4/5 ★ – hcolesmith's review of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

I really, really like this game. It's rough around the edges in a way that you'd probably anticipate an EA game would be, but Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order has a lot of spirit and heart to it to make up for some of those shortcomings. Of all the non FromSoft Soulslike games, this is my favorite because it gets the exploration elements right. This is the first game of the genre not from FromSoft that I've cared to actually 100%. Moreover this is the first one I've cared to play more than once. This is likely because Fallen Order isn't just a Soulslike but also a Metroidvania. Effectively, this is combination of my two favorite game genres. And so the tone and feel of the game just nail it for me, particularly considering it's set within my favorite fictional universe. As a big Star Wars fan, even two times through the campaign, it never loses its edge in the snappiness of the combat. Things feel just difficult enough (or pretty challenging on Grandmaster difficulty) that it doesn't feel like I'm just handed all the tools to wreck everyone from the jump. The powers you're given slowly throughout the game add fresh new spins. They recontextualize the moves you already have so by the time you get to the end, you're able to wreck groups of enemies if you know what you're doing. Those battles can go south quickly, though, which is exactly how it should be. A Jedi is a glass cannon, after all. It's surprising that EA was able to publish a game like this.