Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a galaxy of fleshed-out worlds that aims to surpass its predecessor in every way. The numerous spectacles I witnessed within my three hours playing Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming sequel ranged from dynamic vistas, diverse communities, and an ecosystem of friendlies and enemies that your in-game actions directly impact. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is not striving to only be a great Star Wars game but an overall excellent game of galactic proportions.
Enhanced combat options
One key to living out any Jedi fantasy is the feeling of complete control over the Force and your weapons, and Survivor does not disappoint. There are now five different combat stances to unlock throughout the game as your primary and secondary:
- Single – The standard balanced “all-rounder” lightsaber option
- Double-bladed – Good for crowd control and keeping enemies at bay
- Dual Wield – Great for high-octane and versatile combat, requires finesse
- Crossguard – Powerful but slow
- Blaster – Great for dealing with enemies at a distance and pestering foes
Yes, you will be able to wield a blaster. Protagonist Cal Kestis can also perform blaster and lightsaber combos, wielding one in each hand to dispatch foes in creative and visually spectacular ways.
The new options provide unique ways to tackle enemies. The crossguard lightsaber acts like a traditional longsword with slow windup times but deals massive damage to anything it comes in contact with, while dual wield allows you to deliver quick and precise strikes while staying agile.
“One thing I think we looked at in the first game is that that power curve came in a little bit too late,” said Stig Asmussen, game director at Respawn. “You didn’t really start feeling like you had [power], which is by design, you’re this raw and incomplete Padawan that hasn’t been trained in years. We wanted the player to feel that. And it’s around 60% into the first game, you start to feel like, ‘hey, I got a lot of powers right now that I can use to manipulate and eventually dominate both combat and the environment.’ And we definitely want that to come in a little bit sooner on this game because Cal is further along on his path.”
Early in the game, you’ll have access to three stances and all of the basic Force abilities Cal acquired in the first game. Along with some new ones, including Force Confusion which allows players to turn enemies against each other briefly, and Tame giving the ability to mount various creatures to navigate the environment for faster traversal or puzzle solving.
The power of PS5
The game looks stunning and has been optimized to take full advantage of what the PS5 has to offer. When flying around the world with the help of a Belter, a new flying mount, it becomes apparent just how massive and detailed the new worlds Cal will explore are, with looming structures in the distance casting vast shadows, enemies on patrol, and glimpses of the unknown on the horizon. All this is rendered in real-time and detailed regardless of distance.
“With the PS5, we’re really digging the haptics and what the controller is bringing, and it’s been a lot of fun to see how that works with push and pull [Force powers],”