I find that Star Wars is a series with a lot of ups and downs. People argue about which films are best and which is the superior trilogy, when they all have dud moments and are a bit silly. The shows are amazing, but have the occasional bad episode (we're looking at you all of the Clone Wars Jar-Jar Binks episodes). And the games have either been awesome, or duds. For every Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Knight 2 there's a Masters of Teras Kasi or Super Bombad Racing.
Because of this somewhat shaky history I held off on buying Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order for a while. I heard a lot of good things about the game, however, so decided it was time to actually get it (especially as it was on sale) and give it a go. I was not disappointing.
First thing I'm going to talk about is the story. Thanks to Star Wars Rebels I have come to really like the era between the prequel and original trilogies, and think that its got some amazing stories to tell. Thanks to recent creations such as the Inquisitors, the new formation of the Rebel Alliance, and the hunting down of Jedi survivors its a time that has a lot of fun things to be payed with. The writers of the game seem to understand this, and very early on begin to throw some awesome story at the player.
The story begins on Bracca, a planet that's being used as a junk yard to scrap a lot of the ships that were used during the Clone Wars, providing the Empire with resources to help build their new fleet. We meet Cal Kestis, a junker trying to meek out a living on the planet. When an accident almost results in his friend being killed Cal uses his force powers to save him, revealing himself as a former Jedi. Before Cal can even find a safe way off Bracca a pair of Inquisitors arrive, forcing Cal on a journey that will result in him reconnecting with the force, and becoming a Jedi.
I loved how the threat of Inquisitors was set up so early on in the game. I was surprised that one of the first things you see in relation to a threat from the Empire is two of these deadly Jedi killers. Star Wars Rebels used the Inquisitors really well during the first two seasons of the show, and they proved to be great antagonists for Jedi heroes. They prove to be a perfect antagonist as they allow Cal, and by extension the player, to engage in exciting lightsaber fights that would otherwise be impossible. There's no way that you can go up against force wielders such as Vader or Palpatine and survive without it being a little unbelievable.
I also liked how the game made mention of other Inquisitors, like the Grand Inquisitor, but used brand new ones. Not only did this mean that you're able to fight and kill the bad guys, but in the case of the Second Sister the game is able to craft engaging backstories and narratives that tie into the main characters and their quest.
The story also introduced some interesting new concepts in the form of the Zeffo, a ancient species that once wielded the Force. The Zeffo add more depth to the universe, exploring how other cultures and races interact with the Force, something that has been done a lot in the new Star Wars media in things such as The Clone Wars and Rebels. This is also built on with the inclusion of Dathomir and the Night Sisters, who use the Force with magics and spells.
Game-play wise, I actually found the game to game to be quite challenging. I'd seen the game described as the Star Wars version of Dark Souls, and I can kind of see that. The combat is very tough, and at times unforgiving. Unlike other games where you play a Jedi you can't just go rushing in swinging your lightsabre wildly. You have to think carefully about how you're going to take on each enemy, and you have to learn the different moves that you have access to.
The game makes the combat one of the harder parts of the game, and whilst at first this is a little frustrating, especially when standard Storm Troopers are killing you, by the end, when you're battling through hordes of soldiers and Purge Troopers to engage in a duel with an Inquisitor, you feel like you're unstoppable, and that you've earned the fights you're having.
Despite having some tough combat, the game also presented a lot of exploration opportunities across its large levels. Whilst some are more linear than others levels such as Zeffo feel like vast, interconnected areas of a world. There are winding pathways that connect to areas in ways you don't expect, and at times you'll be consulting with your map just to make sure you're on the right path because they feel so big.
These levels employ a lot of climbing and platforming sections to interrupt the action, and this was often fun. However, on occasion I found that there were sections where the margin for error on some of the jumps or sliding sections was so small that you'd find yourself falling to your death more than once. One part of the game where you're hurtling through the air and have to land on the back of a huge creature was particularly frustrating as it was very difficult to see where you were going to fall, and landing on a moving target was incredibly tricky. I found these kind of sections more frustrating than dying in battle. If I died in a fight it was usually because I did something wrong and I could ix that next time, if I died falling out of the air it was usually because I couldn't tell where I was supposed to go and I'd die another dozen times before getting the timing just right.
The game isn't perfect, there are some sections that were frustrating, and game-play mechanics that I think could have been changed to make a more enjoyable experience. However, I had a great time playing the game. I went and explored all of the worlds to find every hidden nook and cranny, and loved trying to track down all the collectables and hidden lore that added to the story and universe. I hope that that game did well enough financially to warrant a sequel, and would be more than happy to see more games like this added to the Star Wars catalogue.
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