Building a Better Lightsaber – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Sees Respawn Improving Every Aspect of the Original

Recenty, I had the chance to spend three hours with my upcoming. Star Wars Jedi: The Survivor — the much-anticipated sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — before its upcoming release date of April 28, 2023, for Xbox Series X|S.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the game, there were still some flaws. Its map design could be confusing (with no fast travel), combat difficulty felt inconsistent, and the reward factor for going off the beaten path would very often reward you with… a different colored poncho (yay?). These aren’t just my opinions – the developers at Respawn clearly felt the same, and Star Wars Jedi: The SurvivorStig Asmussen was very open with me regarding some of these shortcomings. It turned out that many of the issues fans were seeking, as well as some of my criticisms of it, were things Respawn should have included from the beginning. Developers are working to make every one better this time.

“When you’re making a game, you really don’t know exactly what it is until it goes out into the wild,” explains Asmussen. “You can do as much focus testing as you want, but once millions of people are playing, it becomes a different story. It validates a lot of the things you thought, but it also confirms things and wondering that this was something we could brush up — one of those things was fast travel.”

Stig explained to me that the team had initially fought against features like this, wanting to stay true (to a fault) to the “Metroidvania” gameplay design it aimed for – seeing you return to previously explored areas, unlock new paths with new abilities, and make progress across multiple areas rather than follow a single path through the game. This was where the problem lay. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order just wasn’t really designed around fast travel or built to have that type of feature in-place. However, Respawn started to look at its sequel and received fan feedback. A fast travel feature was discussed on the first day. You’ll be happy to know that moving through Jedi: Survivor’s levels feels far more intuitive, and rewarding as a result.

“You can do as much focus testing as you want, but once millions of people are playing, it becomes a different story.”

Another of the cornerstones from the original game that the team is expanding upon heavily is what the definition of a “hub world” is. It was limited to Mantis, the Starship. Talking to crew members, looking at your collections, and interfacing with objects were all possible. Which is fine – it fit nicely within the narrower narrative scope of the original. These hub worlds now have a substantial expansion as it is a part of a larger story.

In the portion of the game I played, Cal has taken up residence in Rambler’s Ranch, a small town located on the planet Koboh. Cal, who was one of the last Jedi surviving, has taken the responsibility to improve the town. This starts to give the upcoming game a veneer of a space western, building upon narratives that we’ve seen in Star Wars television shows like “The Book of Boba Fett” — Cal has, essentially, become a small-town sheriff who aims to clean up this small town and rid the area of those dang bandits. Drop that on top of the rich Star Wars universe and you’ve got something that just feels much more tangible and immersive to play around in. Oh, and you can also collect seeds, set a plot, and grow a garden in the middle of town (not kidding) — this now feels more like living Cal’s life than reliving a single story within it.

One of the highlights of the first game was the small cast of characters who joined Cal, and Rambler’s Ranch offers even more of that feeling – this town is full of locals who add color to the game world. There’s Mosey Cimmaron, who runs the town stables; Ashe Javi & DD-EC, a pair of DJs who play music at the local Cantina; MXNK-6, a fast-talking and humorous droid bartender; and Dom Dendra, the de facto mayor of Rambler’s Ranch who can sell you cosmetics.

This is why the second game was so important. It was a great way to continue what felt like an afterthought.

“Really, [customization] was kind of an afterthought in the first game, and it came in really late in development,” says Asmussun. “The first time we got the whole game together, we were playing it… but I’m not really getting rewarded. Skins were available for BD-1 and Mantis. But those weren’t skins. People saw right through it. The one we discussed, I believe, we did get right was lightsaber customization. People responded well to this. So that’s what we’re going to do — we gave all the customization features ‘the lightsaber treatment.’”

We can not only swap colors but we are able to swap them as well. Parts on BD-1, or to fully customize Cal’s facial features and hair, and a variety of unique-looking costumes. Practically everything has been given new options to make your take on Cal’s adventure feel personal. Of course, the lightsaber customization remains, which continues to look like a Star Wars fan’s dream to tinker with endlessly by swapping parts in and out as the mood suits.

“We gave all the customization features ‘the lightsaber treatment.’”

Asmussun says that finding your way around this new world is now easier. A revised map was developed based on feedback received from the players. While you shouldn’t expect this to be an open world – these are still crafter levels with choices and exploration built in – getting around them should be far smoother and more open to interpretation.

“There’s huge improvements in terms of clarity and of being able to add markers,” explains Asmussun. “BD-1 has binoculars now as well that allows you to scan the environment and drop beacon points. There’s just a lot more legibility in general regarding where you need to go next. Lots of lessons learned here and areas we wanted to improve upon.”

Respawn acknowledged that the original game’s strengths were still being recognized, despite all the improvements. Respawn was not going to change them, or make them new. They would improve them and refine them. One of these pillars is Fallen Order’s excellent combat system, which offered an unexpectedly Soulslike spin on lightsaber combat and Force abilities. This is the same system, with numerous new ideas added to it.

“One of the things we were not able to complete for the first game was Dual Wield,” explains Asmussen. “We had that as a late-game pick-up in Jedi: Fallen OrderIt was something we had hoped to be able to do as a complete stance. But we ran out time and so this became a special version. There was much more. Within six weeks, it was almost ready to go. Jedi Survivor.”

Cal seems to not have lost any of his abilities from the first adventure, and actually has a better grasp of Force and lightsaber capabilities.

It is easy to see, even as a casual fan, how fluid combat feels. It’s hard to pinpoint This is exactly what’s improved, other than everything feels significantly more responsive. Part of that, I imagine, is tied to the story — when we meet Cal in the upcoming game, it’s been some five years since the previous adventure, giving him plenty of time to brush up on his skillset. Also, there doesn’t appear to be any forced moments where you must Learn from your mistakes – Cal appears to have lost none of his talents from the original adventure and in fact has a much clearer grasp on his Force and lightsaber abilities. But that’s not to suggest there aren’t fresh combat tricks for players to learn. New this time will be the five “stances” that each have their own strengths to utilize to counteract with the variety of enemy types in the game.

These are Single, which is your standard lightsaber stance, a balance for offense and defense; Double-bladed, which is great to use for crowd control; Dual Wield, where Cal’s lightsaber splits into two, which is ideal for more aggressive playstyle; Crossguard, which is a powerful, deliberate stance that has Cal dealing massive damage (at the cost of long wind-up times); and Blaster, which has Cal dealing with long-range foes with… well… a blaster.

“It’s easily the biggest improvement [to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor], in that you can now carry five stances and they each have a unique personality,” details Asmussen. “There’s a kind of synergy that we have the way that we’re constructing the enemies in the game that some stances might be able to reveal exploits faster against some enemies than another one. But to be clear, you can take down any enemy with any stance.”

The challenge for Respawn is finding ways to balance what is essentially a “one-hit-kill” weapon like a lightsaber and continue to make it feel fun, especially now that Cal is so well-versed in both his growing abilities as a Jedi and as a master wielder of the weapon of a more civilized age.

“Oh, there’s also dismemberment in this game,” Asmussen underscores with a bit of a smile.

“We introduce a variety of different ways that enemies can block a lightsaber, and something we work with Lucasfilm on is what kind of technology can we bring to the combatants who are basically loaded up to take on a Jedi,” explains Asmussen. “What kind of Star Wars tech can we give to them? Whether it’s shields or electrified devices that can block a lightsaber. Many enemies can be defeated in one hit. You just have to locate the exit. Most of them aren’t though.

“That’s always the challenge. What can we do to contextually provide the tools necessary for a lightsaber block, but still allow them to be part of the story? It’s something we’re always trying to make sure we’re underscoring. Oh, there’s also dismemberment in this game,” Asmussen underscores with a bit of a smile. “Fans have been asking for that and we got the green light from Lucasfilm.”

Many adjustments have been made to make it feel even more powerful. Force Push and Pull are still tied naturally to the controller’s Right and Left triggers respectively from the start, allowing you jump in right away and play with a myriad of new combat features that weave together powerful Force powers and cinematic-like lightsaber combat. Think of it as a combat sandbox: If you think you can Force Pull a Stormtrooper, hold him in the air while you ram your lightsaber through him, or parry blaster fire back on a variety of enemies while dashing back and forth, or manipulate them to attack their own colleagues… you can.

Presenting this in action during our event, one member from the team’s combat team took the controller and showcased the level of hurt one can unleash on enemies in the game once you become in tune with all of Cal’s abilities. He demonstrated how to approach enemies and kill them with the saber or using Force power (end-level force powers that allow you to group enemies, slow down the time and fire off a blaster of bullets), and we were able watch him move through the five stances.

Everything we’ve seen so far promises a bigger, better, more customizable adventure with Cal Kestis and BD-1

Everything we’ve seen so far promises a bigger, better, more customizable adventure with Cal Kestis and BD-1: responsive combat, engaging characters, and an ancient mystery that is just waiting to be solved. We can’t reveal too much more about the latter, as that would be delving into some spoiler territory, but we did get enough of a tease that once these credits roll, our mouths are going to be on the floor.

Thankfully we don’t have long to wait to dive in, as Star Wars Jedi: The Survivor Just a few weeks away, Xbox Series X|S. If you’ve yet to experience the original game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it’s available to play now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Game Pass.

STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ Standard Edition

Electronic Arts

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$69.99

$62.99

Pre-order* STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ Standard Edition to outfit Cal with the Obi-Wan Kenobi™ inspired “Jedi Survival” Cosmetic Pack:

• The “Hermit” Cosmetic
• The “Hermit” Lightsaber Set
• The “Combustion” Blaster Set

The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. This narratively-driven, single player title picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order™ and follows Cal’s increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness. Cal will soon find himself at the borders of the galaxy, being held back by the Empire.

• Continue Cal’s Journey – No longer a Padawan, Cal has come into his own and grown into a powerful Jedi Knight. The Dark Times are closing in – with enemies new and familiar surrounding him, Cal will need to decide how far he’s willing to go to save those closest to him.

• Go Beyond Your Training – The cinematic combat system returns with additional Force abilities and new lightsaber fighting styles. Use all the abilities and weapons you have to be creative to take on a wider range of foes. You will need to assess your strengths and weaknesses and then use your training and your skills to conquer your enemies and unravel any mysteries.

• Explore an Untamed Galaxy – Discover new planets and familiar frontiers in the Star Wars galaxy, each with unique biomes, challenges, and enemies. Learn new skills and equipment that can enhance your exploration, fighting, and wandering. Players who explore the world beyond what is obvious will reap the rewards of exploring new areas and discovering more off the beaten track.

*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/jedi/jedi-survivor/disclaimers for details.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo and STAR WARS are trademarks or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd. in the United States. © & TM 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ Deluxe Edition

Electronic Arts

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$89.99

$80.99

Unlock exclusive cosmetic items inspired by Han Solo™ and Luke Skywalker™, as seen in STAR WARS: A New Hope, with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Deluxe Edition*.

• The “Galactic Hero” Cosmetic Pack
‎ – The “Scoundrel” Cosmetic
‎ – The “Rugged” BD-1 Cosmetic
‎ – The “DL-44” Blaster Set

• The “New Hero” Cosmetic Pack
‎ – The “Rebel Hero” Cosmetic
‎ – The “BD-Astro” BD-1 Cosmetic
‎ – The “Rebel Hero” Lightsaber Set

Plus also receive the Obi-Wan Kenobi™ inspired “Jedi Survival” Cosmetic Pack*:
• The “Hermit” Cosmetic
• The “Hermit” Lightsaber Set
• The “Combustion” Blaster Set

The story of Cal Kestis continues in STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™, a galaxy-spanning third-person action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games. This narratively driven single-player adventure continues five years after the events of STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ and follows Cal’s increasingly desperate fight to protect the galaxy from descending into darkness.

• Continue Cal’s Journey – No longer a Padawan, Cal has come into his own and grown into a powerful Jedi Knight. The Dark Times are closing in – with enemies new and familiar surrounding him, Cal will need to decide how far he’s willing to go to save those closest to him.
• Go Beyond Your Training – The cinematic combat system from Jedi: Fallen Order returns with additional Force abilities and new lightsaber fighting styles. Combining all of these weapons and abilities will allow you to discover your unique style and beat new enemies.
• Explore an Untamed Galaxy – Discover new planets and revisit familiar frontiers in the Star Wars galaxy, each with unique biomes, challenges, and enemies. You will be able to use new equipment and skills that will help you travel, fight, and explore more effectively.

*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/jedi/jedi-survivor/disclaimers for details.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo and STAR WARS are trademarks or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd. in the United States. © & TM 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.