Respawn restores balance to the Force with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, a finely-tuned amalgamation of genres and exemplar of franchise storytelling.
Star Wars has been around as long as video games themselves, and the storied franchise lends itself easily to interactive adaptations. So many aspects of the films (and their expanded universes) translate into rich gameplay scenarios, from starfighter dogfights to lightsaber battles. And yet, few games have been able to cement themselves at the top of the interactive Star Wars canon as strongly as Knights of the Old Republic.
That is, until the arrival of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Not since the summer of 2003, when I rented Knights of the Old Republic and lost myself in the mystery of Darth Revan, have I been this engrossed in and satisfied by a Star Wars game. Like BioWare before them, Respawn Entertainment has placed its own flag in the franchise’s sandbox and built an elaborate castle of its own design.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order; like its father before it, it tells the story of Cal Kestis, a padawan who survived Order 66 and finds he can no longer hide while the galaxy suffers. Five years have passed, with Cal growing estranged from his companions Cere, Greez, and Merrin. When an unlikely opportunity arises to escape the Empire’s clutches and potentially start anew, Cal must reconnect with his friends and, with the aid of new ally Bode Akuna, secure this new aid before foes new and old do.
The Jedi series continues to rely upon elements from several other genres: the bonfire-centric respawning system of Soulslikes; the exploratory parkour of Uncharted and Tomb Raider reboot-style adventures; and Metroidvania-esque scaffolding, revisiting areas with new skills to unlock more areas. Fallen Order walked in this department, but Survivor takes the formula and runs.
Each of these gameplay elements feels refined and rebalanced. Soulslike gameplay isn’t necessarily for everyone. Luckily, the standard difficulty level has been evened out, with lower-stakes modes for more casual Star Wars fans to check out the story and a wealth of accessibility options. Of course, those who wish for a challenge can seek out higher difficulties and various in-game Perks that turn up the threat level.
Beyond these gameplay-tailoring options, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor does a great job of handling Cal’s skillset. Our hero starts with most of his exploration skills available, like wall-running and double-jumping, and expands them with natural additions over the narrative. In terms of combat, he also begins with the three lightsaber stances of the previous game, which the player can invest in to their liking. It’s an approach that doesn’t artificially hamstring our hero at the outset (like Metroid has done to mixed results over the years) but still leaves plenty of room to develop and customize.
The transition between these elements is nigh-flawless as well. Jedi: Survivor takes players across a broad palette of environments, with Cal traversing dangerous terrain, unlocking secrets, and battling a wide menagerie of foes along the way. Balancing these aspects is always a tall order, but Respawn has managed it with considerable grace. Just when one might start to feel the slightest bit of railroading, the pace changes or a quick look around the area might reveal a new diversion or shortcut.
“Star Wars Jedi: Survivor often lets the player explore its vast swaths of land open-world style, but in just the right dosages and without the usual contrivances like token-collecting busy work.”
The game’s biggest environment is its hub world, Koboh. Throughout the game, in true Metroidvania fashion, Cal will uncover more secrets and new climes aside from the predominant arid environments. Though the adventure kept bringing me back to it, it never felt stale or like a chore (thanks, in part, to the welcome addition of a fast-travel service). Star Wars Jedi: Survivor often lets the player explore its vast swaths of land open-world style, but in just the right dosages and without the usual contrivances like token-collecting busy work.
It helps that Cal’s updated abilities for exploration are an absolute delight to control, especially by game’s end—further breaking the open-world rut. Levels are built in such a way that it’s clear where each skill can be used but with the subtlety to avoid smacking the player in the face with it. This leaves the platforming elements feeling natural and intuitive, allowing players to explore and solve situations naturally instead of blatantly spelling them out after thirty seconds.
On that matter, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s entire writing shines, from dialogue between main characters to incidental chats with NPCs to the robust datalog system. Exemplary performances from the voice cast complement this. Cameron Monaghan brings Cal’s journey to life with nuance and emotion, but everyone on the talent-packed call sheet brought their A-game, and it goes a long way to making the world feel real, especially when the plot starts throwing curveballs, and punching feels.
“Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s entire writing shines, from dialogue between main characters to incidental chats with NPCs to the robust datalog system.”
Unlike other Star Wars adventures, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s plot has the courage to break free and tell its own story without worrying too much about other corners of the galaxy and other tales. With the groundwork laid in Fallen Order, the story can press on into more original territory; the game remains connected to other properties, but it wields those narrative bonds deftly, like a lightsaber master.
Savvy fans will pick up on certain allusions and implications, and fans of the ongoing novels should find something to rejoice at, but none of it feels hamfisted or shoehorned. (Well, there was one small moment that my inner pessimist wanted to call a stretch, but it ended up being so cool otherwise that it can be forgiven. You’ll have to play and see for yourself.)
Outside the main narrative, Jedi: Survivor‘s expanses are peppered with diversions that offer plenty of additional content—again, in a natural, holistic way. Cal can recruit townspeople to Greez’s saloon on Koboh, and these supplemental characters make the world feel real while providing valuable side quests. Seeing the bar gradually come alive each time I passed through helped drive home that Cal’s efforts were making a difference.
Such details help build a personal connection for the player, but nothing accomplishes that as well as the expanded customization options. Once again, Fallen Order dabbled in this department, but Survivor takes the ball and runs with it. Cal’s lightsaber and clothing can be further customized with components found or bought along the journey, as can his hair and the appearance of his faithful droid, BD-1. Though I couldn’t bring myself to stray far from Cal’s new do, these little touches help make his journey feel like the player’s.
“Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s plot has the courage to break free and tell its own story without worrying too much about other corners of the galaxy and other tales.”
The “New Journey+” system, likewise, has levelled up tremendously. After the credits roll, players can start a second round, maintaining their customization options and skill points—and unlocking new tweaks. One option changes the composition of each enemy group in the game, helping refresh subsequent runs, while challenge-seekers can try out the one-hit-kill perk. Even poking around the game in the endgame state is worthwhile for some additional conversations that tie the last major threads in a bow.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is uplifted by a clean menu aesthetic and a robust audio-visual presentation. Of particular note is the revamped map screen—a literal game-changer. While very minor graphical ticks were in the review build (largely squashed by the day one patch), I barely encountered them, and they were easily remedied. Aside from the odd load time in major scene changes (like moving from the expanses of Koboh to the interior of the saloon), Star Wars has truly moved into the next-gen and can only go up from here.
On normal difficulty and with an average amount of distractions, I finished Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s plot in about 28 hours with 67% completion; completionists could be looking at closer to 40 hours, but the New Journey+ mode is sure to expand those numbers. I know I’m still hungry for more—and hoping that Cal gets at least one more outing.
It’s rare that a sequel can build so well upon its predecessor or that one game can juggle so many genre elements with grace. That difficulty is compounded when you’re also dealing with one of the world’s most beloved franchises. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has done it, though. It’s bigger and better in every regard, and other devs should be taking note of how to blend so many gameplay and narrative components naturally. It feels like taking our first steps into a larger, next-gen world.
