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

FULL REVIEW (Completionist ✓) [Xbox] Released in 2019 by developer Respawn Entertainment (Titanfall, Apex: Legends) and published by EA, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order proved to critics that single-player titles are still in demand, and proved to fans of the franchise burnt out from Disney’s cinematic trilogy that Star Wars can still be fantastic. One of, if not the best Star Wars games available, Fallen Order composes all of its elements into a must-play title for fans but will no doubt leave a sour taste for more avid gamers. Where Fallen Order succeeds best is in its ability to capture its setting. A period of time not explored nearly enough, the game is set only a few years after Order 66 purged the galaxy of the Jedi Order, leaving the newly-formed Empire to rule all through tyranny. You play as Cal Kestis, a brave and determined ex-padawan of the Jedi Order now in hiding, then forced to go on the run after a display of force powers sets the ruthless Inquisitors on his trail. Saved by an ex-Jedi named Cere and pilot companion Greez, the game’s narrative will send Cal to planets, both newly created for the game, as well as some that will be familiar to fans as Cal and his crew search for a Holocron that could help restore the Jedi Order.  Fallen Order’s methodology of navigating its worlds is best described as Metroidvania in nature, a style of game design popularised by Nintendo’s Metroid series that focuses around retreading areas, utilising new gear and abilities to access previously inaccessible sections. The design of revisiting areas works well here as you will be exploring huge environments unique to one another, from the tranquil plains and carved out undergrounds of Bogano, to the desolate and hostile red-rock wasteland of Dathomir. It is worth mentioning that the game is visually breathtaking and lovingly handcrafted to be distinctly Star Wars in nature; unfortunately, the game’s scale causes constant framerate drops and textures may be slow to load. Retreading areas becomes easier after unlocking shortcuts but otherwise, the design can overstay its welcome when hunting for collectibles and completing other secondary objectives. When revisiting for narrative purposes, however, the ever-expanding environments feel fresh and exciting either due to engaging set-piece moments or through having new additions to your exploration toolset. Cal repairs his connection to the force throughout the story, regaining basic force powers such as force push, slow, and pull, while also discovering other upgrades for both himself and his utterly adorable droid companion BD-1. The small bipedal BD-1 is a loyal and ‘talkative’ companion throughout the game, and the banter between Cal and BD-1 can be humorous or quite emotionally charged, especially in the latter half of the game. Your faithful ally is as much the player character as Cal is with almost half of the tools at your disposal being handled by BD-1 via controller input. At crucial times I found the game had so much happening that buttons for BD-1’s abilities such as health stims or hacking droids would sometimes require multiple presses to activate, and the same goes for some moves in Cal’s repertoire. BD-1’s constant ‘bee boops’ and ‘whee whoos’ are so endearing, however, that I could never be frustrated when his abilities eventually would trigger. While the game is quite enjoyable, the gameplay often feels clunky and with clear inspiration from other games such as Dark Souls, Uncharted, and the Ratchet and Clank series, it is frustrating that Fallen Order doesn’t achieve the same level of execution as its inspirations.  An opinion shared by many others, my personal biggest gripe with the game is in its combat. Fallen Order is posed as a melee-action game but what is on offer is a simplistic moveset that expands little and with strategies that change little. Sound effects in this game are fantastic and faithful, from the ignition of your lightsaber to the sound of an AT-ST, and help to immerse you in the world. Weaker enemies are no match for your Jedi prowess and are easily dealt with but engaging larger groups of enemies or advanced enemies bring full attention to the game’s biggest flaws. It wasn’t until much later in the game that I realised that to use the parrying move you need to block with your lightsaber for an entire attack animation rather than the point of impact. Blocking a target typically requires locking-on to that target but will then leave you unable to effectively block attacks from other enemies. The alternative defensive move of dodging is also unreliable at times, making enemy combos feel cheap and your health bar can be rapidly depleted in a manner I often questioned as being fair. This feeling worsens as elite enemies often have substantial stamina bars that you must whittle down before being able to damage, and until that point, can block you with ease. Cal’s force powers often have little effect on tougher foes as well as being unpredictable in their potency from one enemy to the next and are better utilised on crowd-controlling weaker assailants. Another nitpick I have is that humanoid enemies will automatically break engagements with other threats such as aggressive wildlife to target you, offering little in the way of manipulating battles and also breaking immersion. Particularly in the mid-game, combat often boils down to an effective pattern of blocking and basic lightsaber attacks, sprinkled with the occasional force slow or thrown lightsabre move. Cal’s force moves are better utilised in the other half of gameplay which focuses more on exploration and climbing a la’ Uncharted but is sluggish, uninspired and without the flow of action that Respawn has otherwise done better in their other games.  Serving as more of an issue to others, the exploration gameplay didn’t bother me so much, existing to break up the combat which almost made me shelve the game. If you were to focus purely on gameplay, however, you would be doing yourself a disservice. Respawn have achieved in Fallen Order what makes Star Wars great; every location, every set-piece, character, piece of music, collectable, and audible bite of background lore, oozes Star Wars. Often, when I was most frustrated with the gameplay, or irritated by the at least three or four visits required to fully explore a planet for collectables, my negativity was forced away by the puncturing of unmistakable Star Wars music, performed here to an award-winning degree. Fans of the series will rejoice as fighting with the Wookies on Kashyyyk and exploring the Kyber caves on Ilum, as well as other intrinsic Star Wars elements, are handled with the utmost care and respect. The majority of the characters are compelling, and everyone gets their spotlight. The at first optional Dathomir delivered for me the best narrative chapter when it became mandatory to complete and thus begin the game’s third act. A rare moment in Star Wars, I at times was unsure where the various characters would end up within the light vs dark nature of Star Wars, and the exploration of the ancient Zeffo culture created a subtle yet deeper understanding of the force even if it is overlooked by the end. With the story being considered canon, Cal and his crew grew on me as some of my favourite characters in this universe, and I hope to see them again someday, whether in a sequel to this game or through other mediums. The main storyline of Fallen Order will easily take 15-20 hours to complete, with about double that time needed to collect everything in the game and to unlock trophies/achievements. Repeated playthroughs will not be required, and game difficulty can be swapped without consequence. I would highly recommend using a guide if you don’t want to spend too much time pursuing completionist goals, and it is worth mentioning that certain bugs, glitches, and generally unexplained objectives can affect your progress in some challenges. When focusing on the fundamentals of Fallen Order’s gameplay, I was frustrated, yet sticking with the game through to its epic conclusion I was rewarded with what is easily my favourite Star Wars game to date. What makes this game fantastic is the love and faith in the source material; the emphasis on its thrilling narrative and all the elements that detail this game. By the will of the Force, if you are a fan of Star Wars you owe it yourself to see the game through to its end.