I’m very excited for this game review because I am a huge Star Wars fan! I really can\’t count the number of times I\’ve watched all the saga movies and their behind-the-scenes, but I know I drive my wife, family and several of my friends crazy with how much I bring these movies up. I was incredibly hyped for this game when it was announced because this would be the first real experience playing a Jedi on the current-gen consoles and it was a brand new story in the universe exploring an interesting time in Star Wars.
Fallen Order centers around Cal Kestis, a young Jedi who survived the fatal Order 66 massacre of the Jedi. He has been in hiding for about 5 years following those events and he has all but cut off his connection to the force for fear of being detected. But, this all comes crashing down when he is forced to save a friend using the force. Soon, the Inquisitors – a group of Sith who are specially tasked with hunting down and killing any remaining Jedi – arrive and discover Cal. This is how he comes into contact with Cere Junda (a friend of the Jedi) and Greez Dritus (owner of the Stinger Mantis) and they help to set him on a path to repair his damaged connection to the force and to uncover a holocron that could help restart the Jedi Order. (Just to clarify, none of that is spoiler stuff, it\’s pretty much all covered in the trailers!) This journey will take you to several planets, most of which are new but with a couple familiar ones such as Kashyyk.
I love that the world around Order 66 is getting explored because that was one of my favorite moments of the prequels, in terms of its incredible emotional impact. The Jedi had been fighting alongside these clone troopers for years and felt they were on the verge of victory and bringing peace to the Republic once more, when the rug was suddenly pulled out from under them and the very clones they had fought with, formed bonds with, suddenly turned on them and killed them. Now Cal is one of the lone survivors of his kind and doesn’t know who to trust. The narrative does a good job of showing Cal’s youth without making him seem idealistic or naive. Cal is plagued with survivor’s guilt from his escape during the massacre of the Jedi, and this opportunity to restart the Jedi Order helps him come to terms with that guilt. The story has become one of my favorites in the Star Wars universe and is brought to life with fantastic visuals and voice acting.
The game-play of Fallen Order puts you as close to being a Jedi as you can get. That may seem like mild hyperbole at best (because it kind of is) but the game has such a great combat system. It primarily involves a parry-style lightsaber combat system, with force powers peppered in including slowing down enemies and items, push, pull, and several others. But the absolute joy that comes from the sound of my lightsaber coming to life and deflecting a blaster bolt straight back into a stormtrooper brings a smile to my face almost every time (is that messed up? maybe…). The lightsaber duels with the inquisitors are challenging and satisfying when you ultimately beat them. The game also features a ton of platforming, bordering on an Uncharted amount of it, which is fine but gets a little repetitive in some areas. There are a ton of collectibles to find, mostly in the form of character customization items for Cal and BD-1 (who definitely make my list of favorite droids in Star Wars!), as well as paint jobs for your ship. My only real gripe is that I experience a few glitches throughout the game, nothing really major with the exception of falling completely through the world at one point. But after having recently replayed it with the updates, it would seem those issues have been addressed, so now is a great time to pick it up!
Jedi: Fallen Order is an example of the kind of Star Wars games we need right now. It\’s not a rehash of an existing series, or some kind of cheap-feeling cash grab with the Star Wars name slapped on it. It’s a new original IP, has a great story that expands the Star Wars universe, and the game-play is creative and engaging.
Story Mode Scotch 