Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Preview

There’s a lot to be said for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It’s exactly what you probably already thought it was going to be: a competent, big-budget action-adventure sequel, well-made by talented people that breaks the mold but expands on the first game in the areas you most enjoyed. If you enjoyed Jedi: Fallen Order, then maybe this game will be a good sequel for you.

In Jedi Survivor, you play as a mature Cal Kestis. The action takes place some time after the events of the first game. Cal is a Jedi Knight and he is feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the state of the galaxy. No matter how hard he tries, the Empire continues to grow. With the memories and expectations of the Jedi Order weighing on him, he must decide what he is willing to sacrifice to defeat the Empire, but more importantly, save those closest to him. An emotional story, the cinematic quality of Jedi Survivor helps push the narrative forward as Cal explores more complex emotions.

There are also plenty of new enemies to test your mettle with, including some metal ones!  As you might have guessed, the main recurring enemy is the B1 battle droids popularized by the Clone Wars cartoon, along with a few other droids and more organic enemies.  Dialogue snippets have always been fun in Fallen Order, but the B1 battle droids have a special charm, and it comes through in every scene.

The combat is also fantastic. Cal seems to keep most of his basic fighting tools from Fallen Order, such as pushing, pulling, or using a double-bladed lightsaber. He also gains new abilities and rethinking old ones. First, it can now confuse enemies into attacking their allies for a limited time, replacing BD-1’s ability to transform into droids for now. His Split Saber ability also seems to have disappeared, replaced by a generic dual-wielding stance, with a heavy focus on overwhelming opponents with quick and hard strikes, although this also leaves Cal more vulnerable to attacks and damage if he overexerts himself.