Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - A Journey Beyond Adversity

A heist on Coruscant goes wrong, forcing Cal to flee to the only place where he believes he might find a friend willing to help without handing him over to the Empire for a bounty – Koboh. Jedi Survivor offers five difficulty levels centered around three key stat adjustments: Parry Timing, Incoming Damage, and Enemy Aggression. The Story Mode is the most relaxed, with wide parry timing and minimal damage, making it fairly easy-going. On the other hand, Jedi Grand Master flips the script entirely, turning the game into a challenging experience that only the most resilient Jedi should tackle. What I enjoy about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is its attention to the small details. Particularly, taking the time to appreciate the dialogue adds so much to the experience. The non-playable characters (NPCs) you encounter, whether friendly or hostile, have much to say this time, and some are genuinely funny. For instance, there's a moment where a droid talks about how much it loves its job of watching the scenery on a cliff. It contemplates the possibility of a promotion for doing such a great job but then realizes it would miss the scenery if assigned to guard elsewhere. Cal cleverly resolves the droid's "dilemma" by swiftly striking it with his lightsaber. The team's effort in these dialogues is evident, making each interaction more vibrant and injecting real personality into the game. Fortunately, these moments are plentiful throughout the game.

Unreal Engine 5's Remarkable Technology

Switching to Unreal Engine 5 has made a remarkable difference for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It's not just the main character, Cal, who benefits—every character you encounter feels incredibly lifelike. The small details, like the subtle movements of a character's mouth or the way Greez sometimes speaks from the side of his face, along with the nuanced facial expressions, truly set a new standard with the VOCAP in this game. There are moments when you might notice non-player characters (NPCs) appearing somewhat blank-faced or abruptly transitioning between looking fantastic and becoming lifeless. It would be a great improvement for the series if these transitions could be smoothed out or if the NPCs were given more to do beyond just sitting and waiting for interactions with Cal.

Combat Strategies and Stances in the Game

The single-blade stance is like the reliable go-to for Jedi combat—versatile. It's perfect for one-on-one fights, can pack a punch with a powerful stab, and lands in the middle regarding stamina and damage dealt. Switching to the double-bladed stance transforms the lightsaber into a deadly bo-staff, lit on both ends. It's great for handling crowds, but the whirling attack takes longer to wind up compared to the single or dual-blade attacks. So, it's not the best choice against quicker enemies, but it can swiftly clear out groups of droids. Buy Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for a diverse lightsaber experience and strategic gameplay. You can even throw it as you progress in skill, making it circle and slice through a wide area, taking out multiple foes. Moving on from the scripted finisher, the dual-wield stance splits Cal's saber into two. It feels more technical, focusing heavily on timing and counters than the other stances. His strong attack positions him to block and counter incoming strikes, and you can cancel guard or dodge at the beginning of an attack, a unique advantage not found in any other stance. The last two stances, Crossguard and Blaster, are unlocked further into the story. The Crossguard Stance wields a saber similar to Kylo Ren's, acting like a broadsword with an extended low blade. Think of it as playing with the "heavy" characters in a fighting game—it takes time to master but packs a punch for those who prefer overwhelming force. You can equip two stances at any meditation point. I frequently used the paired sabers and blaster style, but each stance has its purpose. They all benefit from Cal's newest power—the ability to slow time briefly. When charged, Cal gains a moment to either heal amidst chaotic action or prepare a slower but devastating attack to crush enemies.

The Significance of Timely Decision-Making in Conversations

Like the initial game, all five stances here have their skill tree, which advances through points gained during meditation. The developers aimed to encourage players to explore diverse styles and tactics, allowing for specialization instead of everyone ending up in the same place, as in the first game. In the past five years, Cal has acquired a new ability: force persuasion. With this power, he can influence adversaries to act on his behalf—either defending him or attacking enemies. Occasionally, this ability is integral in conversations where decisions matter. Although these moments in conversations are infrequent, they are time-sensitive, demanding your attention.

Challenging Platforming and Rewarding Comeback Features

In Fallen Order, we all ended up in the same place by the end, and it was quite easy to unlock all the force powers, skills, power-ups, and saber techniques with minimal grinding. However, in Jedi Survivor, your powers are now divided across several tablet-like structures during meditation: Survival, Lightsaber, and Force. Each category offers around 8 upgrades tailored to a specific attack style or ability. For instance, in the Lightsaber category, one power lets you deflect two blaster shots simultaneously when wielding dual sabers. Another power extends your attack combo by pressing X, ending with a powerful strike in the dual saber style. This time around, discovering your specialty and using it feels more fulfilling. For instance, there's a certain satisfaction in lifting an enemy and repeatedly slamming them to halt their threat.

Interestingly, there's no distinction between a light or dark side meter so that you can obliterate troopers without moral constraints. As you gather XP to level up, you're granted points to invest in these disciplines, offering player agency. This allows you to focus on specific saber techniques and upgrade paths or powers rather than adhere to a predetermined route. Additionally, if you're dissatisfied with your current abilities or struggling in combat, you can reset and reallocate all your skills. The first reset is free, but subsequent ones will cost a skill point. Early in Cal's mission on Coruscant, he obtains an ascension cable, introducing Survivor's major innovation—verticality. Falling doesn't severely penalize you; it only deducts a bit of life and resets you to the beginning of the section. Full deaths return you to a meditation point, but even that isn't too punishing. When defeated, the enemy absorbs your lost XP.

Koboh's Semi-Open World

Koboh offers a semi-open world experience in Jedi Survivor, where Cal and BD have gained new skills to aid their exploration. BD-1 now serves as BD-Noculars, enabling Cal to survey distant areas and mark spots of interest on his minimap. The minimap system has received significant enhancements, clearly depicting areas visited, unexplored paths, obstructions, and more. It can even guide players on the main storyline by indicating the next steps rather than solely marking the Jedi Order symbol at the final destination. A standout moment for my wife they occurred when we heard The Hu, a Mongolian band, performing one of her favorite tracks, "Sugaan Essena," specifically created for the game, right before deciding to buy cheap PS5 games. Koboh functions as a central hub in the game, where Greez's cantina, Pyloon Saloon, serves as a social spot for characters encountered throughout the journey. Initially rundown, the saloon improves as players assist the inhabitants of Koboh, attracting more visitors and generating revenue. As alliances grow, the place expands, featuring new shops, a rooftop garden, and other enhancements.

Exploring Side Quests for Rewards and Challenges

The new Jedi Survivor game offers more options for customizing your character than the previous one. Cal doesn't look the same as before; now he's got a few scars, a bit of facial hair, and a much better hairstyle. The developers put in the effort to make his hair look natural and move realistically. Spending so much time talking about Cal's appearance might seem strange, but Respawn Studios did, too. They've given him 14 hairstyles, 13 beard styles, 19 jackets, 10 shirts, and 10 pants to choose from. You can tweak not only how your lightsaber looks but also BD-1's parts, Cal's blaster, his outfits, and more. Alongside improving customization and combat, Respawn completely revamped Cal's moves in the game. He moves more gracefully, reflecting his training as a Jedi Knight over the last five years. You no longer have to press a button to hold onto climbable surfaces, and navigating the environment is much smoother. Cal's sliding down surfaces reminds me of the knife slide in the old Prince of Persia games; his wall-to-wall bounce feels straight out of Ninja Gaiden, and there's a noticeable influence from Titanfall that's moved better overall. Even though it's only been a few years since the first game, it's clear that Respawn put in a lot of work improving the animations throughout the game. Beyond the main missions, you'll also get assigned side quests directly, or you might hear about potential quests through rumors. Exploring the worlds in search of these side quests is encouraged since the best rewards and challenges are often found off the main path, like when you're looking to buy PS5 games. These quests are marked on your map once you receive them, giving you the option to tackle them for skill points, meditation cairns, and XP.

Enhanced Immersion with the PS5 Controller in Jedi Survivor

The PS5 controller amps up the experience in Jedi Survivor. When BD-1 finds something to scan, it chirps, and as Cal moves across the terrain, you can feel the slightest taps. Even the sound of administering a stim comes out from that same speaker, adding a nice touch to immerse you further. The impact of your saber, the blaster's thunk, and the clash of a saber stalemate are sensations you'll feel, and I'm totally on board with that. As you explore various planets, especially Koboh, you'll encounter different people willing to assist you – for a price. Some might ask you to collect rare rocks, while others prefer you to take down bounties. The bounty system, in particular, reminds me of Assassin's Creed's recent entries, with standard and legendary targets totaling 16. Tracking these targets down and defeating them adds a thrilling dimension to the game. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is massive, seriously. After spending over four thousand words discussing it, it's clear that this game is packed with interconnected systems. The main story alone takes about 25 hours to finish, but sticking to that path is impossible. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a strong contender for game of the year. It's not often a game that grabs me like this, but it surpasses the already phenomenal Fallen Order in every possible way, making me eager to have it.