By: Colin Babcock
At long last, during EA Play 2019, Respawn Entertainment’s new single-player, action adventure game has been given a release date of November 15 and a full fifteen minute gameplay reveal. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will tell the story of a young Jedi hiding from the Galactic Empire in the wake of Order 66, which called for the extermination of all Jedi.
Vince Zampella, the CEO of Respawn, and Stig Asmussen, the game’s director presented the gameplay reveal personally. The fifteen minute segment started with the protagonist, Cal, on the planet Kashyyyk. He works with local Rebellion forces to free imprisoned Wookies from an Imperial fortress. The combat against the Imperial troopers featured a solid blend of clever force usage, proper timing for lightsaber blocks, and smoothly animated attacks and finishers.
Right off the bat, the graphics and animations looked superb. The footage did say that it was part of the alpha build, so many more improvements are bound to happen before release. The voice acting and facial capture were solid in the scenes shown. Of special note was an exploratory moment where Cal snuck through a darkened, sewer-like section and used his lightsaber as a lantern. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order seems like it will encourage every tool at Cal’s disposal to be used in clever ways to survive.
The period of time Respawn is exploring, after Episode III and before Episode IV, has been more popular in the last handful of years. The films Rogue One and Solo give a small look into that period, but not from a Jedi point of view. Star Wars Rebels, an animated TV show, is far closer to the same theme, if more cartoonish in its presentation. Before Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise there was the Force Unleashed video game series. Though it wasn’t considered canon to the main Star Wars series, it was one of the most fun video game experiences in its universe.
Similarities between Fallen Order and 2008’s Force Unleashed are clear: exhilarating lightsaber combat, force powers with bone-crunching weight, and a thoughtfully written story to glue the gameplay together. However, Fallen Order appears to take those similarities and build upon them. The lightsaber combat relies less on rapid button pushing and more on careful timing and understanding enemy patterns. The force powers now branch out into puzzle-solving tools with new modes like “Slow.” The story blends canonical characters like Saw Guerrera into a brand new narrative, which seemingly would make it also canon.
Some highlights:
- Cal fights three stormtroopers in a tight hallway. He reflects two blaster bolts into their shooters. He Slows a blaster bolt mid-air and force Pulls the remaining stormtrooper into it, ending the fight.
- Cal oversees flamethrower troopers fending off an infestation of horse-sized spiders. He waits a bit to let the two sides thin each other out before joining the brawl.
- Cal stands before a wide open pit with a quickly rotating fan. He Slows the fan and walks across it.
- Cal walks into a chamber with a large, black-armored trooper. The trooper carries an electrified staff. Cal struggles against an opponent that resists force powers, blocks lightsaber attacks, and outmatches his strength. Cal prevails through careful blocks, sidestepping, and attacks.
Will Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order be worth your time? If you enjoyed video game offerings like Force Unleashed, then certainly. If you have enjoyed Respawn Entertainment’s previous titles like Titanfall and Titanfall 2, the chances are very good. Even if you are just a casual fan of Star Wars, but prefer immersive single-player experiences then you’ll still very likely enjoy what Fallen Order brings to the galactic stage.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order releases on November 15, 2019 on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Michael Duetzmann