Review

"Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" tested: Makes you want to go, despite "Star Wars" frustration

26.4.2023

Translation: machine translated

The first part was a surprise hit - despite its rough edges. Part two polishes these off and offers a lively "Star Wars" adventure with heart - if the numerous bugs are ironed out.

No cosmetic items for real money, no paid DLCs, no multiplayer with pay-to-win, just a solid single-player campaign. Before "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order", nobody would have thought that a game like this would come from EA. And then it was really good. So good that over 20 million have already played the adventure of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis in 2021. Naturally, studio Respawn Entertainment was allowed to develop a sequel. This one takes a few years, but otherwise follows on seamlessly from the story of the first instalment.

I played a pre-release version for PC

Atmospheric story without depth

"Star Wars" is not known for complex stories - with the exception of "Andor". In "Jedi Survivor", a lot of things just happen without me really knowing what my goal is. After 20 hours, I can tell you that Cal is looking for a new, safe home and is on the trail of some old Jedi who is the key to getting there - maybe? Do I think so? There hasn't been any drama yet. It doesn't need to be. The story is atmospherically told by Cal and the many characters he encounters. It provides the necessary flavour to send me across the galaxy. I like hanging out with the red-haired Cal and the cuddly droid BD-1 and going on adventures. I'm a bit tired of Star Wars because of the constant stream of films and series. But I don't play games like this for the story, but for the spectacle and "Jedi Survivor" offers that in abundance.

Cal and his droid BD-1 embark on their next adventure.
Source: Respawn

The game begins on Coruscant, the densely populated city-planet. Cal and his new crew are planning a raid on an Imperial senator. Things go wrong and the now somewhat older Jedi ends up on Koboh with his damaged ship. There I meet my old acquaintance Greez. In the first part, he sat in the Cockpit of my galactic speedster. Now he's behind the counter of the local cantina called Pyloons Saloon.

The dusty desert town serves as a hub from which I set off on local adventures or set my sights on the next promising planet. I can determine my own daily routine for the most part. Either I follow the main quest, for which I usually need my now repaired spaceship, or I chat to the inhabitants and ask them for local excursion tips.

Koboh is like the base of Cal.
Source: Respawn

Fighting, climbing, puzzling

Whether main or side quest, the missions usually contain the three "Ks". No, not the Ku Klux Klan, I'm talking about fighting, climbing and puzzling. Whether I'm fighting my way through industrial plants on a destroyed moon or searching for a missing group of tourists on Koboh - there are always rebellious henchmen waiting to make the acquaintance of my lightsaber. As a well-bred Jedi, I immediately comply with such requests and relieve them of superfluous limbs or give them new vents in their chests. A Jedi helps where he can.

The Empire never learns.
Source: Respawn

Before or after such encounters, it's usually time to unpack the magnesium bag and get climbing. Even though I'm tired of always having to climb in every game, at least in "Jedi Survivor" it's quick and easy. Cal fishes his way from abyss to abyss in a matter of seconds and even scales vertical walls thanks to a double jump - Einstein's hair would stand on end even more. Cal can also run along walls or jump back and forth between two walls to overcome narrow channels. Because there is enough speed and the passages are not too long, they are fine. There are also epic moments from time to time. Running away from a gigantic drilling robot for several minutes without touching the ground for a second is great fun. But I still wouldn't miss the climbing sections.

I am also accompanied on my missions.
Source: Respawn

I'm more surprised by the puzzles - another thing I don't really favour. They rarely require much brainpower in the main quests. They serve more as a tutorial for the optional treasures or challenges in hidden temples. In one such temple, I have to make my way to a supposedly unreachable location. The temple consists of floating bridges that I can activate with an energy ball. But there aren't enough of them for me to reach my destination. At first glance, it seems impossible. With a little experimentation and a good eye, I finally manage to outwit the protective mechanisms. The whole thing takes maybe 15 minutes, but feels pleasantly entertaining. After a few laser sword interludes, I'm ready for it again.

The puzzles aren't too repetitive either. Later on, elements such as portals and wind are added, which, together with Cal's acrobatic skills, bring a breath of fresh air to the game.

More complex but more forgiving combat system

About the laser sword. This is used even more frequently than the magnesium bag. As with "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order", the combat system in "Survivor" is relatively demanding. If I hit it blindly, I start straight back from the last meditation point. Inspired by the "Dark Souls" series, I lose my current experience points when I die. I then have one attempt to defeat my enforcer if I want my points back. Fortunately, the checkpoints are usually well distributed, so I rarely have to repeat longer passages.

Since every enemy and every monster behaves differently, good timing is required. I won't get far without parrying. Luckily, as a Jedi, I have numerous tricks up my sleeve, such as the power throw to send enemies flying over the cliff. Or I can slow down time for a few seconds. Cal's controls are very precise and agile, so I can react quickly to new situations.

I keep coming across intermediate bosses that require special skill.
Source: Respawn

The fighting styles have been upgraded. I can now use my lightsabers in five different ways. The single lightsaber is the most balanced, the double blade is good for defending against fast blaster shots and the crossguard is sluggish, but the strongest. The combination of lightsaber and blaster is new. It reminds me of "Jedi Outcast", except that I can't use both at the same time. I use the blaster to target annoying ranged fighters that my thrown lightsaber can't reach.

Each style has its own skill tree and special attack. Two styles can be equipped at the same time. I'm currently fighting with a blaster and the crossguard. Even after 20 hours, I still haven't completely got to grips with the controls. I regularly forget the button to throw the lightsaber in battle or how to let opponents fight for me for a short time. The fact that the button assignment changes slightly depending on the sword style doesn't make it any easier.

Each lightsaber style has its own skill tree.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Compared to its predecessor, the battles seem a little slower. I can also afford to make a few more mistakes without having to see the radishes from below. As I haven't seen the end yet, I can't rule out the possibility that the difficulty level will change.

A Jedi has a lot to do

After an exhausting mission, I treat myself to a drink in Pyloon's saloon. While I'm there, I chat to the new faces who have found their way here. Sometimes interesting side tasks pop up. For example, a local told me about an abandoned workshop in the mountains that had brought its owner to disaster. There are supposed to be valuable artefacts there. Before I set off, I try a round of "holotactics". It's a mini-game in which holograms on a game board play at each other.

The trick is to choose the right units to defeat my opponent's troops. Each unit costs points and this number is limited. If I don't spend all my points, I can take them into the next round. Holotactics is entertaining and fun. My troop selection also grows with every enemy that BD-1 scans en route. There are also smaller rewards to be won.

A staircase leads from the holotactics room to the roof of the saloon. I could actually have a quick look at how my little plants are doing. I can plant any seeds I find on my forays here. The first fire pineapples are already sprouting. When I harvest them, I can exchange them for rewards with Pili, a botanist. I can make similar barter deals with collected data discs, scrolls or Priorite lumps. I usually get cosmetic items in return, such as beards for Cal. Yep, I can now also customise the redhead's face - there are also lightsaber hilts and paint jobs for BD-1. The customisation options are immense. Apart from Cal's clothes, face and lightsaber colour, however, they are barely noticeable during the game.

Red hair goes with a proper beard.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Occasionally there are also skill upgrades as a reward, for example for bounty pucks. As in "Fallen Order", bounty hunters are after Cal. In typical role-playing game style, I turn the tables and hunt them down to collect a reward myself.

To plan my next adventure, I usually take a look at the map. It's much clearer than in the last part, but it's still not perfect. It does show what I've already discovered and which passages are still blocked. However, due to the three-dimensionality, it is sometimes difficult to recognise exactly which level something is on. There is a dotted line for navigation, but even this is not always clearly understandable.

"Jedi Survivor" has a practical fast-travel system from meditation point to meditation point. From time to time I can also ride various animals. Either to progress quickly or to overcome rough terrain.

Epic staging

Visually, "Jedi Survivor" is undoubtedly the most beautiful "Star Wars" adventure I've played to date.
Every planet or moon looks different. The enemies and environments are full of detail and offer a lot even for non-"Star Wars" fans. Although many of the levels look a little artificial and not like natural places, they are designed in a varied way so that I am easily distracted. Koboh, where I spend most of my time, is a charming little place that invites you to explore. There's something to marvel at or discover everywhere. I'm always excited to see which fantastic place the story will take me to next.

Graphically, there is a lot to marvel at.
Source: Respawn

My visual highlight so far is the battle in a sandstorm against an AT-ST (all-terrain scout transporter). Visibility is poor. Everything is bathed in bright red. The two-legged battle tank fires glowing projectiles at me and the sun hangs on the horizon, almost completely obscured by the storm. Epic.

Pre-release version runs very unstable

The most beautiful graphics can't hide poor performance. The PC version available to me runs more poorly than good, even with the latest Day One patch. The frame rate usually fluctuates between 40 and 70 frames per second. I play with maximum details in 4K, but also with an RTX 4090. In between, the frame rate sometimes drops to 20 fps or the game crashes completely. Which has happened to me countless times. In addition, there are audio dropouts or synchronisation errors between sound and image. Another patch shortly before release is supposed to fix these problems. I have not yet been able to test this. I also don't know how the console versions will perform.

Conclusion: (Almost) an all-round successful sequel

"Star Wars: Jedi Survivor" offers nothing that I haven't already seen in other games - or its predecessor. But even a simple recipe tastes good if it's prepared properly. And Respawn Entertainment has definitely succeeded in doing that.

The mixture of fighting, climbing and puzzles ensures a pleasant flow to the game. It never gets boring or feels repetitive. Taking an arm off a mogu, a kind of yeti with horns, for the first time and then facing an even more aggressive opponent is just one of many great moments. The different fighting styles can make the controls a little complicated, but the combat always feels fair.

Figures such as the four-armed Greez provide a certain emotional connection.
Source: Respawn

And the fact that I wasn't bothered by the climbing system or the many large and small puzzles is also remarkable. Thanks to Cal's growing acrobatic skills, there is enough speed in the movement that even the climbing passages feel action-packed. The environmental puzzles are also cleverer than the genre standard.

The story, on the other hand, didn't knock my socks off after 20 hours. On the other hand, Cal and his friends are a likeable bunch who give my space adventures a certain meaning.

"Star Wars: Jedi Survivor" surpasses its already excellent predecessor in every respect. Unfortunately, the current version is still as buggy as "Fallen Order". If the bugs can still be ironed out, you can look forward to an all-round fun action adventure in the "Star Wars" universe.

"Star Wars: Jedi Survivor" is available from 28 April for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series and was provided to me by EA.

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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