The previous five years have made it nearly difficult to escape Star Wars. Since its warmly received return to the big screen with numbered installments and side tales, as well as the brand-new TV series streaming on Disney+, the franchise has been setting records and ascending to new heights. Amazing, but what happened to the video game adaptations? With two Star Wars Battlefront releases that fell short and the cancellation of numerous other exciting projects, EA made a mistake. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the publisher’s first single-player, story-focused entry into the far-off galaxy six years after acquiring the license, and boy was the wait worthwhile. The Star Wars game created by Respawn Entertainment is one of the best ones ever.

The escapades of the Skywalker family are unparalleled, but you won’t expect how much more relatable Cal Kestis’ Jedi-in-hiding adventures would be. It’s a game that manages to feel secure and familiar while simultaneously being bold in its approach to lore and referential material. It liberally borrows from titles like Dark Souls, Uncharted, and the entire Metroidvania genre. Fans of the Star Wars saga will feel right at home, but this is also an experience that doesn’t ignore those who are just starting to feel the force.

That’s as a result of an extremely flexible structure that lets you decide where to go next. With the help of the Stinger Mantis spacecraft and its crew, you can eventually travel between five distinct planets, each of which has a sizable, vast environment that reveals more of its secrets as you gain more force powers. You can encounter progress barriers the first time you visit a place, overlook wholly optional regions, and need to do a lot of searching to find hidden pickups. Rather of being a sequence of straight halls and streets that lead you to the next goal, it provides the idea that these are real, plausible places.

On the planets you’ve already visited, learning new skills opens up new routes, rewarding your propensity for investigation. After learning techniques like Force Push or Pull, there is no better feeling than discovering a brand-new location that is full of surprises. However, there is always some kind of peril waiting to pounce if you let your guard down.

Here is where the game heavily mimics the mechanics of a From Software experience, whether it’s the Galactic Empire’s devoted soldiers or local fauna that’s on your trail. In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, you’ll spend a lot of time fighting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when the action is this fun. You can practically press lightsaber strikes and scream at adversaries without worrying about running out of stamina, but doing so will only bring you so far. Thanks to block meters, which control when and when not to attack a Stormtrooper, it has a set of mechanics that really veers more toward Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice than anything else.

The best weapon in a Jedi’s arsenal is a well-timed parry, but blocks and dodges also work well. Since some actions negate enemy hits and a lightsaber throw can dispatch several opponents at once, heavy attacks and force powers add complexity to the mix. Really, Force? Throwing an opponent over the edge of a cliff while pulling them toward you never gets old. Although some boss battles do prove to be difficult tests, it’s never nearly as difficult as a Dark Souls. But as the level of difficulty increases, you’ll have to pay closer attention to when to attack and when to parry.

All of this results in a fighting system that is tremendously engaging and that thrives when some ingenuity is thrown into the mix. You can experiment beyond a lightsaber’s basic assaults thanks to a colorful system of moves, counters, and powers, guaranteeing that you never lack for inventiveness. You could adopt From Software, but Cal Kestis and company make just enough changes to give the situation their own unique spin.

However, the game’s usage of Meditation points is one mechanic on which it does not make an effort to improve. You can replenish your health, stock up on healing supplies, and have all nearby enemies respawn when you rest at one of the carbon copies of bonfires. Additionally, they serve as checkpoints after death and give the option to invest skill points in upgrades. By eliminating adversaries, you can obtain those. Is this familiar? Yes, there is one effect that is quite obvious but might be a touch too obvious.

Nathan Drake’s voyages to find hidden wealth provide as another source of inspiration that may not be as clear at first glance. Many goals require vertical traversal, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quickly clear how much of Uncharted’s vibe and aesthetic has been stolen entire. Due to the evident ledges and cracks to grip onto, wall running is made to be a joyful breeze, and climbing is made effortless. It feels pleasant and intuitive, but you’ll probably be reminded of the PlayStation series too often for any appropriate appreciation to be offset.

One could contend that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order lacks to establish its own unique gameplay style. Although the experience does substantially take from other popular games, it does so in precisely the right ways to stand out in the crucial areas. While the game’s open design makes exploration a complete pleasure, combat feels distinctive and exceedingly engaging, allowing it to stand on its own as a set of mechanics. A return to any planet is possible because there are countless options when a new force power is discovered, making it possible to explore virtually every world.

Even better, they are all linked by an excellent story. On a mission to revive the Jedi Order, which takes place shortly after the prequel saga’s conclusion, series newbie Cal Kestis finds himself in over his head. The group must work together to find a Holocron carrying a list of youngsters who are force-sensitive before it is intercepted by the evildoers, with the help of the hilarious BD-1 droid and fellow ship crew members Cere and Greez.

With some of the very greatest storytelling of 2019, it makes for a risky journey through the cosmos full with highs. It’s a story that continuously keeps you on the edge of your seat as new plot threads are introduced as it moves forward through setbacks, twists, and turns at a magnificent pace. Greez develops into a fascinating character as you go along, Cere has her own difficult background to contend with, and BD-1 is a delightful character despite being limited to simple beeps. The Stinger Mantis spaceship’s brave crew has a lot of heart, but it’s the links that bind them together that give their relationships and allegiances a dramatic, amazing conclusion.

The few callbacks and references are definitely easier to follow if you are familiar with the franchise, even if you don’t need to be a franchise aficionado to get the main idea. Star Wars fans will feel at home owing to a story that recognizes its place in the universe and sprinkles in its own lore here and there. It serves as a transition between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope by touching on the events of Order 66 and its aftermath and functioning almost as a love letter to the prequels. It also makes references to classic characters. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order obviously originates from a place with a lot of love and respect for the original material, as well as maintaining the typical self-deprecating humor of its Stormtroopers.

The game’s technical difficulties are made all the more painful by this clear devotion. Even in performance mode on a PS4 Pro, it is unable to deliver a constant, dependable 30 frames per second. The experience is also plagued by minor faults and anomalies, such as adversaries that would T-pose and animals that will float in the air. Stormtroopers can become trapped in geometric shapes, physics can unintentionally launch Cal into the air if a swinging limb of a tree isn’t lined up properly, and texture pop-in is a common occurrence on certain worlds. Even though the majority of these minor issues will undoubtedly be resolved in due course, the impact they had on our 20-hour playthrough was too great for us to tolerate.

Conclusion
The year’s finest video games include Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Its addictive gameplay loops may have been borrowed from other games, but the game really shines in combat with fun lightsaber battles and a variety of skills that keep things interesting. The game’s fantastic main plot and referential nature make it a required playtime for anyone in touch with the force, and it is supported with a narrative that will satisfy the Star Wars devotees.

Pro

Fantastic tale that Star Wars fans will adore

Unique characters quickly become popular.
Combat using a lightsaber that is fun

Excellent Metroidvania components
Star Wars references that fit

Cons

Many technological problems