With the release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in 2019, Respawn Entertainment cemented itself as one of the best developers in the industry. The studio behind Apex Legends and Titanfall gave fans one of the best Star Wars games to date, even if there was some criticism of the story and technical issues. Now the sequel has players eagerly anticipating returning as Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
The Koalaty Critics generally agree that Survivor is an improvement on the previous entry with a far more interesting story and numerous new additions and improvements like different lightsaber stances for combat and increased customization options making for a more enjoyable experience. It is worth noting that many of these reviews mention technical issues the critics experienced during their time with the game, many of which Respawn hope to fix with a Day 1 patch.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on April 28, 2023.
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
KOALATY CRITICS — AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Checkpoint Gaming — 9/10 (Omi Koulas)
What’s refreshing about progression is there are no assigned numbers to lightsaber stances, no incremental health upgrades, and no percentages for damage boosts. Rather, the skill tree is designed to enhance Cal’s powers, eliminating the unnecessary over-reliance on RPG elements that have plagued many narrative-driven games of late. Jedi: Survivor instead focuses on the exponential discovery of power, delivering an experience that prioritises fun over calculations.
Explosion Network — 9/10 (Dylan Blight)
Respawn has turned me around a complete 180 from not caring whether we had more Cal Kestis stories to wanting to meditate on the spot until the next chapter is released, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for the crew of The Mantis.
Game On AUS — No Score (Mikeey Barrow)
I had such a great time in my 30 or so hours spent in Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. The story was well-paced, allowing you to go at your own speed and investigate the planets as you travelled across them. Obviously, some skills need to be upgraded to complete some areas but in terms of gameplay, story, plot twists and overall Star Wars lore, this game has it all. The combat system took an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach all along giving the sense that this is definitely going to be a trilogy story.
GamesHub — 4/5 (Leah J. Williams)
Balancing the identity of Fallen Order – which was maligned at the time for the blandness of its exploration and its over-reliance on puzzling – with a new, more emotionally-charged and narratively complex story was clearly a challenge. And occasionally, the bones of its predecessor shine through Jedi: Survivor in an awkward and revealing way. Yet despite its middling hump, this sequel represents an overall success in this tip-toeing act.
Maxi-Geek — 9/10 (Luke Henderson)
Star Wars Jedi Survivor is a great game, is it perfect, no it isn’t. The gameplay on offer is a very welcome refinement of the original game and has an Assassin’s Creed 2 glow-up feeling about it. A number of technical issues do mar the experience and while combat is fun and challenging, it might be to much for some players.
MKAU Gaming — 9/10 (Yasmin Noble)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor breaks away from the first game, which was linear and relatively restrictive in progression. Being more proficient in skills reduces linear pathways and is a huge leap forward in immersion. I see myself spending a lot more time taking in all Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has to offer. The force is strong with this one. If you want a true Star Wars experience as a Jedi, this is it.
Player2 — A- (Paul James)
If you’re going into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor looking for a further reinvention of what Star Wars or even action-adventure games can be, then you’ll feel a twang of disappointment that will seconds later evaporate as you find yourself swept up in a vibrant world of science fiction fuelled magic. The action is enthralling, the plot riveting and surprises with its numerous twists in the tail.
PowerUp Gaming — 7/10 (Leo Stevenson)
Jedi: Survivor, in spite of everything I’ve written here, isn’t a bad game. It’s just ok and it’s suffering an identity crisis but it’s still quite playable and entertaining. Hampered by some baffling design decisions, Jedi: Survivor doesn’t know what kind of game it wants to be nor what kind of game it is. Part action-adventure, part Soulsborne-lite, part Metroidvania, it simply doesn’t commit to any one thing and as such doesn’t excel at any.
Press Start — 9/10 (James Wood)
It’s a game that dances, gleefully, in the tonal dissonance of its Star Wars building blocks. Colliding power fantasy mechanics, high-concept sci-fi and nuanced, character-driven writing, the end result occasionally stumbles trying to hold it all together but ultimately emerges a roaring success of genre melding. Jedi: Survivor is a monument to the best of Star Wars.
Stevivor — 9.5/10 (Alex Deutrom)
While general gameplay is very similar to Fallen Order, it feels quicker and more polished this time around. Cal’s movement speed feels roughly 20% faster than how he moved in Fallen Order, and it’s needed — Survivor is now more of an open-world affair, full of side-missions for those who like to stray from the beaten path. Exploration featured in Fallen Order, but here in Survivor most planets are completely open, allowing Cal to survey either on foot, or on a mount. With that, there are hundreds of collectables to find, challenges, hidden temples to the point where Star Wars Jedi: Survivor feels like Breath of the Wild.
WellPlayed — 9/10 (Adam Ryan)
Respawn could’ve easily pushed out a safe sequel that retreads the same familiar ground, with some bells and whistles attached to put a smile on hardcore fans’ faces. Instead, the team has taken all of the promising aspects from Fallen Order and improved upon every one of them to provide a truly incredible action-adventure title in the galaxy far, far away.
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