Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4 Review) – A Welcome Return To Form

Review: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4) by Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts (8/10)

Back in the hopeful year of 2013, Disney signed a deal with Electronic Arts (EA) to develop all foreseeable video game instalments in the Star Wars franchise. And it’s no controversy to state that this has been a largely failed venture. That is, up until now…

With the long-awaited return of the single-player experience, it is no surprise that recent reports have indicated that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has not only met but exceeded targets in a landslide display of fan demand. With largely multiplayer-focused prior releases in the controversial Battlefront series, it seemed the days of exceptional solo titles, such as The Force Unleashed and KOTOR, were nothing more than distant relics of the past. Thankfully, Fallen Order has demonstrated where the strength of the Star Wars brand truly lies: that is, in the power of a compelling narrative and Force-powered escapades.

Credit: Respawn Entertainment, EA

Story

Harkening back to the dark era of Revenge Of The Sith, which resulted in a near-total purge of the Jedi Order (hence the rather bleak title), Fallen Order focuses on a Padawan survivor by the name of Cal Kestis. Hiding out on the unassuming planet of Bracca as a humble scrapper, in true Jedi fashion Cal is brought back into the heart of the fight against the Empire by selflessly using the Force to save his friend.

Without any spoilers, the narrative arc of Fallen Order defied any and all expectations I had going into this game, with a roster of relatable characters and genuine displays of ambiguous morality. As likable as Cal is, largely in part to an exceptional performance on behalf of actor Cameron Monaghan, even he begins to question the nature of his noble quest as the plot progresses.

I won’t ruin any surprises, but know that this planet-hopping adventure has a lot to give for seasoned and casual fans of the Star Wars brand alike, with the return of many iconic elements of Star Wars lore.

Cal's journey is a classic example of Star Wars done right — Credit: Respawn Entertainment, EA

Gameplay

From the onset of my playtime, what is immediately unmistakable is its influences from games such as Dark Souls and sister title Bloodborne. There is a noticeable learning curve at the very beginning, with myself admittedly suffering a laughable amount of avoidable deaths due to my own early-game incompetence. But this never felt unfair, with each enemy being easily overcome through a little bit of practice and patience. Don’t think you can button mash your way to success here; this a new type of Star Wars for a generation of gamers used to the satisfyingly hair-pulling exploits of Dark Souls. But know that perseverance yields an immersive adventure into an engrossing era in Star Wars lore. And it’s not marred by a myriad of unwanted microtransactions, so that’s always a positive in my books.

While I have mostly praise for the seamless integration of mechanics from other successful games, I will note that the combat can sometimes feel overly simplistic and repetitive, not unlike its inspiratory counterparts. For the comparatively short span of the game, this did not impede my enjoyment at any point, but that doesn’t blind me from noticing the potential limitations should you wish to go back and replay it. With the lack of a New Game Plus feature, you may be disappointed to find that your character progress is not carried over. That means all abilities and unlockables are again out of reach. If, like me, you are content to leave it be for a while once finishing, this is by no means a game breaker. But for those who immediately go in for round two, you might want to prepare yourself for this minor disappointment in an otherwise exceptional game.

The long-awaited return of lightsaber and Force combat — Credit: Respawn Entertainment, EA

Presentation

As you would expect, Fallen Order brings all the nostalgia of the original trilogy, with the use of classic sound effects and visual design. However, Respawn Entertainment make their own stamp on this known world with a familiar yet original soundtrack and a variety of creative enemy designs that you will encounter as you press further on into the game.

Graphical fidelity is by all accounts incredible, pushing the hardware of the PS4 to its limits while suffering no noticeable framerate issues or other technical problems. Across my reasonably paced playtime, there were no obvious bugs or stability issues that I could point to. Given EA’s track record, this is a remarkable but welcome sight.

Fallen Order boasts an impressive array of explorable planets — Credit: Respawn Entertainment, EA

Final Thoughts

Fallen Order provides a much-needed improvement over recent Star Wars entries, and I would love to see a continuation of both this franchise in a direct sequel and an exploration into other single-player titles. It will be interesting to see what lessons EA take from this success. Hopefully they continue down this path for the near future and beyond.

The game is not without its flaws, but it kept me hooked and wanting to keep pushing onwards. With the inevitable development of a follow up, Respawn Entertainment have the chance to expand upon these elements and add more depth to remove any potential repetitiveness. Keep this up and faith may once again be restored in a franchise all too used to divisive reception.