DEVELOPER: EA | PLATFORM: PC (REVIEWED), PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Over a decade ago a new Star Wars game was always just a few months away, though with varying degrees of quality. In recent years they’ve sadly dried up to just the Lego and Battlefront series. Fallen Order looks to put that right, finally bringing the single-player experience fans have been waiting for since the Jedi Knight series.
The game is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, a period in which the Jedi have been hunted out of existence. Or so it’s believed. You play Cal, a worker who’s pretty secretive about his past, and with good reason – because he’s actually a total badass Jedi. The initial pacing of the story is pretty fast. Within about half an hour, the stage of the game is set, and you’re done with the tutorial and ready to roll. The gameplay is similar to Tomb Raider or the Uncharted series – a third-person action-adventure with lots of platforming, combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. Destinations themselves are pretty linear, but there are some open-world elements in terms of unlocking paths to head back and exploring areas for cosmetic loot and XP. The platforming is decent. You can climb the odd bit, wall run here and there, and do plenty of jumping. You’re also able to use your Force powers to slow down objects or bust through walls to assist you.
The environments aren’t quite as destructible as we’d like, but you occasionally get the odd pot to smash up. The game’s combat stands out as the best element. Parry attacks and deflecting lightsaber shots are tricky yet satisfying. At times you feel like a real Jedi, destroying groups of enemies, but lose your concentration and you’re just a few missed parries away from death, even from the simplest of enemies.
As with the recent Battlefront games, the music and sound effects all feel authentic and really help immerse you in the franchise. For Star Wars fans or action-adventure fans, this game is a must and really gives us a new hope for more quality titles for the franchise.
