Just thinking about the story that comes with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gets me all force-choked up. The Mantis crew has come so far since Fallen Order, Cal Kestis has evolved into an absolute beast of a Jedi Knight. It’s been almost five years between EA and Respawn’s Jedi games – both in-game and real world – and a lot has changed for the rebellious Mantis crew.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a worthy sequel, but prepare to have your heart destroyed and then reignited – this game is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and intense Jedi combat.
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You’re thrown five years into the future from the get-go, the first mission is full of twists and turns and sets the tone for the remainder of the game.
There are some incredible Star Wars games out there, each offering its own flavour of lore from a galaxy far far away. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has plenty to offer, but it doesn’t quite know exactly what it wants – it’s also not doing anything overly new. But that’s all easily forgiven, right? This is Star Wars after all.
Lightsabers, the force and sick hairstyles
In addition to Cal’s three main lightsaber stances (single, double-bladed and dual), he can now learn to wield two new weapon modes. Both are seen in the trailer, so I’m not worried about spoiling this, but Cal can now use a Kylo Ren-styled cross-blade as well as a blaster.
Jedi Survivor has really stepped up the souls-like elements of Fallen Order, now when you die you must collect your earned XP and lifeforce from where you died or from the enemy that defeated you.
Across the world are force tears which are arena-like battles that briefly take you out of your mission, set you up against a specific group of enemies or limit your weapon type, and once defeated grant bonus skill points. I was always really excited to stumble across a force tear in the world.
Customisation is huge in Jedi Survivor; with weapons, hairstyles, clothing and BD-1 all able to be changed down to the part.
Loot chests in the game now reward you with new styles or gear for Cal and BD-1.
Weapon stances are also heavily adaptable, whether it’s your double-bladed, dual or single-saber, being able to switch two stances at any time will keep you on your toes in any fight.
The skill tree has been greatly expanded, with pages of skills supplying upgrades for every new lightsaber stance or force ability. Perks are another new addition to give some of the more hardcore players a boost, offering stat increases, skill swaps and the like.
Cal has many new tricks at his disposal, but the first one you’ll come across is an ascension cable – think the Batman Arkham games, grappling ledges, and launching yourself across large gaps.
He feels more powerful than ever from the first level alone, he can jump higher, with stronger force abilities, reeking with confidence. It’s a satisfying glow-up, especially now you can wear something other than a poncho.
The world of Jedi Survivor
The Jedi Survivor world features a few new planets, most of them mapped out in a similar way to the first game, with linear paths and shortcuts on offer.
Koboh is the main planet in the game that you return to multiple times as the story progresses, it plays host to a small town featuring a cantina run by none other than Greez Dritus.
As you travel throughout the world you’ll meet new people and eventually, the cantina will be thriving. It was a joy returning to the cantina watching it thrive and seeing what’s changed.
One addition that I absolutely loved was ‘Holotactics’, a minigame found on the middle level of Greez’s cantina that sees you face off in tabletop battles using enemies you’ve come across along the way.
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Each player starts with a set number of points, points are spent on player forces, whether it’s imperial, bandits or creatures – there are three types of armies at your disposal.
TIP: Scanning a defeated enemy in the world adds it to your Holotactics arsenal – so don’t forget to do that!
(EA)
The addition of Koboh, a major open-world planet, changed everything I thought I knew about the Star Wars Jedi series.
From side-quests to mounts, unlocking High Republic-era secrets and so much more – traveling the world is an invigorating experience.
One of the biggest gripes of Fallen Order was the game’s holomap, and I’m pleased to say it’s had a little update. It’s still the same old multi-level holomap, but now has the addition of map markers and key points.
The biggest update of all is the addition of fast travel! Cal can now travel between different meditation points. So. Much. Better.
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It’s a satisfying story-driven action-adventure game first, a puzzle platformer second – and a garden simulator third…?
There are plenty of new and exciting things in this game but the last one I expected was a full rooftop garden experience. Stepping into the Mantis this time around I was saddened to see an empty terrarium, especially after all my hard work in Fallen Order to put it there! So, I guess the huge rooftop garden makes up for it.
Cal will pick up seeds for plants while exploring the world, then he can plant them in the garden. Three’s plenty of space, pick and choose where each plant goes and then return later to see it in bloom.
But with all of this fresh new content crammed into a new world style came its problems. On more than one occasion I experienced significant framerate drops and performance issues – this is all while playing on performance mode on the PlayStation 5. Interestingly, I only experienced these issues while on the open-world planet of Koboh.
A pre-launch patch has been implemented that should fix a few issues I was having, with no doubt more fixes to come.
Enemies and companions
There’s plenty of enemy variety in Jedi Survivor, mostly new but you’ll bump into many familiar foes too. (EA)
Along the journey Cal is joined by companions, new and old, to assist in the big fight. Bode is the main one and introduces quite early in the story. Boasting a jetpack and blaster, Bode is almost the ultimate teammate – but he’s no Merryn.
Having Merryn by your side in a fight makes any battle a breeze, but don’t expect your companions to be with you at all times. They’ll pop in and out during missions, usually with an ‘I’ll scout ahead’ or leaving you separated by a surprise laser grid.
Being able to direct your battle buddy to incapacitate a group of stormtroopers really stepped up the combat engagement compared to the first game.
From Imperial forces like stormtroopers purge troopers, to reprogrammed separatist battle droids, ruthless bandits and aggressive alien creatures – there’s no shortage of enemies to stick your lightsaber through.
The world is also populated by boss battles, legendary bosses and bounties for you to hunt.
Bode is one of Cal’s newest companions. (EA)
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It’s quite an ambitious sequel, offering more than enough extra content for the average player. I’ve finished the main story but still have so many things to do and so many more places to explore – including New Game+ mode.
Is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor changing the gaming landscape? No.
Is it creating hours of pure and exciting entertainment? 1000%.
Despite its performance issues and minor bugs, it’ll no doubt shape up to be one of the best action-adventure games of the year. Overall, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a great story experience with satisfying combat and it adds a wonderous amount to the Star Wars universe.
Quest Daily scores Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
8.5/10
EA supplied a PlayStation 5 review code to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
