Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – a new chapter in the history of "Star Wars", a canonical story from Disney, EA, and Respawn. As a young padawan, the player will have to thwart the Empire's plans and, quite significantly, attempt to restore the Jedi Order. He will be aided by a former Jedi knight, a sarcastic starship pilot, and a fearless droid companion.

The game combines several genres. Single-player, with a strong focus on the story and expensive interactive cinema. Third-person action with spectacular lightsaber combat and magical Force abilities from the films. Locations are based on the "metroidvania" principle — explored multiple times, as the player acquires keys, abilities, or quests that unlock new areas.

There are souls-like elements: progress is saved and skills are distributed at meditation bonfires; full respawn of enemies after resting; after death, the accumulated experience must be restored; players will face bosses with their own strengths and weaknesses; the combat system is tailored for melee combat.

Additionally, Jedi: Fallen Order is an adventure game designed for exploring the game world, parkour, and spatial puzzles. The protagonist can climb ledges, ivy or nets, swing on ropes, slide on surfaces, run on walls, which will come in handy as the locations are built with winding corridors.

However, numerous platforms above and below the player, cleverly placed passages and secret spots create a sense of a vast game world. Periodically, spatial puzzles must be solved using the Force. A simple layout, but inventive construction will make players think about the solution.

In Jedi: Fallen Order, there are 5 planets, each with its unique design and sometimes flora and fauna. There are swampy worlds full of dangerous amphibians; depressing regions of the Empire, with beautiful nature and numerous tombs; junkyard worlds with constant ship dismantling.

In terms of appearance, the levels are mediocre and significantly lag behind Battlefront 2, the eyes can only catch colorful landscapes. The main focus was on movement, allowing the player to build long chains of various acrobatic actions and the staging of cutscenes.

The lightsaber control is far from probable reality. It resembles a club that the hero uses to beat enemies — due to Disney's censorship, chopping Imperials into cabbage is not an option, only poking and slicing a bit. In other words, the game does not convey the weight of wielding a lightsaber and the close contact with the enemy.

The combat system is quite complex for casual players but noticeably easier than Dark Souls and Sekiro. There are several types of attacks, weak and strong sword strikes, blocking, dodging, jumping, rolling, and parrying. Beautiful transition animations are included (and timing).

Jedi: Fallen Order also features Force abilities – pulling enemies, spatial strike, briefly immersing dynamic environments in stasis. They will be useful both in combat and while moving.

The combat is focused on a defensive playstyle: we wait for the enemy's attack, block or parry it, and then counterattack, combining lightsaber strikes and the Force. At the same time, we can't just slice through enemies; the character is limited by the block and mana reserves.

Enemies are primarily represented by imperial stormtroopers: shooters, snipers, gunners, rocket troopers, several types of melee fighters, but there are also aliens and aggressive wildlife.

Battles with bosses are more difficult, but the lack of unique moves and behavior patterns makes them similar: we parry attacks, break the blocking meter, and deal a few strikes, after which we roll away or perform an acrobatic somersault. Knowing the timing of when to attack, block, or dodge will also help.

The game starts with a battered and forgetful padawan who gradually remembers his master's lessons and unlocks new lightsaber combat skills or Force applications, allowing him to practice in separate training scenes.

There are 3 upgrade paths available: survival, lightsaber, and the Force. Almost all skills are useful, and the most powerful ones, like throwing the lightsaber or performing a double roll with a lightsaber strike during a turn, will be unlocked last. But the game won't end there; it will give time to enjoy a fully upgraded fighter.

The pleasure won't last long; Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is linear from start to finish. A short briefing before the mission, a few dialogues along the way , and a concluding cutscene. Experience for completing missions, defeating enemies and bosses, as well as exploring the world, is converted into skill points.

The events of Jedi: Fallen Order begin five years after "Order 66" from the third part of the saga. The few remaining Jedi hide from imperial inquisitors – Force-sensitive fighters searching for anyone who was even remotely connected to the Jedi Order.

Among them is the main character Cal Kestis – a padawan who didn't complete his training with his master when the mass extermination of Jedi began. For many years, he skillfully disguised himself as a laborer on Bracca, and only a chance event forced him to use the Force – but that was enough for him to be recognized and hunted.

A chance rescue triggers a simple, straightforward story about the search for a Jedi artifact containing all the knowledge of the order, while the empire pursues the brave ones closely. The plot is well-written and thought out; characters gradually reveal themselves from different angles (each has their own skeletons in the closet) and progress as the main storyline unfolds.

Relationships with companions form secondary storylines with their own intrigues. The player can also expect several well-crafted staged story combat scenes (which look more interesting than the latest films), as well as several plot revelations that change the perception of events – but everything can be seen in the first playthrough.