Star Wars Jedi: Survivorhas finally been revealed in a cinematic teaser following its official announcement, and it has already raised many questions with regard to its narrative and the fate ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s primary characters. Protagonist Cal Kestis returns amidst rumors of multiple playable characters, and his lightsaber clashes with a mysterious figurewielding a red-colored lightsaber in theStar Wars Jedi: Survivortrailer.
Since its teaser reveal, an interview with game director Stig Asmussen was shared in a press release from EA and Respawn that offers a bit more information for what players can expect fromStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Included in this press release, Asmussen was quoted saying that the sequel aims to “create more dynamic Jedi combat” and “expand on the series’ dynamic combat,” and there are already hints atwhat this could mean forStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s gameplay.
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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Combat is Already Fairly Dynamic
There are few ways thatStar Wars Jedi: Survivorcan improve uponhow dynamicStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s combat is, at least in terms of how well-equipped players are in the original game’s third act. Many action-adventure sequels tend to start players off with at least a few of the late-game mechanics that their protagonist characters have, since that continues the character’s development and does not make players feel as if they are needlessly starting from scratch again.
If this is the case withStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, players may start the game with the option to choose between single-bladed, double-bladed, and dual lightsaber modifications.Star Wars Jedi: Survivorwill need to either make startling changes to Cal’s already impressive inventory of lightsaber modifications and Force abilities, or invite completely new armaments and maneuvers to his repertoire.
Force abilities seem to already be tapped inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, with Slow, Wall-Run, Pull, Push, and Double-Jump available throughout Cal’s gradual reclamation to the Force. One elementary fan theory suggests Cal could tap into the dark side of the Force in order to extend his list of Force abilities. This would need to make sense narratively, such as if Cal does head toward the dark side in a last effort to survive some tragic fate, as the game’s subtitle suggests.
Cal does have a unique Force ability called Psychometry that is used narratively and to interact withForce Echo collectibles inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It is possible that Psychometry could be used to expand upon the amount of armaments or other tools that Cal could use inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
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Cal Will Lose His Lightsaber at Some Point in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
On the officialStar Warswebsite, where the press release interview with Asmussen was shared, there are spliced screenshots from the cinematic reveal teaser that actually reveal Wars Jedi: Survivorthan fans may realize. They are vague still, but the screenshots are described in simple one-sentence blurbs that offer implicit meaning to them. For example, the final shot of the teaser is screen-capped and described as “Cal and BD-1 uncover a mystery,” which obviously unveils little from what fans may already be speculating.
However, a close-up shot ofCal’s iconic lightsaber fromStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis also used on the website. This screenshot appears in the teaser as it is passed off in a case, implying that Cal is defeated and his lightsaber gifted to someone as a token of his defeat. The blurb beneath the screenshot reads “Cal’s lightsaber falls into enemy hands,” implying that it is at least found, if not taken from Cal, and that Cal will ultimately be left without it for an undetermined period of time inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
The teaser makes it look like the Imperial senator on Coruscant receives the lightsaber, which may be what was requested in their “dangerous deal” described in another screenshot blurb from the website. The senator looks to be the character narrating the teaser as well, andmay have a direct effect on Cal and his friends aboard the Stinger Mantis.
It is currently unknown ifStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s cinematic teaserrepresents identical cutscenes from the game or if some of these particular shots are only being used for the reveal’s atmosphere, but it is safe to assume for now that Cal’s lightsaber ends up with the Imperial senator in Coruscant. If this has any significant impact on gameplay, it is also fair to assume that players will have to endure for a time without Cal’s lightsaber.
This would undoubtedly make combat more dynamic as other means would need to be considered. Of course, Cal losing his lightsaber could make way for a new one instead, but this gap where players do not have a lightsaber could make for some interesting gameplay in the meantime before he retrieves either his old one or a new one.
Cal May Wield a Blaster Pistol in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s combatmay be more “dynamic” due to one particular weapon addition to Cal’s arsenal that has not been officially announced, but has likely been revealed already in the cinematic trailer. In the final shot of the trailer, where Cal and BD-1 stand before a bacta tank and the mysterious individual within, there may be a weapon that Cal will brandish. If fans look closely at Cal’s person, they may see what looks like the obscured hilt of a lightsaber on his right hip, where his right hand is. Surprisingly, on Cal’s left leg is what looks like a holstered blaster pistol.
Shooter-combat would not be out of Respawn’s wheelhouse at all, and would also suit the atmosphere ofStar Wars. It would be interesting to see how exchanging blaster fire could feel in tandem with lightsaber strikes, or how blasters could be implemented when Cal no longer has a lightsaber to ignite and depend on.
Because it looks like a blaster pistol is on his leg, it may be expected that shooter-combat will make the gameplay more dynamic as a result. Of course, it could end up not being part of the combat inStar Wars Jedi: Survivorat all, or it may not end up being a blaster pistol on his leg after all.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorreleases on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in 2023.
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