Star Wars has always been an incredible piece of intellectual property, and lately, the ever-expanding galaxy far away has been adding great canon content. One of the most immersive lenses to experience this content is through video games, and the new sequel to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order checks many of the boxes for what makes a great canon video game. From Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment comes Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, set 5 years after the events in the first game. As a confident Jedi Knight and Rebel, Cal Kestis has continued his fight against the empire and gathered a crew to help him pull off a risky heist that may further the rebel’s cause. This all spirals into a compelling storyline that forces Cal to face threats around him as well as in his heart.

Story

An apprentice no longer, the game starts with Cal as a seasoned and scarred rebel fighter, working with his curious and excitable droid companion BD-1 and a new crew to steal Imperial data from a corrupt senator on Coruscant. As tends to happen for Jedi in the time of the Empire, things don’t go according to plan and our hero is sent on a new journey to find his old crew from the first game and discover a new place to call home. I won’t get into the story beats as I want to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say it was a fantastic time and I was hooked for the 25 hours or so it took me to beat the story. With surprising twists and interesting developments (some that had me cheering on my main man Cal), Jedi: Survivor had me engaged from the first wall climb to the final boss fight, and the dull moments felt like reprieves for our beleaguered main character.

While the story of the first was mostly predictable, this sequel took the pacing and threw in a few curveballs that kept energy high and at times it felt almost imperative that you continue the main story as opposed to checking out side missions, while still giving time to check out the semi-open world and look for secrets and upgrades. I will admit some of the story was still predictable, but it was less so than the first game, and the moments that I predicted still packed a punch. This is a game that feels like a true Star Wars story, and fans of this universe will have a lot to love, with fun characters, beautiful planets, and connections to other eras of Star Wars. With the upcoming TV Show The Acolyte and books relating to the High Republic period, Jedi: Survivor expands upon that era and connects it to Cal’s story.

Gameplay

As a 3rd-person action RPG, Jedi: Survivor tends to follow the various tropes of that genre. Combat features parrying and dodging while engaging groups of enemies or bosses, and multiple stances can be upgraded to unlock new moves or make them stronger. There are 5 stances, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and players can have 2 equipped at a time to best work with their preferred playstyle. At the opening hours, Cal has 3 available, which are Double Bladed, Dual Wield, and Single blade lightsaber styles. Each of these has been vastly improved from the first game, and I quickly became a fan of using the Double Blade for defense and against groups of enemies, while using the Dual Wield as a riskier but more powerful offense against single targets.

With all the stances, you can also use force powers such as push, pull, and slow to engage enemies and free up space when overwhelmed, and you unlock more powers as the game goes on. While the early hours were pretty simple, it becomes much harder to take down stronger enemies later on, and being able to read a situation and use the best moves available becomes much more important. I played through on the 2nd hardest difficulty, and there were many times I died over and over before something clicked and I was able to fight my way through a specific boss or group of enemies. While frustrating, it still kept me hungry for victory and I enjoyed most of the fights. The combat overall was vastly improved from the first game, and where Jedi: Fallen Order could feel floaty at times, Jedi: Survivor felt much more physical and engaging. Cutting through a group of Storm Troopers felt fantastic every time, and going back later to fight enemies that gave you a hard time really makes you feel like a true Jedi Knight when you take them out without getting hit. The enemy variety is also vastly improved from the first, and many of the boss fights were mostly unique and fun.

The other important aspect of Jedi: Survivor is exploration, and the ways you are able to explore are tied directly to game progression. Much like the first, as you learn new skills or find new items you are able to traverse different areas and utilize new movement tools to get to new areas. As with everything else I’ve already said, this is much improved from Jedi: Fallen Order and the game kept finding ways to surprise me with its movement mechanics. While many of the traversal sections are linear, they also require utilizing multiple movement tools quickly to get to the next area, and I found myself failing quite often with a missed jump or button press. Part of my enjoyment came from the fluidity of movement that Cal now has, and his quick clambering on some of these traversal sections meant I spent much less time climbing walls and was able to enjoy the overall experience much more.

As you explore the various planets of Jedi: Survivor, you find side quests called Rumors. These are optional and provide experience or upgrades to the hub settlement you find early on in the game, as well as customization options for Cal, BD-1, or your weapons. I didn’t quite engage with them as much as I would like due to the timing I had with this review, I still did a few as I bumped into them heading to the main quest locations. By the end, I realized I have only done maybe 15-20% of the side content available. These include mini-games, bounty contracts, collectible hunting, and combat/movement arenas. With the main campaign taking around 25 hours to finish, the side content easily adds another 10-20 hours and I look forward to checking them out on New Game+, which unlocks as soon as you finish the main campaign.

Audio and Visuals

As the screenshots I took for this review show, Jedi: Survivor looks incredible. I ran the game consistently in performance mode on the PS5, and it was still gorgeous and performed mostly well. There were definitely some visual bugs and tearing that occurred at various times and strangely enough, I had many lagging and frame rate issues in cutscenes, but for the most part, it didn’t detract from my game experience and I assume this will be fixed in upcoming patches. There were so many moments I had to pause and take in the views, and one of the things I really loved about this game is that many of those vistas allowed me to then visit the place I was looking at. The level design is wonderful, and every area I went through felt distinct and visually appealing depending on what was intended. From pristine military bases to abandoned and rundown High Republic structures, the visuals always felt perfect to match the mood.

The audio for the game matches the visual, and I had much fewer issues with sound bugs. The music was powerful and matched each story beat well, and the swell of background music to epic or emotional scenes fit perfectly. When in combat or traversing the world, the sound effects always felt right, with blasters and the sound of my lightsabers creating a chaotic cacophony that quickly fell to stillness after the battle was over and the blade was turned off. While some of the voice acting left something to be desired, many of the characters’ unique voices and attitudes were well done and fit them perfectly, and I tip my hat to Cameron Monaghan for his fantastic performance of Cal Kestis.

Replayability

Here we go again, it’s me saying that your mileage may vary when it comes to replayability. For me, I plan to play through Jedi: Survivor on New Game+, and will probably start another game on the hardest difficulty to attempt to feel like a true Jedi Master. Realistically though, this is one that you will play through for the story and stick around for a few dozen more hours based on enjoyment of the combat and exploration. Maybe before the next one comes out you will go back and replay it in preparation, but this isn’t a title you will put 200+ hours into. However, I don’t think that’s the goal. Jedi: Survivor is a game that tackles a great story and gameplay and puts it into a tight and streamlined package. With it probably taking 60-70 hours to 100% the game, it’s on the shorter side compared to the whopping open-world games we see nowadays, but it packs an incredible punch in that time frame. We shall see if any DLC is released, but with a New Game+ already available and plenty of side content to explore, Jedi: Survivor has loads for gamers to enjoy.

What It Could Have Done Better

While I have very few complaints about the content of the game, my biggest issues were with the bugs and graphical problems that were present. Can we please stop releasing games with so many bugs on launch and then just wait for them to be fixed? From what I hear, the PC version of Jedi: Survivor has been almost unplayable with graphical issues, frame drops, and crashes. As I reviewed this on the PS5, my experience was much better but I still had plenty of those issues, including multiple crashes and one or two game-breaking bugs that required a reload.

Verdict

Jedi: Survivor is a complete step up from the first game and stands as a shining example of canon video games! With an engaging if at times predictable story, stellar combat and exploration, fun side quests, and plenty of customization including various pieces of your lightsaber and outfit, there is something for every gamer here. If you are a fan of Star Wars I would heartily recommend you pick it up, as it gives more wonderful content to a universe that is already so loved. For me, I cannot wait to see how the rest of Cal’s story unfolds and if that game improves on the gameplay as much as this one has, I can already say it will be the best series of Star Wars games ever released. Respawn Entertainment has truly excelled here, and this is a game I will hold in my heart for a long time to come.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is out now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S now! Check out the launch trailer below, featuring Cameron Monaghan and Mark Hamill, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.