BB-8 and D-O in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX
The Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order panel revealed a lot of new information and details about the upcoming game. Here are the biggest takeaways.
On Day 2 of Star Wars Celebration 2019, fans of the Galaxy Far Far Away were given their first look at the upcoming video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Up until this point, not much had been released regarding what the game will entail, except that it would be released “Holiday 2019” and contains a single-player campaign set several years following the execution of Order 66 and would focus on story of a former Jedi Padawan being hunted by the Empire.
Since Disney acquired the Star Wars Franchise, Electronic Arts has been the main developer of Star Wars games, with the two biggest releases being Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II, where were both mainly multiplayer games which each received mixed reviews.
The most common critiques were that the multiplayer format was very repetitive, the inclusion of in-game micro-transactions which heavily affected game play, and the lack of single-player story modes.
At the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order panel, one of the first things that the developers from Respawn Entertainment said was that “this was a story game, there’s no multiplayer, no micro-transactions, this is about being a Jedi”.
The heads of Respawn also make note that while they have been known to be multiplayer based games in the past, they are putting a lot of effort into making this single player game as well, and confirmed that Stig Asmussen, the former God of War 3 director, one of the highest regarded single player games of all time, will be the one over seeing the development of the game.
With regards to the game-play aspect of the game, directors say “combat is key for us,” and they refer to the player’s combat in the game as “thoughtful combat.” He elaborates on this by stating that in the game, the player “really needs to size up (their) enemies, identify and exploit their weaknesses with all the powers that you have.”
After this, they revealed the game trailer to show off what to expect, and since this is a story based game, it was a cinematic trailer to give background about the game’s plot, but it shows off the assets that can be found in the game and that he trailer was rendered with the game’s engine.
The also confirm prior to the trailer reveal that the name of the game’s protagonist is Cal Kestis, who will be played by Cameron Monaghan.
The Three Rules for Survival: Don’t stand out. Accept the past. Trust no one.
The trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, although brief, gives fans a lot of details on what to expect from the upcoming game.
The protagonist Cal, a former Padawan who appears to now be a young man in his 20s, is hiding in plain sight and works as a scraper for the Empire to help take apart decommissioned Star-Destroyers. He hides his abilities to maintain his cover until he is forced to use them to save a co-worker from falling to his death after an accident at work, after which he is discovered in pursued by the Empire.
A few clips of Cal on the run are shown in the trailer, displaying some of his abilities which presumably will be part of the game.
One of the new features shown is the ability to use to force to run alone the walls, as well as use the force to bring objects and platforms closer to him to jump to. Storm Troopers are shown to be in pursuit of and shoot at Cal in these scenes in the trailer, so it is possible that in parts of the game, his goal will be to evade and not to fight them.
Cal is also seen in another clip to be dueling one-on-one with Imperial Inquisitor wielding an Electrostaff, who the developers confirmed was called the “Second Sister Inquisitior,”
Along with her, the developers also introduced the new “Purge-Troopers,” whom are a new melee-focused variant of Stormtroopers dressed in all black armor, who are specifically created to hunt down the surviving Jedi.
From what the trailer implies, the normal Stormtroopers will likely serves as minor infantry men whom will be weaker and easier to defeat, while the Inquisitors will be a more difficult in-game boss battle.
Cal’s force abilities are also displayed in the trailer, as in one scene, the inquisitor knocks away his lightsaber and forces his backwards towards a giant moving fan, however, Cal uses the force to cause it to stop turning.
While one of Cal’s rules for survival is to “trust no one,” he is seen jumping off of the ledge of one of the decommissioned Star-destroyers from earlier in the trailer, towards a ship which a woman is sticking her had out of an opening to help catch him.
This new character is named Ceres, who is a former Jedi Knight who will serve as a mentor figure to the protagonist.
The other companion introduced in the trailer is a droid named BD-1, who is described as “Cal’s best fried” and that he is not Cal’s sidekick, but instead his equal. The game developers also confirmed that BD-1 will have a lot of useful tools to use in-game which can be found and upgraded over the course of the game.
Although Ceres and BD-1 were the only two of Cal’s companions to be featured in the trailer, the developers eluded that there will be more to come.
A shot of Cal inside the ship’s cockpit is then show, with the Second Sister Inquisitor from the previous fight jumping on the front window and appearing to use the force to take over the ship’s flight stick.
The last shot of the trailer is of Cal saying “trust only in the force” as he holds lightsaber with a broken lower half, however, it is still functional as he ignites it in the final clip of the trailer, revealing the blue light blade, which will likely serve as the protagonist’s main weapon of choice throughout the game.
The developer’s went on to state following the trailer that Cal has an “intimate relationship” to the lightsaber, eluding to the idea that it is his former deceased master’s weapon. From the image released of it, it appears to be one half of a double-bladed lightsaber.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Broken Lightsaber Artwork (Graphic: Business Wire)
As both a Star Wars fan and an avid gamer, this game trailer really appealed to me and made be excited for its release.
Firstly, while I enjoy a good multiplayer game, I’m a fan of single-player action adventure games, which is something that has not been released under the Star Wars banner in several years. The last big single player Star Wars game to be released was The Force Unleashed Series, which this new game seems reminiscent of.
The thing that is really apparent in this trailer is that the story of Jedi: Fallen Order is going for a much darker tone than the recent movies or the television shows, which I feel could be a refreshing change of pace for the franchise.
However, one thing I would have liked to have seen more of in the trailer is the combat aspect of the game.
While a good story is an important part of any adventure game, the game-play is an equally important element, if not more so.
One of the biggest issue regarding The Force Unleashed series is that while the story was interesting, the action and combat in the game was lack luster and a bit repetitive, and many of the boss battles were disappointing.
While the last entry into The Force Unleashed series was released in 2010 and the developers have had plenty of time to correct the mistakes of the past and improve game play, the fact that not serious combat sequences were included in the trailer is a bit worrisome.
However, seeing as the God of War 3 director is heading the development of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and I am a fan of that series, I will give the developers the benefit of the doubt.
Another aspect of the game that was not mentioned is if it will include pre-existing characters and locations into the game play.
Seeing as the story is set after The Revenge of the Sith and prior to A New Hope there is plenty of potential to come across character and locations from both the new and old trilogy.
Personally, I think it would be an inclusion for the character to meet master Yoda on a trip to Dagobah or face off against Darth Vader in a boss fight, as Vader was known to be hunting down the remaining Jedi during this period.
I would also be curious to see if Cal was a Padawan at the Jedi Temple during Order 66, and his master sacrificing himself to allow him to escape. I could also be a nice touch to have Darth Vader be the one to kill his old master only for the two of them to face off at the game’s conclusion.
Overall, I am excited for the release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and eagerly wait the release of more information about what to expect from the game.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is due to be released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 15, 2019.