Star Wars has been a staple in pop culture for over four decades. With the recent release of The Mandalorian on Disney+ and The Rise of Skywalker set to release on December 19, this year has been an exciting year for the franchise.
This excitement would continue with the recent release of EA and Respawn Entertainment’s Jedi: Fallen Order for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC on November 15.
The story of Jedi: Fallen Order takes place five years after Revenge of the Sith and focuses on Jedi Cal Kestis, a survivor of “Order 66,” in which members of the Jedi Order have been hunted down and executed by the Clone Army of the Galactic Republic.
The story begins with Cal as a scrapper on the planet Bracca. Cal has been on the run and hiding from the Galactic Empire ever since “Order 66” was executed. During a salvaging operation, an accident happened which caused Cal to use the force to save the life of his partner and friend Prauf. This action would lead to Cal being discovered as a Jedi. With his true identity revealed, he became wanted by the Galactic Empire and forced to flee from Imperial troopers and Inquisitors, force sensitive Imperial agents who are trained in advanced lightsaber combat and are tasked with hunting down any Jedi who survived “Order 66.”
While fleeing from his pursuers on Bracca, Cal is saved by Cere Junda and Greez Dritus as they escape the planet on their ship, “The Stinger Mantis.” With the Empire hunting down Cal, he must find ways to fight against his enemies with the help of his allies.
The gameplay is similar to that of Dark Souls and Bloodborne in which it takes precise reflexes and skill to fight against challenging enemies. Most of the enemies of the game are Imperial soldiers along with other threats such as the local fauna of the planets the player visits, guardians of ancient temples and the Inquisitors.
Watch the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order official reveal trailer below.
The game focuses heavily on lightsaber combat and usage of the force. One of the most important mechanics of the combat in the game is parrying. While in combat, the player can push the block button at the right time to parry enemy attacks with the lightsaber, which will leave enemies open for attack. The player can also use the parry against blaster bolts to deflect them back at the enemy if timed correctly. Higher difficulty levels will require more precision with parrying.
The player can also obtain force abilities to use against enemies such as force push and force stasis, which will slow the enemy’s movement greatly. These can also be used to solve puzzles.
Just like in the Souls games, the player obtains experience points after defeating an enemy. Every time the experience meter fills, the player will acquire a skill point. If Cal is taken out by an enemy, the player will lose all of the experience points they have obtained but will keep the skill points. If they find and attack the enemy who defeated them, they will get the skill points back but if the player is taken out again, they are lost permanently.
Skill points can be used at “meditation spots,” where the player can save their game, unlock new abilities and upgrade their health and force meters. “Resting” during meditation can regenerate health and force, and refill their stim packs. This will cause previously defeated enemies to respawn so this must be used wisely.
Throughout the game, the player can obtain lightsaber parts and crystals, which the player can use to give their lightsaber their own unique look. In addition, Cal will be accompanied by a small droid named BD-1, who can be used to unlock doors, make alternate pathways, scan details on defeated enemies and offer first aid to Cal. BD-1 can also be upgraded to offer the player more advantages.
Jedi: Fallen Order is a must-have for fans. The lightsaber combat is fantastic and requires skill, reflex and precision. The story fits into the canon of the franchise and even includes some lore to expand it. The game also includes cameo’s of characters such as Saw Gerrera from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and throwbacks from the prequel films like the Republic and Separatist ships that were shown in the beginning.
It is exciting to see where Star Wars will go next when it comes to video games. And until the next one comes out, “may the force be with you.”
Watch the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order launch trailer below.
