STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ (Xbox Series X|S)

Game description:

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. The game is the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), taking place five years after the events of the previous game and continuing the adventure of young Jedi Knight Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan), as he and his friends continue in their struggle to survive the tyranny of the Galactic Empire while racing against a corrupted High Republic Jedi to reach a shrouded planet that can serve as a safe haven for those oppressed by the Empire. As with its predecessor, Survivor's structure was inspired by Metroidvania games, with gameplay split between combating hostile enemies using Cal's lightsaber and Force powers, platforming, and puzzle-solving.

Gameplay:

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a third-person action-adventure video game. The game's playable character, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, is equipped with a lightsaber to fight against enemies. Both Cal and his enemies have a health meter and a block meter. He can use his lightsaber to strike against enemies or block incoming melee attacks or projectiles. By observing the attack patterns of enemies, Cal can parry hostile attacks just before they land. Parrying an enemy will significantly deplete their block meter, opening up an opportunity to strike and deal large damage. Some enemies will glow red when they attempt to launch an unblockable attack. These attacks cannot be parried, and players must dodge them. The game features five different lightsaber stances (double-bladed, dual-wield, single, blaster, and crossguard), each of which is useful against various enemy types and encounters, though players can only equip any two of them in the game. For instance, the double-bladed stance is suitable for fighting a large group of enemies, while the crossguard stance, despite being slow, is able to inflict powerful damage. The game offers five distinct difficulty modes for players to choose from.

Game review:

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes what Fallen Order achieved and wall-runs with it, then double-jumps and air-dashes straight into an epic lightsaber battle. Rather than taking us back to square one to begin Cal’s journey as a Padawan again, we’re trusted with control of a full-fledged Jedi Knight who we can grow into a master of superhuman mobility and fantastic and challenging combat. With a new set of larger, more diverse, and densely packed worlds to explore and a memorable cast of returning characters, Survivor tells a story that may be predictable but is still fun and at times emotional to watch play out. Launch performance issues aside, it’s a sequel that does virtually everything better than the original – which was already an exceptional Star Wars game. If Respawn makes one more like this it’ll complete the best Star Wars trilogy in 30 years, hands down.