Summary
- The Star Wars Jedi franchise incorporates Soulslike combat and design, but it is primarily an action-adventure game with Metroidvania characteristics.
- Unlike traditional Soulslike games, the Jedi franchise does not require players to make difficult choices about their build and playstyle.
- While the Jedi series lacks build variety compared to other Soulslike games, it introduces individual skill trees for lightsaber stances and Force abilities to add some customization options.
Soulslikes are incredibly engrossing for myriad reasons, and most times it depends entirely on the individual game to accentuate what makes it great apart from others since they can run so many parallels in their design and structure. That’s why Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi franchise is only technically a Soulslike and not fully steeped in that subgenre, though most of its gameplay is certainly oriented around Soulslike combat and design philosophies, and that’s as clear in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as it was in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
The fact that the Jedi franchise is primarily an action-adventure experience is appropriate when considering how the game is navigated, particularly in terms of its Metroidvania characteristics. That said, through-and-through the simplest way to boil it down will be to label it as a Soulslike series and call it a day. However, despite several huge changes to gameplay that Survivor implemented, the Jedi franchise stands tall as a Soulslike imitator by not having players make one of the hardest choices Soulslikes normally ask of players at the start of their journey.
The Star Wars Jedi Franchise Rolls Melee and Magic into One Build
FromSoftware Soulslikes Commonly Boil Down to Melee or Magic Builds
Besides Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, FromSoftware’s Soulslike games do traditionally come down to either a melee or a magic build. There are tons of stats players can allocate their respective currencies into, but they will almost always be deciding between whether they want to dish out damage with the classic hit, kite, strafe, and roll combat system, or keep enemies at a distance so they can cast a wide catalog of magic at them.
Bloodborne and Sekiro are exempt because of how nuanced their approaches to gameplay are—trick weapons become multifaceted and an arcane build is much more comprehensive than simply casting ranged spells in Bloodborne, for instance, while a katana and prosthetic arm tools are essentially all players rely on in Sekiro. Some games have stronger melee builds than magic builds and vice versa, but like Sekiro one of the reasons why Star Wars Jedi is great is that it streamlines those builds into one rather than making players decide for themselves.
The Star Wars Jedi Series Lacks Build Variety, But is Dipping Its Toes in It
For better or for worse, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor did introduce something of a build system with individual skill trees for different lightsaber stances and Force proficiencies. It would be alarming if players needed to choose whether Cal would wield a lightsaber proficiently or wielded the Force proficiently, and marrying the two is logical for a Jedi character as well as crafting a build that makes sense for Star Wars Jedi’s action-adventure, story-driven Soulslikes.
This is certainly truer in Fallen Order than Survivor because of the skill trees offered in the latter, and the downside to Survivor’s potential build combinations is that a lot falls to the wayside once players have decided they prefer one lightsaber stance or Force attunement more than the rest.
Some Soulslike players may never dabble in a build that doesn’t immediately interest them, and while it can take quite an investment to craft an OP build in FromSoftware games, players fortunately have ample opportunities to respec their skill trees in Survivor and try other builds whenever they’d like. Still, not having to choose and invest in Star Wars Jedi’s equivalent of melee or magic debacle is a massive boon.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 28, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Star Wars
WHERE TO PLAY
The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. This narratively-driven, single player title picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order™ and follows Cal’s increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness. Pushed to the edges of the galaxy by the Empire, Cal will find himself surrounded by threats new and familiar. As one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, Cal is driven to make a stand during the galaxy’s darkest times - but how far is he willing to go to protect himself, his crew, and the legacy of the Jedi Order?
Explore an Untamed Galaxy – Discover new planets and familiar frontiers in the Star Wars galaxy, each with unique biomes, challenges, and enemies. Master new skills, equipment, and abilities that will augment the ways you explore, fight, and roam. With larger areas to explore and more to discover off the beaten path, players who adventure beyond the horizon will find hidden rewards.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
