The Star Wars franchise has expanded to almost every form of entertainment: movies, tv shows, books, and video games. As a person who finds the franchise creatively bankrupt, I am not the biggest fan of this universe and the lore. Because...quite frankly...we know how the story ends. Almost every Star Wars entry falls within the timeline of the movies...which taints whatever story the creators are trying to share with us. With the Jedi trilogy, we know Cal and his friends/crew are new characters to this universe...but we also know these characters are not in the other movies or tv shows....which means that something terrible must happen to them at the end of this story, right?
That being said, you can make the assumption the Star Wars universe if not my favorite. However, I am quite fond of the Jedi video games so far. Jedi: Fallen Order was a surprising game that made you feel like a Jedi with its solid combat system, an interesting storyline and some fantastic characters. I am happy to say that Jedi: Survivor does exactly what a sequel should do. Similar to other fantastic sequels such as Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Last of Us Part II and (though haven't played it yet) Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it improves upon the original in almost every way by providing an intense story, fantastic gameplay with some of the best boss battles I have seen in recent memory, and a beautiful world that is hidden with secrets and treasures. Yes, Jedi Survivor is worth the price of admission.
Story
Taking place five years after the events of Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis continues his mission of fighting against the Empire to bring peace to the galaxy. This is certainly Cal's story and for those who have not played the 2019 Jedi: Fallen Order, you may miss out on some of the emotional story beats. While the game does provide a "previously on" movie in the main menu, it does not do it justice. Throughout the journey, you see Cal is faced with incredible odds as he begins to see how far the Empire has expanded their reach across the galaxy. It is incredibly interesting to play through the story to see Cal continue the good fight against a force that is clearly winning the war. The campaign itself took me about 25 hours to complete with only hitting some of the side story arcs.
Gameplay
As stated previously, Jedi Survivor improves in every character compared to its predecessor. The planets you visit are more spacious / less linear than the previous game, providing the player with the opportunity to explore vastly different areas in search for treasures and hidden areas.
Land Navigation
Navigating through these worlds has also gotten an upgrade. Very early on, Cal is provided with a grapple hook that allows for each movement across the landscape. Platforming still plays a major role from wall jumping to wall running and using vines to climb up large cliffs. The game also includes some other methods of movement such as the use of fast traveling and riding animals.
Combat
Jedi: Fallen Order had a great combat system that, in my opinion, perfected lightsaber duels. I am happy to say Jedi Survivor exceeds my expectations by expanding and improving upon this system. In Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal is mainly limited to two different types of battle styles: single blade and dual bladed. Jedi Survivor provides more battle stances each with their own separate strengths and weaknesses. With the addition of new battle stances, it provides the player to be the Jedi they want to play as. I was also happy to see that there's not a battle stance that can be used for every confrontation. While you can play through the game just using one or two battle stances, it is highly recommended to test different battle stances out to see what works for you as well as the battle you are about to head in to.
The combat still fantastic though I will say it may be slightly easier compared to its predecessor. Jedi: Fallen Order had a combat system that was a mixture of cinematic and Dark Souls. While the game does still represent a challenge, there are some instances where the combat can be quite easy until the third act where it can be a little more challenging. There are a vast arrange of enemies to fight against ranging from storm troopers to fierce animals that live on the planets you explore. The game also provides a good handful of optional boss battles that are interesting and fun to take on. I will say the boss battles in this game are fantastic. I absolutely loved the lightsaber duels in Jedi: Fallen Order and believe Jedi Survivor is even better. There were multiple times during these battles where I was stressed as well as in awe with the duels I was a part of. The bosses are where most of the challenge comes from in the game and, similar to bosses from From Software, I provided a sigh of relief in some instances.
Ramblers Reach Outpost
On the main planet (and also the vastest), you will have a central hub known as Ramblers Reach Outpost to explore and develop. As you progress through the story and side missions, you will come across travelers that you can have reside at your outpost. From there, these NPCs will be able to sell you items/cosmetics as well as provide side missions in the frame of "rumors" for you to complete that range from defeating legendary beasts, completing bounties, and identifying new areas and treasures. It provides an area that you can see develop and expand as you progress through the campaign, which is a nice touch.
Secret Areas
Throughout the game you will come across a couple of secret areas in the form of Meditation Chambers and Force Tears. Similar to Breath of the Wild's shrines, these areas test certain elements of Cal's arsenal. While the Meditation Chambers are more puzzle based, the Force Tears focus more on combat and platforming. Completing each of these areas will provide Cal with either skill points to level up certain attributes or other items that may enhance Cal's performance in certain areas of the game.
Gameplay/Audio
Overall, Jedi Survivor looks and sounds fantastic. The game is incredibly detailed. Playing on an RTX 3080 on max settings with ray tracing, the game looks incredible. Audio is also a huge win with incredible bass. I will say playing on PC does have some letdowns. As of the date of this review (5/12/2023), the game does have some performance issues. At max settings I was getting around 45-50 frames per second (FPS) with multiple times where I could see the frames dip into the 30s and even into the 10s. I know EA is currently working on patches and it has improved a little since launch, but I did see quite a few performance issues.
Verdict
As a non-Star Wars fanboy, I absolutely loved Jedi Survivor. The game is gorgeous, the story is interesting and the gameplay is super addicting. After 25 hours, I feel like I have another 10 hours of side quests to complete. Jedi Survivor is a fantastic installment into the Jedi trilogy and I look forward to seeing how this story concludes...even if we can see the writing on the wall. However, I truly believe that if the third installment continues this momentum, we may be looking at the best trilogy in the Star Wars universe.
Score: 10 out of 10