Cameron Monaghan (“Shameless”) returns after “Fallen Order” as Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight who has been despatched into hiding by Order 66, working with Noticed Gerrera (the character performed by Forest Whitaker in “Rogue One”) within the Resistance when the sport opens. “Jedi: Survivor” takes place 5 years after the motion of “Fallen Order,” which places it 9 years earlier than the Battle of Yavin, detailed in “Star Wars: A New Hope.” That additionally places it 4 years earlier than the motion of “Andor” and across the identical time because the Disney+ present “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Bought that? Briefly, it’s not a good time to be a Jedi, and issues worsen when Cal’s group is killed on a mission on Coruscant, leaving him much more on the run together with his pal Bode (Noshir Dalal), considered one of his few allies remaining.
The extraordinary motion of the prologue of “Jedi: Survivor” leads Cal to a planet referred to as Koboh, the place he seeks out a personality named Greez (Daniel Roebuck). The majority of the primary a number of hours of the sport will happen on Koboh, one of the outstanding open-world settings in years. There’s a house base in a city referred to as Rambler’s Attain, the place you land your ship, the Mantis, and may work together with retailers and locals and even plant seeds you discover elsewhere. The narrative of “Jedi: Survivor” sends Cal and his group to different planets, reuniting him with characters that followers will discover acquainted alongside some new ones. It’s a wealthy piece of storytelling a few warrior looking out to seek out his means again to the entrance whereas encountering the affect of the Empire’s tyranny, together with Jedis who’ve given into the darkish aspect. There are fantastically detailed supporting characters, together with Debra Wilson as Jedi Grasp Cere Junda and a Nightsister named Merrin (Tina Ivlev), who turns into considered one of Cal’s closest allies.
The storytelling is way richer than a mean Star Wars recreation, however what elevates “Jedi: Survivor” is the gameplay. It’s largely melee-based fight, closely reliant on parrying and utilizing completely different lightsaber stances to defeat harder enemies. A recreation like this typically succeeds due to the way it doles out energy to the participant. Firstly, you’re only a child with a lightsaber. Because the story unfolds, the participant unlocks 5 completely different lightsaber stances, together with a depraved twin wield, one that features a blaster within the left hand, and even the highly effective crossguard stance utilized by Kylo Ren within the final trilogy. Whereas a special stance may give a bonus towards sure enemies, they’re largely simply considered one of many customizable facets of “Jedi: Survivor.” Decide your favourite stances—two will be outfitted at a time and simply alternated—and the sport unlocks talent factors and perks that can be utilized to provide Cal much more energy. It’s a superbly calibrated system that takes Cal from a easy warrior to a Jedi Grasp beneath your steerage.
