A raw, untamed power goes through Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Similar to a padawan in training, this game is a student of power, not a master. The lightsaber is skillfully deployed and turns in an exciting manner to crush Imperial forces, and the power flows into acrobatic moves, but the Padawan’s movements are harsh and refined. This inexperience fits in with the story of a Jedi losing touch with power, but is more a reflection of Jedi: Fallen Order, lacking a paint job.
Jedi: Fallen Order reminds me of Naughty Dog’s first uncharted game: an ambitious action experience that was marginally affected in its delivery. Respawn has developed a game that is equally ambitious, and despite its somewhat sluggish execution, is a gripping and well-designed Star Wars experience that causes a blast in its cinematic presentation, exploration of the environment, and the journey between Jedi and its droid ,
The first shot of the game sets the tone for the entire adventure. We see a junkyard filled with huge dilapidated spaceships being dismantled by the Empire for parts. TIE fighters roar in sight, and the camera pans to show the immense scale of this sequence. The detail shown at this moment is impressive and looks like an expensive shot from a new Star Wars movie. The orchestration that swells is also reminiscent of John Williams’ work, making it an epic cinematic experience again.
The moment it seems that Respawn is following the formula of George Lucas, the soundtrack changes to something else with a guttural alien singer who does not sound like typical Star Wars. We then meet the protagonist Cal Kestis, who listens to this strange song over a headset while he works. This moment is screaming for something new, the Jedi: Fallen Order fully embraced. As the game unfolds, you see stormtroopers, some familiar faces, and a Jedi learning the ways of power, but we see these iconic elements through the lens of new characters, worlds, and storytelling ideas.
Cal is sympathetic as a conflicting soul and is brought to life by the actor Cameron Monaghan wonderfully. Cal’s cohort, a droid called BD-1, is just as fun to meet. She’s more like a friendly pet dog than any other droid in Star Wars. They have a playful curiosity and experience needs together, and their attachment forms the basis for a hell of an adventure. They are researching ancient shrines in search of clues that might contain the answer to the Jedi Order’s revival. The mystery keeps the story alive, as well as the well-defined threat of the Inquisitors, Jedi hunters who chase Cal and always seem to be one step ahead of him. Well written flashbacks are sewn into this beautiful narrative to give the characters additional dimensions and conflicts.
The only area where history stumbles is the repetition of previously explored worlds for narrative reasons. As exciting as it is to dive deep into Dathomir’s Witches’ Tombs or see the untamed beauty of Kashyyyk, the reasons to return to these planets often seem a bit far. Thinking is in the sense of “The door is locked, well, let’s go and see if we can find a way to open it on another planet.” Still, I enjoyed getting off the trail of history, on my own Fist worlds to explore as players can freely go to any world.
Jedi: The most dynamic and entertaining quality of Fallen Order is exploration. Cal starts with basic human abilities, but quickly notices how to run along walls, double jumps, and uses strength to push and pull objects. He resorts to his gifts to travel through treacherous areas in finely designed, open environments marked by elevation differences, tortuous pathways and many exciting platform and combat challenges. Cal’s acrobatic moves are reliable and easy to read. If you fall, you will not be punished by the game. They only take some damage and get another shot. Most of Cal’s actions fit into the Jedi book, but Respawn went a bit too far in his attempts to create dynamic actions, such as long Super Mario 64-style, slippery slopes and weird, gelatinous inflatables, the “Star Wars” really scream. In these moments it gets a bit too playful.
Although you spend some time tracing steps through environments, shortcuts are placed in appropriate locations and most areas are full of secrets, such as theft. Additional stimulation canisters, outfits and ponchos for Cal as well as paint plans for BD-1 and the ship of the crew Stinger Mantis. The stimulation canisters are incredibly valuable as the game is a challenge (even on the standard level of difficulty) and I am usually in poor health in the hope that there will be another checkpoint nearby.
Fighting is not the central focus of Jedi: Fallen Order and I was surprised (and pleased) that Respawn not only hosted encounters to increase the intensity. Game sections are without them and the tempo works well for the adventure aspects. Battles are the place where the biggest thrill and the biggest problems prevail. Swinging the lightsaber feels damn good; It’s fast, powerful, feels dangerous and delivers great results, such as cutting wild beasts into two pieces. Respawn’s decision to make the fight more of a defensive game also pays off in terms of strategy and game flow. I like the fact that the battles are deliberately timed and allow multiple targets to be attacked at the same time. As lightsaber strikes with a purge troop and in between with force push to send back a rocket against a stormtrooper. You do not just run into a room and start swinging. They strategize and search carefully for enemies. Timing parades can be tricky, but if you succeed, reward yourself with a great hit or instant kill that looks awesome.
The fight ideas are solid and lead to some great moments in which you feel like a real Jedi. However, the enemies can discard their plans because some of their moves are not well-wired and sometimes there are animation issues that are not possible to predict and make parrying efforts virtually impossible. In addition, archers and snipers sometimes freeze and do not shoot at you, resulting in a strange showdown in which nothing happens for 15 to 20 seconds. What’s more disturbing is that I’ve encountered numerous problems that BD-1 did not cure me, even though Cal demands it audibly. Doing this against the grueling endgame bosses was a bit crazy. Given the number of protrusions on most worlds, it is not surprising when a combat action is interrupted by knocking Cal off a cliff and then magically reappearing to reconnect the sabers. It is irritating and suggests that the fight is a bit rough overall with respect to Cal’s basic movements. Although the visual presentation is impressive in composition, it can sometimes be affected by texture pop-in, improperly displayed lighting, or fast-moving enemies when opening a door.
Despite these many small issues, Respawn’s maiden voyage with Star Wars is largely a success. I could not finish this game, both because of the thrill and because I wanted to see where the story took me next. The inspirations of Dark Souls, Uncharted and Metroid Prime unite into something unique that works incredibly well for this beloved license. Like most spaceships in this universe, Jedi: Fallen Order could be a bit polished, but the rust does not stop it from roaring with excitement.
