4.5/5 ★ – mgongames's review of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

"I don't know if I'm ready for what comes next." Jedi: Survivor is a phenomenal experience on nearly every level. Respawn built off of Fallen Order in all the right ways and delivered a galaxy far, far away at its absolute best. Outside of Andor and a handful of the movies, live action Star Wars media couldn’t dream of holding a candle to this. On Jedi Master difficulty, boss fights are very tough but very rewarding. They require intense control over Cal’s abilities and your lightsaber stance of choice, as well as an attack pattern familiarity that can only be learned by throwing yourself at a battle again and again. These deaths can be frustrating. Many bosses took me hours to master, and I occasionally had to give up and step away from the game for days on end when my real life commitments got in the way. But there’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of finally overcoming what initially felt like an insurmountable obstacle after hours upon hours of intense training. I sadly haven’t gotten into Dark Souls yet, so I can say with confidence that no other game has so brutally but so fairly challenged me to get this good at it. Not only does Survivor outshine its predecessor by improving and expanding on combat, set pieces, and exploration, but it expertly avoids telling what could have been a very underwhelming story by establishing its own confined corner of the broader universe. While plot and characters are largely self-contained this time around, it delivers a satisfying follow-up to the first game’s story that gets even more personal, dark, and emotional. Just when you think it’s all over and puttering to a lackluster stop, the third act catches you off guard and suddenly spirals into a gripping conclusion that’s just as intense as it is thought-provoking. The set up for another sequel is even more thrilling here too. I cannot wait for Part III to easily solidify this as the best trilogy in the entire Star Wars franchise.