Gamer’s Review: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

After Eletronic Arts (EA for short) published “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order becoming a critical and commercial success, EA worked on a sequel titled, “Star Wars Jedi Survivor.” Set five years after the first game, Cal Kestis fully retraces his steps becoming a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of his master, Cere Junda. He continues his journey to battle the Galactic Empire with help from his allies, Greez & Merrin. His next big adventure is to retrieve a compass that pinpoints a location tied to an important from the High Republic era.

Released in 2023 (same year Hogwarts Legacy came out) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the sequel earned positive reviews from critics, fans and gamers alike. Besides praise, the game sold enough copies in both physical and digital format. A third game is in development. As of the second half 2024, no release date has been confirmed. Anyway, Ubisoft’s upcoming “Star Wars Outlaws” will be released on August 30, 2024. Before the next Star Wars game comes out, I wanna share my thoughts on Survivor.

This review contains no crucial SPOILERS.

Light & Dark Aspects

Light: Cameron Monaghan reprises his role as Cal Kestis. He did an excellent job for his performance.

Newcomers to the Star Wars universe such as Cody Fern (American Horror Story) & Richard Horvitz (Invader Zim, Billy and Mandy) both did a solid job for their respective performances.

Graphics bring many things to life including character models, fluid animation, lighting and environmental locations.

Gameplay/Mechanics

The sequel retains core elements from its predecessor. Here’s what’s new.

• You can switch combat stances in meditation spots or workbenches.
• Fast Travel’s available whenever you find a meditation spot.
• There are three stances. Duel-Wield obviously lets you use two lightsabers. Crossguard (Kylo Ren style) acts as a sledgehammer. Blaster combines both melee and range. Cue, Obi-Wan’s one-liner. “So uncivilized.” I went with Duel-Wield and Blaster. You also retain Single and Double-Bladed stances.
• All lightsaber colors are back. I went with green and purple. Paying homage to Cameron’s role as Joker in “Gotham.” I like wielding a green lightsaber.
• Skill Tree augments lightsaber stances and force powers.
• Customization adds more layers to Cal, his weapons and BD-1. Change Cal’s hairstyle, facial hair, new outfits lightsaber hilts, variety of color to his lightsaber hilt, gun and BD-1’s look. I changed Cal’s appearance by giving him a mullet, mustache and goatee to resemble “Joe Dirt.”
• White’s a new color for lightsaber customization.
• Spend different types of currencies on new hairstyles, outfits, and new looks for your gear. To paraphrase Qui-Gon Jin’s line, “Credits won’t do fine.”
• Exploration is much expansive than last time with an open-world atmosphere.
• There are six planets. Coruscant, Jedha, Shattered Moon, Nova Garon, Tanalorr and Kobah. The latter serves as the main hub.
• A strategy mini-game called, “Holotactics.” A one-on-one match between you and an NPC. If you win the most waves, you get a reward.
• Boss Battles are bigger and better.
• Unlike the first game you can sever enemies. EA took some feedback. Good for them.
• Side Quests are added for the first time under “Rumors.” An NPC hires you to do them favors. None of ’em didn’t feel like a chore. Bounty Hunting’s fun.
• Photo Mode’s retained. Pause the game and take an epic snapshot.

DLC features Han Solo’s outfit and gun, Luke Skywalker’s golden jacket at the end of “A New Hope” and his father’s lightsaber. The weapon of a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan’s jedi uniform and lightsaber.

Cal’s allies, Cere, Greez & Merrin. from the first game serve a purpose. It’s good to see what they were doing before Cal brings his friends back to battle the Galactic Empire. Cal’s chemistry with his pals has more emotional depth than “The Sequel Trilogy.”

Bode Akuna & Dagan Gera factor in. The former’s Cal’s best friend and the latter is a Jedi.

Shocking Moments change the trajectory of the story. I can’t tell you all about it. You’ll have to play the game and find out.

The Ending sets up the next installment.

After you beat the Main Story, New Game Plus allows you to replay the story. Starting New Game Plus will retain some of the things you unlocked. Good thing you get a red lightsaber. Think you can beat the story again with more stronger enemies?

It took me 30 Hours to beat the Main Story and finishing a few Side Missions. Replaying on New Game Plus adds more mileage.

Microtransactions and Loot Boxes are not included.

Dark: A Jedi’s (not Cal) lightsaber changes from orange to red. A crystal inside a lightsaber doesn’t function as a mood ring. Anakin’s blue blade in “Revenge of the Sith” didn’t turn red when he embraced the Dark Side.

The Final Verdict: A-

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s a slight improvement of the first game. If it weren’t for one gripe, I would’ve given the game my highest grade an A, FOR APEX. If you’re on a tight budget, wait for the price to drop. If you’re lucky, sometimes the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store may reduce the price on a specific discount month. I spent $30 with a PlayStation Gift Card. I cannot wait for the next Star Wars Jedi game.