During a time when it seemed being a “Star Wars” fan couldn’t be any better with movies, TV shows, and pure fandom at a peak level, gamers who too love the extensive sci-fi franchise have found themselves wanting a lot more since EA was able to acquire the video game license in 2013. Between failed & cancelled IPs as well as poor decisions in regards to certain releases, the “Star Wars” video games have proven to be a disappointment for the last six years. With Respawn Entertainment (the developers behind first-person mecha shooter “Titanfall”) having the chance to restore some order in the “Star Wars” video game realm “Fallen Order” had this more action-adventure lover than “Star Wars” fanboy excited to play.
Did I Complete “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order”?
Five years after the Great Jedi Purge that resulted in people with the Force being massacred as the Galactic Empire flourished, the player takes control of Cal Kestis – a simple scrapper salvaging ships from the Clone Wars. During a routine job gone wrong, Cal has to use his Force powers to save a friend from plummeting to his death; putting Cal on the Empire’s most wanted list. After an action-packed introductory section that nearly goes full “Uncharted”, Cal meets up with former Jedi Knight Cere and pilot Greez as they attempt to stop the Empire from further ruining the lives of so many. From the tutorial portion until the final credits roll the game lasts around fifteen hours on normal/ “Jedi Knight” difficulty with the harder difficulty levels obviously adding some time to anyone’s playthrough. Beyond simply playing through the story are a copious amount of collectibles both housed in containers and attainable only thanks to a small droid that befriends Cal almost at the start of the game named “BD-1”. With certain Jedi powers needed to open particular areas a lot of back tracking & planet hopping is needed for anyone looking to 100% complete the game. I simply wanted to play through the story, experience the hidden bosses, and discover whatever lore & skills I came across; wrapping up my playthrough after a little over fifteen hours.
Did “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” Live Up to the Hype?
After having his world be turned asunder by the Galactic Empire, failed Padawan Cal quickly finds himself in the figurative & at times literal belly of the beast thanks to the game’s overall combat. Sporting only a lightsaber, Cal must dodge, block and even deflect with his grand weapon of choice with the player having to learn enemy patterns be it against a gigantic frog, bear hug-loving androids and the tough-as-nails bosses that show up rather infrequently, but leave a lasting impression mostly due to how many times the player will have to respawn & try again. There’s a gratifying feeling of learning from one’s mistakes and being able to overcome enemies both large and small with the latter usually being Storm Troopers who will take a one-hit kill if Cal properly deflects an energy beam at the right time. On higher difficulties the parrying time is reduced, making it a lot more difficult to counter an incoming attack be it with a single lightsaber or the dual version. Upon dying at the hands of any enemy, Cal will return looking for revenge as dealing damage to the highlighted enemy responsible for sending Cal back to the most previous checkpoint will return all Cal’s lost experience points and will give him full health & “Force” bars. With each enemy killed, collectible found & area discovered Cal gains experience points that can be used to purchase skills at the designated “Meditation Points” scattered across every map & even in the central hub/Mantis Ship. Resting at these “Points” restores Cal’s health, but all the enemies in the area will respawn; forcing the player to decide whether or not they want to take on that Purge Trooper that gave the player a hard time minutes earlier as Cal will more than likely have to backtrack.
As noted earlier, Cal does possess a “Force” bar that, during battle, allows for him to mix up his lighsaber attacks alongside the three Force abilities unlocked throughout the narrative: “Slow” to temporarily slow down an enemy, “Push” to shove adversaries backwards, and “Pull” for a potential “get over here” situation so Cal can strike down said enemy. While not the most impressive list of powers, they all work incredibly well in the heat of battle including shoving a foe to their death when standing too close to the edge of a cliff or upgrading “Slow” to freeze a group of enemies running at Cal together. Another big complement to the game’s combat system is BD-1. The little droid cannot only help with collectables, BD-1 also provides “health stims” when the player calls for one by hitting up on the directional pad (with the amount of stims BD-1 holding being increased when the player discovers a certain set of collectibles). BD-1 can also hijack certain mechanical enemies when Cal chops off a good amount of said enemy’s health. Cal’s Force powers play a major role in traversing the four main planets offered to the player to explore at any time, though certain planets are obviously structured to be fully experienced later due to both tougher enemies and major areas being blocked off when Cal lacks the necessary powers at that time. Almost every planet has a gigantic puzzle that must be completed to move ahead and can be true brain twister especially when the map in its holographic 3D form making it somewhat difficult to figure out the best route for Cal to take next (though the map does showcase entry points that are & aren’t accessible).
A majority of movement through each planet is very “Uncharted” and “Tomb Raider” influenced with Cal having to grab onto vines & rocks, sliding through the mud & wall-running. Traversal isn’t remarkable or revolutionary, but usually works. There are some issues with moving throughout a planet including poor checkpoints and a lack of fast travel. In regards to the latter a player will usually have to cross the entire map to return to the Mantis. Early in the game this proves to be daunting and somewhat frustrating, but at least makes sense as story moments pop up during the trip back. Post-game, however, it makes no sense that after pilfering an area for all its worth the player can’t simply fast travel back to the Mantis. But the lacking fast travel pales in comparison to poor checkpoint placement. A majority of the time dying at a certain spot will send Cal back to the nearest “Meditation Point” or even right at the point of Cal’s death if the player didn’t have to fully respawn. But at certain times the game will put Cal all the way back to the Mantis for another extended trip to his destination.
“Fallen Order’s” story isn’t the most profound with Cal being something of a “Jedi Everyman” who is thrust into the position of becoming “The Chosen One”. It’s Debra Wilson’s performance & presentation as Cere that truly shines as the root cause of her pain & need to avenge the fallen is explored & capitalized upon by both the heroes & villains. Even some of the adversaries are given a great spotlight including the highly dangerous Second Sister. While it would’ve been nice to spend more time with certain temporary allies such as the Partisans & Wookiees, the story doesn’t overstay its welcome while leaving it open for a sequel without an unnecessary cliffhanger moment.
There are definitely some issues with “Fallen Order” including long loading screens between respawning, the lack of invisible rails to prevent Cal from falling off an edge when rolling to avoid an enemy’s attack or coming down a mudslide, the aforementioned map presentation, and inconsistent framerates. Customization leaves something to be desired as collectibles that are responsible for said custom options only provide color scheme changes for Cal’s poncho, the Mantis & BD-1’s skins, and lighsaber components. The lightsaber components can only be seen in full when at the workbench during customizing and have no effect on the actual gameplay like providing quicker changes from a single to dual-blade lightsaber or allowing for a bigger parry “window”. Thankfully there are no microtransactions.
“Fallen Order” isn’t spectacular or revolutionary, taking bits & pieces from other games to cobble together a respectable experience that could produce an even better sequel if Respawn is given the opportunity.
Should You Play “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order”?
There’s a lot to enjoy about “Fallen Order” especially when someone is experiencing the best the game has to offer when engaged in combat or is happy to explore closed-off areas later in the game when Cal has all his powers. Depending on the difficulty level being played it will be a true testament of one’s twitch & reaction skills. “Fallen Order’s” plot featuring more of a slow burn until the midway point is done well, but the somewhat redundant nature of going back & forth to planets because certain points are blocked off until Cal attains a particular power definitely leaves something to be desired. The customization options aren’t necessarily remarkable, nor are the lightsaber abilities & skills as the combo system may be a little lacking even when the player purchases more skills. “Fallen Order” isn’t the most remarkable game of 2019, but proves to be a hearty journey thanks to a strong combat system, exploration features and a narrative that leaves a player satisfied while wanting more in the near future; making this worthy of your time & money (though maybe wait until it’s on sale). And seriously, how many other games out there allow you initiate a droid battle like it’s “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” or feel the power of Forest Whitaker as he begins a revolution?
