speaking of cosplay, the character customization in Star Wars Jedi Survivor is brought to a whole new level. you can finely tune Cal’s hair and beard, every piece of his clothing and there is a really extensive lightsaber customization this time.

Visuals

This game has finally made me face a harsh reality – it’s time for an upgrade. While it still runs great on my rig, I think the ever-rising requirements are slowly creeping up on me and in the near future even things like raytracing will not be optimal for a full enjoyment. Still, Star Wars Jedi Survivor still looks great even on medium. Every planet is a world on its own, with an insane number of shortcuts and optional areas to explore. It actually reminded me of Elden Ring in terms of connectedness and labyrinthian but approachable level design.

However, there is a dark side to this story (heh, get it?). At the time of release, Star Wars Jedi Survivor has been an absolute mess in terms of optimization and stability. Some patches minimized the damage while more quality improvements are on the way. I had a few occasional crashes at first but random slowdowns and fps drops were far more common. We all know that first impressions are what matters the most so this was not a good first impression.

Audio

At least this segment doesn’t disappoint. The voice acting is still top-notch with a stellar performance of Cameron Monaghan and Tina Ivlev. The soundtrack still retains that feeling of grandeur while acting as a clever companion for action-fueled sequences. What I also like is how every lightsaber color comes with its own distinctive sound while swinging. A great level of detail also went into the atmosphere of the planets regarding its fauna, the occasional small talk of the stormtroopers as you sneak around them or hang over their heads.

Overall

There is a good game somewhere under this. This is the most expansive Star Wars game to this date, with a well-crafted story, loads of side content, and great attention to detail. It is well worth the price but not the state it is currently in. My advice is to wait a bit for a few well-needed performance improvements and quality fixes and then give it a go.

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