Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (PS5) Review

A Swashbuckling Tour of Multiple Star Wars Eras

After many years of subpar Star Wars games drip-fed to fans sporadically and pumped full of microtransactions, the release of Respawn’s Jedi: Fallen Order was a miraculous-feeling breath of fresh air for those hoping to step into the far, far away galaxy via video games. Leveraging the combat pacing and input execution of Dark Souls mixed with platforming out of Uncharted and finished with a dash of Metroid, Fallen Order had a lot of reasons to keep Star Wars fans happy though it’s certainly not a perfect game by any stretch. As a follow-up to that successful release, Respawn’s latest iteration continues to pull from several other games as inspiration while opening up the story to include elements from all across Star Wars, including some of the more niche settings. The result is a planet-hopping adventure with lots of exciting set pieces, impressive choreography, high-octane platforming, and generally more of what made Fallen Order so appealing. 

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor follows the rebellious Jedi, Cal Kestis, who has spent his days trying to thwart the Empire at every turn primarily by running dangerous missions for Saw Gerrera. Cal and his found family at the end of Fallen Order appeared to be setting out to see the galaxy but we start this journey after the group has separated, a full five years after the events of the first game. This feels like an odd story choice and I later learned that there is a story immediately after Fallen Order that is in a novel called Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars. It’s almost as if Survivor was supposed to be the third game in a trilogy, rather than a second beat in this story. However, this game does set up things nicely for a final arc for Cal’s character in a third game. 

Survivor is the story of a beaten-down Cal who is constantly overextending, eager to find a definitive way to end the war. When he discovers a mysterious Jedi held in stasis in a bacta tank from the High Republic age and learns of a paradise planet outside of the Empire’s gaze called Tanalorr, Cal realizes that there might be hope to have a safe place to call home and pursues that with everything he has. However, with the Inquisitors still haunting the galaxy, a new threat from a bygone era, and bandits eager to cash in a Jedi’s bounty there are a lot of threats to endure before Cal can hang up his poncho. 

From this point on, I’ll be discussing gameplay elements and characters that many fans will enjoy discovering on their own. I’ll be taking some broad strokes throughout and I’ll avoid talking about the game’s final act but know that fans of this character will absolutely want to see these moments for themselves. I’ll never forget watching my partner discover a new saber in Fallen Order after exploring Dathomir, one of her favorite planets. There are several really cool moments for fans that had us pumped to keep going. 

Have fun! The game is pretty good on PS5 and should only get better with time. 

Anyone familiar with games like Uncharted, which feature big action moments, jumping across buildings, and climbing anything with a handhold will feel right at home in the exploration parts of Survivor. Exploring ruins and traversing the natural landscapes feels like something out of Tomb Raider. Combat still has that Dark Souls-style lock-on system that rewards a well-timed parry but the moment-to-moment slashes feel more like a character action game, especially on the easier settings. In fact, I would say that Jedi: Survivor makes a much better action-adventure game than it does a Soulslike, though one could certainly play a difficulty that treats combat as such. This time around, I found there to be a bit too much going on to play on a harder challenge level but maybe one day I’ll make a run through both games in that fashion.  Inviting further comparisons to other games, coming to a new planet with an opening shot of the Mantis landing and running around in carefully crafted areas reminded me a lot of the Ratchet & Clank games. Lastly, there is a palpable Metroid approach to how levels are structured, especially on the game’s largest planet, Koboh. There’s a lot going on that is fun to acknowledge as someone who plays a lot of types of games but the general structure is in that mass appeal area of design where almost anyone with a basic game literacy can see Cal’s latest outing to the end. 

While there’s still a lot I hope to see improved in a patch or even a third game from Respawn, I’m happy to report that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a really exciting game that I know I’ll play again when in the mood for an interactive Star Wars adventure.   

Anyone fascinated by the texture and world-building of Star Wars will find something to love in Survivor. There are so many fascinating creatures to see and battle. Droids join the fray this time around, scavenged together by a group of bandits called the Bedlam Raiders, which really expands the variety of things out to blast Cal away. There’s a ton of effort put into the lore through tons of written pieces, audio performances, and visuals. There’s a whole section that I barely touched involving a rooftop garden that turns the game into a wholesome farming simulation complete with finding plants across the game and cutting them with the lightsaber to collect them. There’s a DJ droid one can add to the game’s hub area who plays some of the coolest tracks I have heard in a science fiction game since Risk of Rain. 

Speaking of music, the epic orchestral pieces capture the Star Wars spirit exceptionally well and something about it reminded me of classic Batman compositions. Sound design all around is incredible; there are separate hums to the lightsaber colors and some of the blast effects are pure auditorial delight. All of the voice acting is stellar and there are lots of side characters that have great delivery if Cal takes the time to listen to them. 

More than most games I’ve played in a while, I think that Jedi: Survivor can mean different things to different types of players, making it challenging to quantify or make a recommendation that fits even those that vibe with the same types of games I like. See, players can choose to spend more time getting to know characters, going on simple but wonderfully Star Wars endeavors that further root one to the galaxy presented. Koboh quickly becomes a home for Cal and it’s a space that grows more full with more effort, steadily expanding the patrons that visit the local bar. One can even play Holo Tactics after finding the right characters, giving a direct reward for those scanning everything that perks BD-1’s receptors. Star Wars lore fans will have a lot of fun searching up certain creatures or terms, especially when the High Republic stuff seeps through the narrative. Yet, action fans can set the game to a lower difficulty and blast through the game’s acts for a satisfying ending. There are so many ways to play Jedi: Survivor while it retaining the core character of Cal, a hunted Jedi wanting to put an end to suffering by any means. 

Sure, the game may have been more interesting if players could customize their own Jedi similar to what’s used in Mass Effect but Cal is a jumping-off point much like Link in The Legend of Zelda; Cal is a player insert for people to project onto. Thankfully, his character does sharpen throughout Survivor which could lead to a really compelling character arc in another game. 

While the game probably could have used a few more months of polish for a truly favorable release, like most multiplatform AAA games here of late unfortunately, I really enjoyed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for what it is. This is (mostly) an action game that rewards players that push forward, much like how Cal continues to push forward and survive a constant assault from evil. However, those that take the time to really get to know these characters can find a pleasant sense of hospitality full of people who are making the most of their days and keeping on. There are some layers intertwined between the narrative and gameplay that I appreciate, even if it isn’t terribly deep or thought-provoking. The fact of the matter is, Star Wars has always been messy but it works because of the passion of the people that make it and the detail injected into all facets. Survivor is similar in that regard. Aside from technical hangups, this is a step in the right direction for this type of Star Wars game and I deeply hope we get another step that fully develops the characters established. 

I was lucky enough to play Jedi: Survivor in extremely favorable circumstances; I played on PS5 right at launch and I played most of the game alongside my partner who is an overwhelmingly positive fan of everything related to the franchise. A lot of my peers played the game prior to launch in a rough state, especially those who played on PC and even now the PC release is not faring well. Respawn went as far as to issue a public apology, seemingly admitting that much of the issue comes from there being so many different hardware configurations out there. Meanwhile, consoles are relatively the same for all players which is why I tend to favor consoles when it comes to multiplatform titles.  

Performance is something that I worried would once again hamper my enjoyment as I ran into so many issues during the launch of Fallen Order that I stopped playing. In the opening level at the first sight of a Tie-Fighter, the game crashed consistently. Even recently, I found the PS5 version of Fallen Order to still have plenty of weird issues, such as those same crashes and characters popping in during cutscenes as if they were dropped from six inches above their initial position. While there still is some of that same odd pop-in in Survivor –exacerbated any time I swapped Cal Kestis’ costume with anything with loose fabric– and frame rate issues it was my partner’s excitement, the game’s improved structure, and a story with characters who were far more interesting with an overarching goal I was eager to see to the end. 

Where Survivor makes the largest improvement over the previous game is that it immediately promises a lot of upgrades and cosmetics. Rather than getting a slightly different colored poncho, Cal can now change his facial hair or wear various costumes with clever visual nods to other series and characters. Customizing one’s lightsaber continues to be a fascinating distraction though I was far more compelled by unlocking the various moves of the new stances. Cal can now use two stances at a time with a total of five saber styles to utilize. The two new ways to fight are exceptionally cool and led to some of my favorite character moments. 

New to Survivor are the Crossguard style and the Blaster and Blade style, both with unique changes to the pacing of combat. Crossguard might as well be the greatsword of the game with powerful, deliberate swings and momentum-based redirections. The timing is hard to master and I found it to be a little clunky compared to the well-rounded double staff but a two-handed blade in this fashion is just downright cool. The other style, Blaster and Blade, adds an unlikely weapon for Jedi, a gun. There’s a moment where Cal mulls over what it means for him to use a blaster and it’s a fascinating character moment. His determination to end the Empire goes far beyond his commitment to the Jedi way, which eventually leads to one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in Star Wars since Kylo Ren’s tantrum scared away troopers. Cal storms an Empire base and finally reaches the commander who pompously tells Cal that he knows that Jedi don’t kill their enemies; shortly after saying this, the commander finds a blaster barrel in his face. Hilarious. 

These types of character interactions are what makes Cal fun as specifically a video game character. He’s not terribly interesting from a pure story standpoint but he keeps things moving and the motivation is clear. Cal’s an edgy young man who’s fairly hard to describe because he’s plain when compared to a galaxy of aliens and people from so many different cultures. That said, it’s always cool to see a red-haired hero in a big franchise, something I would have really loved seeing as a kid. Where Cal works best is when he’s surrounded by others and as the story goes on more of his crew return to the Mantis and join his cause. Merrin, a Dathomirian witch who had a noticeable but subtle chemistry with Cal in Fallen Order, is by far the most fun supporting cast member to be around. Every instance Merrin joins the mission is a good time and her connection with Cal is endearing. There’s also a warm feeling that stirs when we see the grumpy pilot Greez establishing Pyloon’s Saloon, a cantina full of ragtag spirits that becomes a home base that is enriched through Cal’s adventures. 

Players who spend the extra time to go on side missions, cut down various plants for the rooftop garden, and take their time looking over every nook and cranny will find plenty of new costumes and optional duels. One character, in particular, had that “outlaw in a dark corner” look that so many stories have expertly used to create an addictive mystery and we eventually helped them track down bounties which led to a lot of fun twists on enemy types. Some rewards can still feel small but overall the mix of rewards being given, perks unlocked, and challenges found, was a good balance that kept me and my partner playing through the entire weekend and well into the following week to see what we missed. After finishing the final battle, we returned to Koboh to find that there only 50% of the map discovered and several items missing on our checklist which has led to several hunts through the galaxy for goodies but mostly we’ve enjoyed just being in this world hanging out in an authentic Star Wars experience.   

What strikes me most about playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is that it felt different than my usual review process. I was able to cast aside much of my analytical, often solitary approach to games and spend a full weekend completely engrossed in this world with someone dear to me. Sharing games with others is something I’ve always loved but she was able to share her love of Star Wars in return, creating this wonderful bridge of interests. We felt like spare-faring swashbucklers out to make the Empire’s days worse on a mission to brighten the lives of ourselves and our friends and it was awesome. I’ll probably give Fallen Order another chance because of how much she loved it and how much fun we had with Survivor. This may not be my absolute favorite Star Wars video game and I still hope to see something truly unique in this medium using this setting but this is one of the best Star Wars moments I’ve been able to share and that’s what really makes storytelling in settings like this so important. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

VISUALS - 7.5/10

SOUND - 9.5/10

CONTROLS - 8/10

REPLAY VALUE - 8/10

OVERALL - 8.2/10

Learn more about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on the official website. A digital PS5 copy was provided for the purpose of review. Screenshots were captured using native features of the PS5. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Game Store, and the EA app with EA PlayPro service support.