The lightsaber is your only weapon in Fallen Order, and they have gone all in on this “elegant weapon for a more civilized age”. With several of the lead designers and directors from older God of War games, it is perhaps unsurprising that combat generally feels great. I’m happy to report, though not without qualifications, that yes, with a lightsaber and the Force at your fingertips, Fallen Order allows you to Jedi the heck out of the Empire and feel awesome doing so. The question on everyone’s mind, of course, is whether Jedi: Fallen Order caters to the Jedi power fantasy all humans are born with. The narrative shortcomings can be forgiven (if not forgotten) as long as the core gameplay loop is rewarding. (Heck, the game even starts with Cal listening to it on his headphones, planting it firmly as in-universe.) Pushing rockets back at Rocket Troopers never gets old. A pleasant surprise to mix things up a bit is the inclusion of the energetic Sugaan Essena by Mongolian folk rock band The Hu, whose throat singing sounds sufficiently alien to feel right at home in the Star Wars universe. The lighting effects are superb, with lightsabers casting a suitably colored sheen over everything in the vicinity (your lightsaber is even used as a torch in dark places).Ĭomposers Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab (the latter a Star Wars veteran with titles like The Old Republic and both Battlefront games) do a good job with the background music, whether for exploration or combat. The early-game and late-game cutscenes (the rest less so, sadly) look stunning, particularly in HDR, as do some of the planets you visit. Throw in a handful of cringe-worthy on-rails setpiece moments for good measure. 1 This is a tenuous motivation at best given that lightsabers are all but canonically approved as the galaxy’s best blowtorches. You’re traveling back and forth between different planets at the typical cue of “the door is locked, let’s see if the holocron/astrium/macguffin that opens it is on another planet”. The overarching story is not something I was able to get particularly invested in it lacks direction, risk, and emotional payoff. Nothing unpredictable as far as Star Wars goes, but refreshing nonetheless. Thankfully, a few other characters have more depth, including the game’s main antagonist. The game also wastes a good opportunity for relationship development between Cal and BD‑1, making them BFFs from the minute they meet. He has no agency, lacks charm, and is never tempted by the Dark Side even in his darkest moments. I can live with generic, predictable comic relief characters like Greez, but I’m disappointed that Cal himself is a fairly two-dimensional “good guy” with less personality than his wet poncho. I imagine the lore appeals to Star Wars fans, but I found the general narrative leaving much to be wanted. Without spoiling much, I think I can safely say at that he soon finds himself very much not in hiding, running from the Empire together with a small crew including the “grumpy-softie-grandpa” pilot Greez Dritus, crew-leader-cum-Cal’s-mentor Cere Junda, and Cal’s sidekick droid, BD‑1. You are placed in the shoes of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan in hiding. The game takes place a few years after Episode III and the infamous Order 66, initiating the inquisition that all but wiped out the Jedi Order. Is it enough to restore peace and order to the galaxy? The game can look absolutely stunning, particularly in HDR (not shown, for obvious reasons). To the rescue comes Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment with Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player Star Wars game combining the lightsabers and Force powers of ye olde Jedi Knight games with Soulsborne combat, Tombcharted exploration and environmental puzzles, and Metroidvania-style (semi)-open ability-gated level design. After EA secured the rights in 2013, the only games released have been the two multiplayer Battlefront games, only one of which offered a short single-player campaign. It has been a dark time for fans of single-player Star Wars games.
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