One of the many strengths of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was how it allowed players to tap into the Force, but Lucasfilm almost didn’t allow developer Respawn to create a Jedi game at all. 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduced fans to Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan who survived the infamous Order 66 and sought to live a quiet existence as a starship scrapper before he is discovered by the Empire. From there, Cal embarks on a galaxy-spanning search for the remnants of the old Jedi Order while being hunted by the dreaded Imperial Inquisitors.
While plenty of past Star Wars games have allowed players to take control of a Jedi Knight and wield their iconic lightsabers and Force powers, Fallen Order combined these abilities with Metroidvania exploration and slower, Dark Souls-like combat to create a challenging gameplay experience that captured the feel of being a lost Force user with an entire galaxy against them. Players could unlock new lightsaber types and powers for Cal as they journeyed onward, which reflected Cal’s own rediscovery of his long-latent abilities.
As integral as Cal’s rebuilt connection to the Force is to the plot of Fallen Order, it can be hard to believe that Lucasfilm almost didn’t approve of him being Force-sensitive. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen recently sat down for an interview with The Guardian, in which he noted that he and his team had to convince Lucasfilm to let them have a Jedi as the playable character. He explains that the Jedi are “like the holy grail” to Lucasfilm and that it only gave the green light for Fallen Order after Respawn offered to label Cal a “Force user” instead of a Jedi outright.
Sure enough, Cal was allowed to wield the Force in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and soon players will be able to embark on the next chapter of his story in Jedi: Survivor later this month. In addition to all the Force abilities and lightsaber styles from Fallen Order, players will be able to unlock new skills for Cal as he searches for a safe haven against the Empire. Cal’s new skill tree is supposedly so big that Stig Asmussen claims that players won’t be able to unlock everything by playing through the main storyline alone.
It's hard to imagine what kind of game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its forthcoming sequel would have been had Lucasfilm not granted Respawn its approval to make a Jedi-centric title, as there have been plenty of Star Wars games that don’t feature Force users as main characters. Still, players are thankful that Cal Kestis was allowed to use the Force in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and it is only a matter of time before the former apprentice strikes back once again in the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: The Guardian