Ever since the House of Mouse dropped a few billion dollars into the bank account of George Lucas, Star Wars has seemingly been everywhere. New Movies, new merchandise, and of course, new video games have spun out of that deal, but like a Stormtrooper taking aim, there have been a few misses along the way. Respawn and EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was fortunately on target when it arrived in 2019, and a few years later, its sequel is a worthy follow-up that delivers incredible action, satisfying exploration, and an emotionally-charged story.

Although, you might want to wait a few more weeks to feel the power of the Force because Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn’t ready yet to take its seat on the Jedi Council of polished games.

Greeze is the word

Jedi: Survivor’s story manages to juggle a surprisingly intimate narrative with game-changing stakes for the Star Wars universe, neatly slotting into a section of that galactic narrative that ties up several threads in Star Wars lore. The galaxy is a big place, but with an overall story arc of finding sanctuary and a new home that’s far away from the oppressive hand of the Galactic Empire, Jedi: Survivor puts Cal on a path that takes him to several unfamiliar planets.

Picking up five years after the events of Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor doesn’t waste any time in reminding you of the galactic status quo that has been set up since the Jedi Order was wiped out at the end of the Clone Wars. Protagonist Cal Kestis has been working to dismantle the Empire, but after years of guerrilla warfare, he finally realizes that he’s had little effect on the galaxy. Always on the run and working with new allies after his original group split up, the Jedi Knight embarks on a quest that has him crossing paths with space pirates, familiar faces, and at least one rogue Jedi with a Starkiller Base-sized chip on his shoulder.

Mixing in elements from the High Republic past with the tyrannical state of the galaxy before Luke Skywalker managed to blow a Death Star-sized hole in the Imperial budget, Jedi: Survivor’s story ultimately boils down to the idea of family, and just how far people are willing to go to protect those closest to them. The beauty of this tale is that it’s entirely standalone from the core Star Wars canon, forging its own path forward with terrific characters, a jaw-dropping twist that you won’t see coming, and nods to the past that fans will get a kick out of.

Force feedback

Fallen Order was an exciting collection of gameplay ideas, as it mixed Souls-like influences with Metroidvania design decisions and threw in an inexperienced Jedi who had to reconnect with the Force if he wanted to survive being hunted down by Inquisitors. With Kestis now older, wiser, and sporting several terrible beard variants, Jedi: Survivor’s gameplay polishes its lightsaber-wielding foundation and expands on it in meaningful ways with more gameplay options.

At his core, Kestis is a heck of a Jedi. He’s got all the usual tricks in his bag, from using the Force to send hapless battle-droids tumbling over a cliff, to a Force pull ability that can turn Stormtroopers into Imperial kebabs. Jedi: Survivor adds to this arsenal with new Lightsaber stances, bumping up Kestis’ talent pool with a new crossguard stance that would make Kylo Ren jealous. This particular style is heavier and more deliberate, allowing you to parry back with measured slashes and close the gap with a beefier defense.

For anyone looking for a more inelegant approach to combat, you can also dual-wield both a lightsaber and a blaster, allowing Kestis to strike back with more ranged options. Lastly, there’s an expanded dual lightsaber stance that is pure offense, and when used properly, turns Kestis into a deadly tornado of laser blades and Force fury. Each stance has its own pros and cons in the stats department, and while the single lightsaber stance is undeniably the most well-balanced, it’s a treat to master any of them and see how far those skills can carry you.

On the explorative side of Jedi: Survivor, not too much has changed here. Less Souls-like and more Metroidvania than ever before, Jedi: Survivor mixes fun puzzles within each level, tasking you with figuring out how your specific abilities at that moment can help complete traversal challenges. There are a few new ideas on offer here that help streamline the process, and each world naturally has a selection of areas to revisit as you gain more tools in your journey.

Koboh is by far the biggest of the new destinations, a location where you’ll spend a lot of time between destinations as you use your unique abilities to unlock more areas to explore. Doing so is cosmetically rewarding, as between dealing with bounty hunters and the hostile wildlife, you’ll come across treasure troves of new lightsaber materials, clothing sets, and unlockable mustaches. No, really.

Jedi Knightmares

Sounds like a slam dunk so far, right? A sequel that ticks all the boxes for a bigger and better experience, improving on what came before and adding some new ideas to the mix. Yes and no. The problem with Jedi: Survivor is that it’s in an incredibly rough condition… right now. Playing on current-gen consoles might be sub-optimal, but playing on PC has been a technical nightmare. Badly optimized, glitchy, and held together with what feels like digital duct tape, it’s shocking to see just how buggered a state Jedi: Survivor has been allowed to release in.

In my own experience, I’ve dealt with crashes, constant frame-rate drops, shader compilation issues, and broken gameplay that required numerous resets. Jedi: Survivor is an inconsistent experience in every single department, sabotaging its fist-pumping moments of high-octane gameplay with technical mishaps and poorly-optimized design. You’d think after Fallen Order arrived in an infamously broken state that developer Respawn would have learned its lesson, but once again, the studio’s latest Star Wars game is an absolute mess and has seen barely any substantial fixes to help smooth over these turbulent edges.

Will the game feel better in time? If Fallen Order is any indicator, probably, but it’s hard to recommend Jedi: Survivor on PC until these issues are fixed up. For now, if you absolutely have to get your Star Wars fix, stick to an Xbox Series X|S or PS5 console if you can, but avoid the PC version until Respawn gets its act together.


Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor levels up from Padawan to Jedi Knight in this sequel, enhancing and amplifying the gameplay that made Fallen Order one of the best uses of George Lucas’s IP since Rogue One. But mechanically? The game is in a rough state–and shockingly unpolished on PC–dulling the sharper edges of this experience.

 7.5
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was reviewed on PC