Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a step back in time to an era in which western developers created single-player narrative experiences that captured and enthralled their players. An era in which you could own a game, and beat it without feeling like you were being nickel and dimed for "time savers" or cosmetics. An era where the game rewards you for exploration but doesn't punish you if you wish to partake in the critical path. An era in which Star Wars was good.
There's a lot to love about this game but first, the bad should be noted: the performance is far from perfect. While the game is gorgeous to look at, it does tank the performance of even the beefiest PC. Despite frame rates typically being a steady, playable state, I experienced some instances where (especially in higher positions or where more of the world was viewable), the frame rate would tank to an "unplayable" state; however, for the vast majority of the game and for any important combat encounter, the game kept up just well enough to continue. If you're the sort of person who believes that anything below 60 FPS is "unplayable" then maybe you should wait a few years for hardware to catch up/exceed what this game needs. Otherwise, it is worth it to push through and experience what is otherwise a great game.
Jedi: Survivor takes Fallen Order and expands upon it. The combat is more developed, feels tighter and more responsive than Fallen Order, and the new lightsaber styles allow for better depth of experience. While it would be nice to switch between the styles, the requirement to focus on only two helps drive the feeling that my Cal fought how I wanted and, for a game with no other real RPG elements, brings a slight amount of appreciated influence I have over the character. Is this game a FromSoft game, where the combat is perfectly dialed in? No. Is the combat serviceable and does it make me feel like the Jedi my wonder-stricken child-self occasionally pretended to be? Yes.
Aside from the combat, there's plenty to love about Survivor. The environments are diverse and fun to explore (although, I might argue that Koboh is actually too big and can become difficult to navigate as a result). The story's cast of characters are a good bunch who's dialogue and banter felt appropriate and welcomed (with the correct amount of levity sprinkled in; looking at you, Rick the Door Technician). The narrative beats held some obvious twists but still some unique surprises. The visuals and vistas are stunning. The sound design and music melds well with the IP it belongs to and further drives a cinematic experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game that, while suffering from some performance shortcomings, is one which delivers an experience that is rare in 2023; something which cannot be championed enough. The game is fun, the combat is enjoyable, and it is one of the few games in recent years which I will likely dive back into to complete my collect-a-thon. I only wish there were more games like it. Games I bought, can play, can dive back into if I'm looking for some easy, quick action; but otherwise am not beholden to some live service model nor season pass that requires my constant attention.
The only real problem is that, now, I want good Star Wars movies.
There's a lot to love about this game but first, the bad should be noted: the performance is far from perfect. While the game is gorgeous to look at, it does tank the performance of even the beefiest PC. Despite frame rates typically being a steady, playable state, I experienced some instances where (especially in higher positions or where more of the world was viewable), the frame rate would tank to an "unplayable" state; however, for the vast majority of the game and for any important combat encounter, the game kept up just well enough to continue. If you're the sort of person who believes that anything below 60 FPS is "unplayable" then maybe you should wait a few years for hardware to catch up/exceed what this game needs. Otherwise, it is worth it to push through and experience what is otherwise a great game.
Jedi: Survivor takes Fallen Order and expands upon it. The combat is more developed, feels tighter and more responsive than Fallen Order, and the new lightsaber styles allow for better depth of experience. While it would be nice to switch between the styles, the requirement to focus on only two helps drive the feeling that my Cal fought how I wanted and, for a game with no other real RPG elements, brings a slight amount of appreciated influence I have over the character. Is this game a FromSoft game, where the combat is perfectly dialed in? No. Is the combat serviceable and does it make me feel like the Jedi my wonder-stricken child-self occasionally pretended to be? Yes.
Aside from the combat, there's plenty to love about Survivor. The environments are diverse and fun to explore (although, I might argue that Koboh is actually too big and can become difficult to navigate as a result). The story's cast of characters are a good bunch who's dialogue and banter felt appropriate and welcomed (with the correct amount of levity sprinkled in; looking at you, Rick the Door Technician). The narrative beats held some obvious twists but still some unique surprises. The visuals and vistas are stunning. The sound design and music melds well with the IP it belongs to and further drives a cinematic experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game that, while suffering from some performance shortcomings, is one which delivers an experience that is rare in 2023; something which cannot be championed enough. The game is fun, the combat is enjoyable, and it is one of the few games in recent years which I will likely dive back into to complete my collect-a-thon. I only wish there were more games like it. Games I bought, can play, can dive back into if I'm looking for some easy, quick action; but otherwise am not beholden to some live service model nor season pass that requires my constant attention.
The only real problem is that, now, I want good Star Wars movies.