This review was made possible through the PC port of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, with 26.9 hours played at the time of writing.
You wake up, you’re on Koboh, a gigantic Star Destroyer looms overhead, you pull out your blaster/lightsaber combo, zip away on a zipline, and meticulously carve up a rancor while you’re at it.
Welcome my friends, to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Released on April 28th, 2023, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, we have now welcomed in the second part of Cal Kestis’ story.
Filled with High Republic references, brand new side-characters to meet, a saloon to fill, and a whole lot of different baddies to slice up (with dismemberment this time too).
And truly, it puts the ‘survive’ in ‘survivor’.
Lightsaber go Bwam
Before I spill my Star Wars-filled brain about the story, let’s talk design.
From swinging any of the many different lightsaber stances, shooting a blaster, deflecting a strike, etc. It sounds and feels like Star Wars. The slicing and dicing, lifting a stormtrooper 20 feet in the air, just to hear that satisfying slam on the metal of the Imperial facility you’re currently in, it never, ever gets old.
Combine all of the different sounds of this world, from animals, items, actions, kudos to the sound design team at Respawn for the absolute grind it had to have been to perfect it the way they did.
For the third, don’t change a thing.
AmeriCal Kestis
The customization!
This time around, we have an astounding amount of customization for Cal, BD-1, and everything inbetween.
Hair, beard, pants, shirt, jacket, lightsaber, blaster, and BD. A
All can be absolutely customized to your liking, the combos are endless.
From a Cal that looks like an ancient Jedi Samurai, to a bustling smuggler, a bounty hunter, Cal can be exactly what you want.
And yes, there is a mullet.
As it was a big ask from the first game, I’m glad that our voice has been heard and we got what we deserved!
Star Wars Ga(Lore)
Storytime, LFG
Taking place 5 years after the events of the first game, we pick up with Cal on Coruscant being escorted by a security team.
Next thing you know, the High Republic is involved?
Cal’s journey in this game, is nothing but some of the best Star Wars we’ve gotten in recent memory. A story about struggle, loss, and survival. Survival in a galaxy that wants you dead.
Loss, is all Cal knows.
What really impressed me about the game as a whole was how it managed to capture the essence of what makes Star Wars such an iconic franchise. It’s a story of hope in the face of adversity, of good versus evil, and of the power of the Force. It’s also a story that’s deeply personal, with the fate of the galaxy resting on your shoulders.
The game’s writers deserve a lot of credit for their work on this, an insane amount of credit. They managed to create a narrative that feels both fresh and familiar, drawing on established Star Wars lore while also introducing new elements that expand the universe in exciting ways.
The way they tie in the High Republic, into a story set 9 years before Episode 1, is mindblowing.
*Insert Standing Applause GIF Here*
‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ – Final Thoughts
Overall, Jedi: Survivor deserves to be in the top tier of Star Wars stories. Filled with loss, struggle, finding yourself and what it truly means to be a Jedi.
Exploring new planets, finding out more lore about this whole universe, and filling your mind with a story that will be stuck there for weeks.
