Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review roundup: Critics mostly impressed

After an embargo, various outlets published their Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order reviews on release night. Reviews are mostly positive while pointing out some flaws.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order released late on Thursday night, and so did reviews of the game from major gaming outlets. Reviews were embargoed from early publication to avoid spoilers getting out about the new Star Wars single-player experience. This caused some worry in fans who wouldn’t get a read on the game before purchasing. Some critical of the decision said spoilers were an excuse for publisher EA to avoid criticism from reviews ahead of the game’s release.

Now that the game is out and reviews are too, those that were worried should ease up, because reviews are very positive about the Respawn-developed game.

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Dan Stapleton of IGN gave the game a 9/10, praising the exploration and combat: “A strong cast sells a dark story while keeping things fun and loyal to Star Wars lore, and fast, challenging combat mixes with energetic platforming, decent puzzles, and diverse locations to explore for an all-around amazing game.”

Phil Hornshaw of GameSpot rated Fallen Order 8/10; he loved the intricate maps and well-acted characters, but questioned the mechanics of the ever-important parry move in boss fights.

Andrew Reiner of Game Informer also called some of the game’s mechanics into question, but said the excitement of the Jedi experience makes up for it, eventually landing on an 8.75/10 rating: “Like most starships in this universe, Jedi: Fallen Order could use a little polish, but the rust doesn’t hold it back from roaring with excitement.”

Ben Kuchera of Polygon said the game was an unexpected Star Wars experience that left him wanting more, despite it being a “sometimes messy game.”

Andrew Webster of The Verge notes that the game feels like mash-up of others — Tomb Raider, God of War, Uncharted — and the end result is a solid Star Wars game, something that has lacked in the world recently.

Overall, reviewers seem to be impressed, and even a little surprised, that a quality single-player Star Wars game exists again. Some are downright giddy about the Jedi experience. Although, several are let down a bit by the gameplay mechanics, which is something I can speak to as well. I also found that the timing of certain moves, like the parry, is sometimes hard to pin down. And even if you pull off a successful parry, it can lead you right into an unblockable attack by the next enemy if you’re facing a group.

The issue of frame rate drops or texture issues was also brought up by IGN, Game Informer, and Polygon. I noticed this in my first playthrough as well. Busy areas needed a couple of seconds to fully load, slowing down the beautiful-looking and smooth game into a choppy and ugly sight. It happens enough to interrupt you and frustrate; I’m now to the point where I just try to look past it and hope a patch comes, because many of the game’s other aspects are downright enjoyable.

Now with Jedi: Fallen Order reviews out, and them providing more insight into the game, those that were on the fence have ample perspectives to make a decision. The game currently sports a solid 84 critic rating on Metacritic.

The overall positive sentiments about the game should be enough to push even the most casual of Star Wars and gaming fans into experiencing Fallen Order for themselves.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is out now.