Star Wars has had a very long history in the gaming landscape, with its debut title, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back launching on the Atari 2600 all the way back in 1982. Since then, there have been countless Star Wars titles, stretching across a wide range of genres, from first-person shooters to third-person action-adventure games, all the way to flying simulators and even Mario Kart knock-offs. And over the last 40 years, there's been a fair few video games with Jedi along the way, with one of the best being Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's own Cal Kestis.
Introduced in 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis is one of the few Jedi that survived Order 66, and after hiding for five years, he finally became the Jedi Knight he was destined to be, and along with his reliable crew, he began rebelling against the tyrannical Empire. Taking place five years after the events of Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sees an older, wiser, and more ruthless Cal Kestis take center stage, and he shares quite a few similarities with the Jedi of past Star Wars video games.
How Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Cal Kestis Compares to Past Gaming Jedi
When Cal Kestis is first introduced in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, he's a shell of his former self. Just a teenager during the Clone Wars, Cal saw battle at a young age, and though it toughened him, it wasn't enough to prepare him for the horrors of Order 66, where he watched his mentor, Jedi Master Jaro Tapal die protecting him. For the next five years, Cal hides on the scrapper world of Bracca, concealing his identity, and losing his connection with the Force. After being forced to reveal his Jedi powers to save a friend, Cal is rescued by Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's Mantis crew, and with their help, he goes on a journey to self-discovery.
Set five years after Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor puts players in the boots of an older, and much-changed Cal Kestis. From the moment the game starts, it's clear that this version of Cal has been through a lot, and he's lost a great deal. Cal no longer travels with his found family, and his resentment towards them for leaving is clear. Though Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Cal Kestis is still a Jedi through and through, willing to help others whenever he can and fight for good, he's a tad less forgiving, and there's darkness brewing inside of him.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Cal Kestis shares a lot of similarities with Jedi Knight's Kyle Katarn. Though he's introduced as just another Han Solo-esque smuggler, Kyle Katarn soon learns that his father was a Jedi, and that power flows through him as well. Choosing to embrace the Force to help defeat the Imperial Remnant, led by his father's killer Jerec, Kyle Katarn becomes a true Jedi Knight and even goes on to train a new generation of Jedi alongside Luke Skywalker. However, Kyle Katarn isn't a perfect Jedi. Though his actions are always good-natured, Kyle Katarn embraced the dark side for a short period of time, and that darkness still lies within him years later. While Cal Kestis hasn't turned to the dark side, he does embrace his inner darkness a little more in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
This darkness also bleeds into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's gameplay, and in particular, its combat. While Cal's fighting style in Jedi: Fallen Order could be quite violent, Jedi: Survivor takes it to new levels of brutality. Each lightsaber stance has a dedicated set of finishing moves, with each one being more devastating than the last. Paired with Jedi: Survivor's new dismemberment system, Cal is portrayed as a much more ruthless combatant this time around. Some fans might even compare Cal's new fighting style with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller, who uses similar Force Repulse and lifting moves, and also dispatches his foes with ruthless efficiency.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S