// Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review – Getting Jedi Right

I would describe myself as a casual Star Wars enjoyer. I’m not a hardcore fan. I also don’t hate it.

I like its sci-fi fantasy blend of worldbuilding. It has many a fictional uniquity that immediately signals you’re in a Star Wars thing: lightsabres, the distinct architecture, and whatever Jar Jar Binks’ species is called. Its sense of identity is strong, which appeals to me!

I’ve seen most of the movies and a good helping of the TV shows, but I don’t know much about the universe beyond. Comics, books, and video games are a blind spot.

I say this not only so you know why I took so long to play this game, but also so you have a frame of reference for how much Star Wars you need to know to enjoy this game. Which is to say, you don’t.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a 3D character action game. It’s the second in a series, after Fallen Order. It follows Cal Kestis and his band of empire-evading homies as they adventure across a handful of planets.

What I expected was a fairly run-of-the-mill action game with a Star Wars flavouring. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor consistently surpassed those expectations with its level design, systems, and storytelling.

// The Combat

I’ve seen Star Wars Jedi: Survivor described as a soulslike a few times, which I really think paints an incorrect picture of the game. The only mechanic they steal from From is the bonfire/souls mechanic.

You build experience which you can cash in on new skills when you take a rest at a meditation point. If you died, you dropped all your experience in a little glowing spot and have to go back and get it. Beyond that, this does not look or feel like a souls game in any way.

What it feels like is a pretty darn good representation of kicking butt as a Jedi.

You have all the classic force moves up your sleeve: pushing dudes, pulling dudes, even some Jedi mind tricks.

Of course, the meat and potatoes is slicing up stormtroopers and droids with your lightsabre. Or I should say, lightsabres. You have a few options for combat stances to use: default mode, dual-weild, the Darth Maul double lightsabre (my favourite), the Kylo Ren cross-guard lightsabre that offers heavier strikes, and a dual blaster/sabre combo which is quite fun. 

Cal has a basic attack and a special attack, which varies depending on the weapon. Each stance also has its own skill tree which unlocks new moves. There are lots of ways to play. They don’t feel so different that you feel like a completely different type of fighter, but rather different flavours of Jedi.

The block, parry, stamina system that you often see in 3D character action games is also present here. Parry timing feels generous compared to others in the genre. That said, flipping between parrying and dodging un-blockable attacks will still be tricky at times. Some bosses are rather tough, and swarms of enemies can overwhelm you at times if you don’t tackle them with a plan.

One of my favourite methods of dispatching empirical hosers is to tap the block button right when they shoot. Cal will do the iconic blaster-deflection move, sending the shot back toward the droid or Stormtrooper who fired it. This is often enough to kill them in one go. Knocking guys off or ledges or through windows is extremely satisfying.

Everything about the combat feels good. Possibly even excellent. While it’s not genre-defining, Cal’s unique Jedi abilities stand among games of the same genre. That may be an obvious thing to say, but I say it for a reason. In the battle of substance vs style, both are present. The style impacts the substance certainly, but if you aren’t into the whole Jedi thing, then that is one less aspect you might connect with over the combat.

Even if you aren’t into Star Wars, the Jedi move set gives Cal a unique feel from most other action games.

There’s a good variety of enemy types, from Stormtroopers to droids to wild beasts. Basic Stormstroopers ad droids will go down in one hit, while the more challenging Purge Troopers will make Cal work. When you find yourself head to head with another Jedi, it’ll be a duel for the ages.

These Jedi can at times be quite tough. I wouldn’t say the game is overtly a difficult game, but you are definitely presented with a couple of difficulty checks later in the game.

// Exploration and Traversal

The level design is more varied than I anticipated going in. I expected a series of linear-ish levels with some branching options here and there. Those areas exist, of course, but there are also more open areas.

There’s a hub world you will be returning to often featuring a small town and a cantina. The cantina acts as a home base of sorts, with NPCs you can talk to, stores you can shop at, and various other things to do. You can even grow a little garden from seeds you’ve collected around the galaxy.

This offered much more to do than I expected. There’s a lot to engage with beyond the main story, if you choose.

Beyond the hub area, this planet is open for exploration. New areas will unlock as you progress the story and acquire new traversal abilities and upgrades.

Outside of the hub world of Koboh, you’ll visit a variety of planets and locations. Most of these other areas will only require you to go through them once, but they offer plenty of replayability. You can return to all of them to hunt bounties, find collectibles, and open new areas with additional abilities you get later on.

Traversal also feels superb. Aside from an assortment of running and flying space beasts you can mount, Cal feels good on his feet.

To quote the grand master Yoda: Run, run, run, jump, and stop!

You’ll be doing that a lot. But you’ll be running on walls, jumping up cliffs, and climbing conveniently-placed chain link metal surfaces. I would describe Cal as sproingy. The platforming, while never too intense, is always fast and fun.

As the game progresses and you unlock new abilities, you’ll be spending more and more time in the air. Cal will be flinging from one surface to another by way of grappling hooks and midair dashes.

It’s incredibly satisfying to get Cal manoeuvring around these grand levels.

The scope really goes nuts as you get into the game. One of the levels culminates in one of the craziest set pieces you’ll find in a video game based around Cal’s manoeuvrability

// Level Design

While this point it intrinsically linked to the pervious, there are a lot of things I want to call out and praise specifically about the design of this world. 

The worlds you’ll be exploring are beautiful. This isn’t as crucial as good level design, but it’s not unimportant either. I constantly found myself taking a moment to just look around. This is certainly the most stunning rendition of the Star Wars universe I’ve ever seen.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor lines up sweeping landscapes and small, dark imperial hallways, both with equal measures of success. Winding pathways cleverly open up shortcuts to places you’ve been before, changing the paths through the levels.

As you unlock more gadgets and traversal methods, you can revisit old levels and explore areas inaccessible the first time through. If you’re a completionist or a collector, this will be a real treat for you. 

Verticality is used exceptionally well. Whether that’s jumping from rooftop to rooftop on Coruscant or scaling the outside of an Imperial base up through the clouds, the sense of grandeur is enhanced by taking Cal up as well as around.

The game constantly one ups itself with bigger, bolder, and more exciting set pieces – both in their cool factor as well as their smart factor.

// The Story

Something I always find interesting about playing games out of order is the way you form a relationship with stuff from the previous games. The same experience can be had with movies.

When you learn about a character who has already Been Through It and their backstory (or just Story in a previous entry) is delivered through conversations about the past, you’re viewing them in a new light.

You’ll never feel exactly the same way about them as someone who played the games in the “right” order.

I love learning about events that some people played through on their own by way of hearing about them as a historic event. The first-hand experience becomes second-hand lore for me to uncover.  The vertical slice I get becomes my own unique story.

This is how Star Wars Jedi: Survivors was. I never played the first game, so I was meeting this established crew for the first time.

The story here is not so complex that you will be lost without the prior knowledge. I went into this knowing nothing about Cal or his friend, or the adventures they had, and it all made sense to me.

Empire Bad, Jedi Surviving. The overall premise is typical, but it’s the character work that makes this one shine. You start your story as Cal who is doing his best to fight back against the empire.

He’s a dude who just can’t stop fighting the good fight. All he knows is training and the fight.

You’ll steer Cal through this adventure as he finds his old allies from the previous game. There’s a very heartfelt, “the gang is back together again,” moment. Not knowing the gang at all, it was interesting to uncover their dynamics only through their interactions here.

The primary conflict within Cal is his unwillingness to stop fighting and consider a better life. Those friends from the last game I mentioned? They’re off doing their own things. Many are still putting in effort to support the Jedi and their history, but not to the same self-destructive level as Cal.

They come across a potential solution to this; a way for them to live normal lives outside the empire’s view. A safehaven of sorts. Cal struggles with the idea, which feels like cheating.

He questions why he is fighting so hard and what he is fighting for. This is contrasted by other character in the story who see this safehaven as a solution for their own battles. The themes explore what it means to fight for your freedom, why different people do it, and what happens when you give up too much of yourself for that freedom. 

The game asks who you become by doing something bad to protect the people you care about. Everyone wants the same thing, but the actions of friend and foe alike make you wonder what you would do in their situation. Are any of them truly to blame, or can they be forgiven for their actions because, at the end of the day, they’re all trying to survive under the thumb of the oppressive Empire?

What the solution is and how it connects with the empire, ancient Jedi history, and the larger cast of side characters, I won’t spoil. But I found it to be genuinely interesting. The cast all feel likeable and the conversations they have felt real.

I was absolutely glued to the screen during any cutscene in the back end of the game.

I’ve always said that the best Star Wars stories are the ones not about Jedi. But now I’m wondering if people have just not really understood how to write a good story about the Jedi. Instead of focusing on the idea of The Almighty Jedi and their lore, focus on them as people. Focus on what their struggle means.

All this to say, I went into this game expecting a good action game with great set pieces. I had exactly zero expectations for the story. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was a very pleasant surprise in this regard!

// Customization

You can change the colour of your lightsabre. Need I say any more? Well I will.

The game actually has a lot of customization. You can change outfit styles and colour for Cal, as well as giving him different haircuts and beard styles.

Throughout your adventure, you will also discover different paint colours and materials. You can use these to spruce up your little robot friend, or the metal handle of your lightsabre and blaster.

// Final Thoughts

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was a game that I had middling expectations of. It’s fluid combat, exciting traversal, and beautifully designed levels absolutely won me over.

The biggest surprise, however, was the care and depth put into the characters. The themes you see play out in different ways through different characters indicate as much care was put into the writing as was put into the world.

The game gives you a touch of Star Wars here and there that you’ll want to point at the screen for, but the majority of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor feels like a new story that understands the space. It’s not tied to the big screen names, but rather tells a story about the effects of oppression, and taking the time to realize what’s worth fighting for, and at what cost.

Although challenging at times, it’s not so hard that people should be turned away. If you’re a Star Wars fan, or a 3D character action gamer, this is a no-brainer. Additionally, I think Star Wars Jedi: Survivor can be a good entry point into the genre as well.

I am pleased to give this game a hearty recommendation.