Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Jul 13

A Refreshing, Safe Move

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a warmly welcomed title in the Star Wars video game universe. Finally, EA made good on its responsibility to carry one of the most coveted franchises with respect. Although fans of the Star Wars galaxy did get a breath of fresh air with Fallen Order, the game was a safe and low-risk venture. Respawn took gamers on a fun but uninspiring journey through the heavily explored fall-out after the Great Jedi Purge. The protagonist, a young man named Cal (who could be 16 or 28 years old for all we know), begins his adventure stuck on a junkyard planet. He has no family, he is force sensitive, he finds a guide with a dark and complicated past, he has a snarky-bad-boy pilot with a disposition for gambling, and he is destined for great things. I know the plot may sound familiar but this time it's different. THIS time, our hero gets tempted to join the dark side by an angsty edge-lord that wants to conquer the galaxy!

Okay, so maybe the story is completely typical for a Star Wars tale, but is that so bad? Respawn seemed to understand that they did not have to completely revolutionize game-play, creative story-telling, or world design. Instead, Respawn listened to fans and gave us an opportunity to explore the galaxy in a way that was previously unseen. You can swing from vines with Wookies on Kashyyyk, slay hellish zombie night-sisters on Dathomir, and collect your own kyber crystal to build a custom lightsaber on Ilum. THAT is what Star Wars fans have always wanted: an immersive experience on the planets they love. The introduction of new planets and a few exciting villians was just a bonus.

Nothing about this game will change the gaming industry. There is nothing as far as mechanics, graphics or design that you probably have never seen before. The story did not reveal incredible insights into Star Wars lore; aside from bringing to life an ancient force-wielding species that fell in the exact same fashion as the Jedi Order (what an absolute twist). The customization was weak and felt hurried (likely due to the looming release of Rise of Skywalker). Replay-ability is certainly not a priority, but then again, it is not a priority for most games in this genre. However, the climax of the story was a glorious fan-service that reinforced the legend of arguably the greatest villain in all of fiction (you will know when you get there). All said and done, if it were not for the Star Wars intellectual property, this game was more consistent with a 7.5 in our books. But it scored an 8.5 because it stirred the hearts of Star Wars fans in the best way. And that is all Respawn needed. An 8.5 to get their foot in the door and [hopefully] prelude a new era of Star Wars gaming. We are patiently holding our breaths here at BLG. Overall, this game was impressive. We all enjoyed ourselves a lot while playing it, and even more while discussing the countless Star Wars references and experiences as each of us reached them.

Buy this game if you enjoy:

Star Wars (obviously)
Metroid Prime
Dark Souls
Assassin's Creed

Listen To Our Podcast For a Full Breakdown of the Game!

The Following is not a Review But Simply an Opinion That Needs To Be Shared and There Is Nothing You Can Do To Stop Me.

Yes, I truly enjoyed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. What I am about to share is not so much a critique of the game, but a comparison to give context to my Nintendites out there as to what to expect from this game. I could not help but notice how familiar the game seemed. It wasn't until I really got into the story that I realized why this brand new adventure felt like something I played in my youth. As I opened my holo-map my eyes widened and all I could think were two words: Metroid. Prime. A rush of nostalgia flooded my vision and all of a sudden every aspect to Cal's journey coincided perfectly to the Metroid Prime saga. The holo-map is an obvious nod to the Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran's maps of old. The save points seem identical as well: where the game is saved, health is replenished, upgrades are added and enemies "Respawn" (I am so onto them). Even the story-lines are basically the same. Details and names may be changed but there is an ancient alien species that became incredibly advanced and suddenly vanished. But don't worry traveler! They conveniently pioneered other planets and left tons of trash (ruins) for you to dig through. They left cryptic messages about their demise/disappearance and guide you to enlightenment and higher abilities. BUT it is not that simple! The ruins are booby-trapped. Not only that, space-thugs beat you there and you have to defeat them too! Maybe some of these things are not exclusive to Metroid Prime and SWJFO, but I cannot help but think that the team at Respawn were really just trying to elicit the same Metroid-esque wonder that some gamers grew up with. Please continue to scroll for a small gallery showcasing that this is not all just in my head.

1. Here are the holo-maps. Complete with highlighted doors depicting where you can and cannot go and abilities that may be required to open certain areas.

Image Courtesy of @ElgharabiSalma via Twitter

2. Ancient aliens that inexplicably disappeared and will hold your hand from a distance.

3. Save points for saving progress, replenishing health, upgrading character, and respawning enemies.

4. Library of species and enemies found in the game to read about.

5. Back tracking on multiple planets as abilities become available.

Again, this is not a complaint but an appreciation. The fact that a Star Wars title is paying homage to arguably the greatest sci-fi game of all time is a dream come true. Jedi: Fallen Order deserves respect for so effectively breathing life into what Metroid Prime has become: its very own genre. Thank you Respawn for this experience.

Ryan Scalf