Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a massive and ambitious game that offers players an exciting new adventure in the Star Wars universe. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, the game takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order, and follows the story of Cal Kestis as he struggles to find his place in the galaxy and make sense of his place in the Force.
Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66 and is now living as a fugitive. Cal is struggling to find his place in the galaxy and reconcile his desire to stand up to the Empire with his growing attachment to his new found family. There is only so much that one Jedi can do against the full might of the Empire during this time in the Star wars universe. While the story can feel bloated at times, the emotional core is effective and the game does an admirable job of telling a new and original story rather than relying heavily on other star wars media to fill out it’s story.
One of the greatest strengths of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is its characters. Cal Kestis is a sympathetic protagonist who is easy to root for, and the supporting cast is equally well-written and fully-realized. The game’s characters are flawed and relatable, and their interactions feel natural and organic. You really do feel like you are part of a family here and would do anything to help them. There are also a number of memorable characters scattered throughout the game’s massive world, adding depth and flavor to the overall experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s graphics are top-notch, with highly detailed character models and stunning environments that capture the essence of the Star Wars universe. All of the areas have been meticulously crafted, and are a joy to explore. The main world of Koboh was so well designed I felt like I was playing on Tatooine in KOTOR all over again again. There is a lot to discover here and Koboh acts as you home base for much of the roughly 20-25 hour story.
The world of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is massive and ambitious, spanning multiple planets and offering a mix of meticulous level design and open-world exploration. The game’s main world, Koboh, is particularly well-realized, acting as a funnel toward major story beats and housing the bulk of the game’s side content. While some players may be disappointed that the game doesn’t explore as many planets as its predecessor, the focus on building up a singular location works well, and the additional locations add variety and flavor without demanding a disproportionate time investment.
While the lightsaber remains the star of the show, Survivor also puts a greater emphasis on ranged combat with blasters. While not as flashy as lightsaber combat, using blasters is a satisfying and viable option in many combat encounters. Cal can use his Force abilities to slow down time and aim more accurately, making it easier to take out enemies from afar.
When it comes to performance on the PC version of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it’s worth noting that my experience was with a review build ahead of the official release, so it’s possible that some of the issues I encountered will be resolved in the day-one patch. That being said, I did experience occasional frame rate drops and a few crashes, though nothing that completely ruined my experience. It’s also worth noting that my PC is fairly high-end, so it’s possible that players with lower-spec machines may encounter more significant performance issues.
It looks like we are still running into the common shader compilation stutter issues associated with Unreal Engine. On my RTX 3080 and Ryzen 5900x with 32GB of RAM I was constantly getting stutter when entering new areas or rushing into combat. If you experienced Fallen Order on PC, then it’s much of the same here. It’s a bit confusing as I remember that being one of the major complaints with the PC version when the game first came out, so you would think they would make more of an effort to fix that issue.
Overall, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a worthy successor to Fallen Order, offering a massive and ambitious adventure in the Star Wars universe. While the game can feel bloated at times, the emotional core of the story is effective, the characters are well-realized and relatable, and the world is immersive and impressive. The game’s technical demands may be a turn-off for some, but those willing to invest the time and hard drive space will be rewarded with a memorable and satisfying experience.
Score: 9/10
Check out our review of Jedi Fallen Order:
