4/5 ★ – Smabbott's review of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

An emotional sequel Jedi Survivor is a very impressive sequel to an already excellent first entry. When analysing what makes a sequel great it is the improvements over the previous. This can be in many ways. Whether this be deeper character development, new mechanics or improved tech. My first belief of what makes a great sequel is the character should start from where they left off. Why make the player learn everything they’ve already learned again in order to have new mechanics? Survivor fits comfortably in this bracket, it’s a game which appreciates your time from the first frame. Cal keeps his lightsaber how it was. Double bladed and split right from the off and all the abilities of the first game. This allows so many combinations through combat before even introducing any of the new mechanics. The game boasts multiple stances instead of combo changes. I wasn’t a fan of this from the beginning, but now beating the game, I appreciate the game allowing players to essentially choose different builds. However, the loss of seamlessly switching between configurations of the lightsaber in combos is a shame as it looked awesome by the end of Fallen Order and allowed the combat to act through one lens. The combat feels too floaty. Many people call the game a souls-like and I have to disagree. Even though it has so many factors which make it so. Resting brings back enemies. Shortcuts link long stretching levels. Animations for enemies exist on a reaction momentum for the player to anticipate. Boss battles test the player through their skill. But the combat does not act in this way. A successful souls-like is built around the idea that everything that is thrown at you can be dealt with. I don’t believe this game abides by that philosophy. With its insistence on floaty combat, you have these beautiful animations which look amazing separately, but combined lose the fidelity of cohesion. Meaning that if you choose any other stance rather than the single blade lightsaber, the time to parry is way too slow for the onslaught thrown at you. Leading to a rather frustrating play style which caters to one specific build. The game sacrifices parry time due to the weapon you use. This is bad. I have no problem with weapons taking longer than others to complete animations. But I expect a parry in a parry centric game to be consistent. But thanks to the animations not designed to be seamlessly transitioned, you will die to either bad hitboxes or being physically slower than the enemy you’re fighting. I don’t want to end on a negative note though. So I’ll mention that the levels in this game were incredibly well constructed as well as impressive enemy variety. The customisation has been expanded from the first entry to benefit a more personal experience. Despite the ridiculous size of this game, you can tell where all those GBs went. This game is big. The planets stretch far and wide with many secrets to uncover. Boasting a beautiful world for each, the art direction and the graphics are truly something to witness. Set pieces for the game were brilliant. Nothing beats the mid-point set piece though. If you know, you know. Absolutely incredible. I would have liked at least one more at the end like that though. The story is very good if not a little bloated at points, but the message and package overall is strong. This is the Star Wars I love to see. Embracing the world-building in order to tell a fresh story inspired by key events in the lore. Rather than relying on them. Characters are so much deeper in which is a welcomed addition. The time jump from Fallen Order adds to the ability to tell an interesting story about change and acceptance. It’s great. But overall, Jedi Survivor is a great game for exploration, puzzle solving, great acting, fantastic level design and a fun combat system. It’s just got a few lumps and bumps along the way.