One of the biggest releases of the year, Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivorhas continued the long legacy of popular video games taking place in a galaxy far, far away. Building on the third-person action-adventure formula that was established back inFallen Order,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorhas cemented Respawn’s titles as a proper series in its own right. In true franchise fashion, an upcoming follow-up is expected to complete the trilogy, but this approach also comes with missed potential for theStar Wars Jedigames.
WithFallen Orderfollowing the events of the Great Jedi Purge and the rise of the Galactic Empire, storytelling has been at the heart of Cal Kestis’ journey from the beginning. Despite the series’ heavy focus on its narrative, however,Star Wars Jedihas often been called a “soulslike” game in the vein of FromSoftware’s infamously hardcore RPGs. While it may not reach the heights of difficultysoulslike gamesare known for, the continued borrowing of their mechanics in the recentJedi: Survivorhas caused some to want even more.
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Cal Kestis' Story Came First for Star Wars Jedi
Ready for the final part of its trilogy,Star Wars: Jedihas gone out of its way to flesh out Cal as a protagonist and tell his story of his growth into a Jedi Knight during a time of strife for the surviving force sensitives of the galaxy. Emotionally compelling tales of loss and victory alike,Cal Kestis’ experienceswith supporting characters like Cere and Bode have only been possible through the series’ decision to center on a singular character’s development.
Between its soul-inspired gameplay design and heavy focus on story, theJediseries has even been compared to FromSoft’s uniqueSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. While it shares many strengths withSekiro, theJediseries takes its set protagonist to a further degree. Centered on Cal throughout multiple games, Respawn’s titles set themselves apart through a commitment to clear storytelling not seen elsewhere in Soulslikes. It may tap into some of the genre’s most fun aspects while being more accessible and story-driven, butStar Wars: Jedicould also have benefited from going in the opposite direction.
The True Potential of a Star Wars Soulslike
Cal Kestis' adventures may offer similar core gameplay elements to what FromSoft fans have come to love, but a complete exploration of soulslike elements could have made for a truly groundbreaking experience. With the genre’s titles typically featuring custom character creation and an open-ended approach to progression, a concept like allowing players to enter into part of theStar Warsgalaxy on their own terms has the potential to match the prestige of an RPG likeKnights of the Old Republic. In a franchise that has been built upon traditional storytelling, the discovery-based approach to lore seen in titles likeElden Ringcould presentStar Warsin a whole new light.
Whether the series' soulslike aspects become more emphasized or not in the next game, Cal’s story is almost sure to come to an end in traditionalStar Warsfashion with theStar Wars JediThreequel. The end ofStar Wars Jedias a whole could be coming with the next title, but the financial success of the series also casts doubt over that prospect. He’ll likely always be connected to the series now that he’s become so recognizable as its face, but there’s always still potential for Cal to pass the torch in a major way one day.
Star Wars Jedi Survivoris out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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