Star Wars

We sit down and review Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The next major part of the Cal Kestis saga is out there. Here is our review of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

It is time to set out for a galaxy far away and a time long ago with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The next in the line from Respawn Entertainment and EA to keep not only the IP rolling but the saga of Cal Kestis as some of us wait for the character to show up in a different form. That will be a bit of a wait, I am sure. What we do not have to wait for, though, is the chance to head back out into the Star Wars universe and see how some of the other events transpired out there. All on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC if you so choose. Let us dive right into what we have here with our official review of the game now.

Story

Some time has passed out there and Cal Kestis is still surviving out there. It is a hard life to be one of the "few" Jedi left out there, but he is making due. Cal does also have a solid support group running around with him out there, so that does make things a little easier. Now if only they could find a safe place to house everyone as we get closer to the ending of the Star Wars Saga. Wait, that is just what is about to happen as Cal and friends learn about one more hidden place out there to explore while trying to survive the most recent purge of the Jedi order. Let us see how that will all go.

Hated

I have been a fan of Cal Kestis and the story that was unfolding here with the first entry into the Star Wars Jedi line. I had high hopes for it all to come again. Sadly, this had to be one of the most predictable stories I have played in a while. I was able to call most of the story beats along the way and was never surprised when any of the twists came about. It was a very by-the-numbers thing instead of feeling inspired or pushing things forward. Sure, there were some new things in the universe that can be used now, but I called one of the big game twists from the opening of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and that should not be something as easy to do as it was. The story felt like it was just another one to get things out there as fast as possible and lost some of the magic from before.

To build from this, there also felt like there were fewer locations to explore and play in from the last title in the Star Wars Jedi line. There were only two full planets with a few outside bases to explore in this one. When compared to the last title, it felt like things were more compact or cut down for no reason. Almost as if there were bigger plans in the mix but they were scrapped during the few times we saw Star Wars Jedi: Survivor get delayed. I was not expecting vast and open worlds out there but something more than what we had would have been nice. Especially when the previous titles made sure to give us all of that instead of trying to force a "base building" mini-game on us instead. Yeah, we have to go out into the small worlds to recruit more characters to fill out an area of the game that does nothing but exist instead.

Lastly, and this might just be me, but the combat in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor felt like it was also all over the place while trying to placate the masses instead of giving us a few solid ways to fight with Cal. The team did not remove much of what Cal had learned from the previous game, so I know they had to combat that a bit, but giving us a bunch of fighting stances in the game that most are never going to play around with does not feel like the best way to answer the problem. I mainly stuck to the two I knew from the start and only used any of the other combat styles when it was forced upon us in the game. Something that did not offer the correct kind of challenge and was more about Respawn forcing us to use the tools they took time to build. I should want to use them and not be forced to use them.

Loved

Just as with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the worlds and areas we did get to explore in the mix of the game were stunning and fit the universe perfectly. Even the parts where I was not a fan of the gameplay, the cantina, were always lively and filled like a lived-in world. All with little bits of extra lore that a hardcore Star Wars fan will be able to geek out over for years to come. Even the hidden nooks and crannies of the game had some fun and lush things to look at out there. This does not feel like it is the usual case with many games out there, but it is nailed well here. Most likely due to it all building into the larger narrative and world, but it was always fun to run around and try to figure things out in.

Even though I was not a fan of the combat in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, mostly due to the stances, I did find myself enjoying all of the new Force powers that Cal was able to use. These all felt not only in the universe of the IP but also like additions that would have made sense for the character to learn over the course of the story. Some were also just bigger versions of Force powers we had from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order that helped build and explain why Cal still had a lot to learn out there and did not forget what he already did. It was also not oversaturated to the fact that the team cannot build upon this in future titles too and not have to strip anything away from Cal to do so. Even if it feels like he could become overpowered quickly in the scheme of the story if this version goes on for too long.

Lastly, and a bit unexpected from me, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor seems to have hit the nail on the head on how a good Souls-like title should handle. I am not a huge fan of those styles of games and was worried about that when I popped this one in to play. Enemies only respawn after taking a meditation break and you are warned about this happening. And sometimes, not all enemies respawn so you do not have to fight harder ones for a second time after beating them. It kept things lively in the world and made sure there was always a challenge after running about with our Jedi in the game. I am still hesitant to look for more Souls-like games in the Star Wars line, but if they can keep building upon this structure, those worries I have could be put down just like the Jedi were during Order 66.

Overview

More or less, if you are a Star Wars you have already picked this up and will have enjoyed it. It adds to the lore and universe building out there, even if in a predictable way. The combat is good and fun, even with too many options in my opinion. The traversal and exploration are handled better than any other Souls-like title out there, which might have been hurt if the game had larger areas to explore. We will never know, though. That all said, if you have not opted to give Star Wars Jedi: Survivor a try, I place it on the recommended list of titles to pick up and give a solid play with. Not a huge shocker out there but it does a lot even with the little it seems to have been given.

I give Star Wars Jedi: Survivor 7 Bounty Discs on the Bounty Disc scale.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on April 28^th, 2023. A PS5 copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.