Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), taking place five years after the events of the previous game, and continues the adventure of young Jedi Knight Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) as he and his friends struggle to survive the tyranny of the Galactic Empire while racing against a corrupted High Republic Jedi to reach a shrouded planet that can serve as a safe haven for those oppressed by the Empire. As with its predecessor, Survivors structure was inspired by Metroidvania games, with gameplay split between combating hostile enemies using Cal's lightsaber and Force powers, platforming, and puzzle-solving.
Development of the game began in late 2019 and lasted for three and a half years, with Stig Asmussen returning as the game's director. It was the last game released by EA during its 10-year exclusivity contract with Lucasfilm to produce Star Wars games. With the sequel, the team's goal was to significantly expand its scope and scale, refining mechanics established in Fallen Order while introducing new gameplay features such as AI-controlled companions. The team collaborated closely with Lucasfilm while writing the game's narrative, which had a significantly darker tone than Fallen Order. In Survivor, Cal grapples with the futility of the rebellion and the dominance of the Empire while facing several antagonists that serve as foils.
Announced in May 2022, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on April 28, 2023. Versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released on September 17, 2024. The game was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised the characters, combat, level design, and music, with most deeming it an improvement over its predecessor. The PC version of the game, however, was criticized for its technical issues. It was a commercial success for EA, and was nominated for multiple year-end awards, including Best Action/Adventure Game at The Game Awards 2023 and Adventure Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. A sequel, which will serve as a conclusion to the Jedi trilogy, is in development.
Gameplay
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a third-person action-adventure video game. The game's playable character, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, is equipped with a lightsaber to fight against enemies. Both Cal and his enemies have a health meter and a block meter. He can use his lightsaber to strike against enemies or block incoming melee attacks or projectiles. By observing the attack patterns of enemies, Cal can parry hostile attacks just before they land. Parrying an enemy will significantly deplete their block meter, opening up an opportunity to strike and deal large damage. Some enemies will glow red when they attempt to launch an unblockable attack. These attacks cannot be parried, and players must dodge them. The game features five different lightsaber stances (double-bladed, dual-wield, single, blaster, and crossguard), each of which is useful against various enemy types and encounters, though players can only equip any two of them at a time in the game. For instance, the double-bladed stance is suitable for fighting a large group of enemies, while the crossguard stance, despite being slow, is able to inflict powerful damage. The game offers five distinct difficulty modes for players to choose from.
Cal also has access to several Force abilities, allowing him to pull and push enemies and projectiles and briefly slow down time using the Force. As players progress, they will unlock more telekinetic abilities such as lifting and slamming enemies onto the ground and confusing enemies into attacking their own. Using Force abilities will deplete Cal's Force meters, though it will gradually replenish. Throughout the game, Cal is accompanied by a droid named BD-1. In combat, the droid heals Cal using Stim Canisters and helps hack into hostile droids. Occasionally, they will be joined with a companion character who will assist them in both combat and traversal. As players progress and eliminate enemies, they will gain experience points (XP), which can be used to upgrade Cal's skills. The skill tree is divided into three categories, focusing on Cal's combat stance, Force powers, and survival skills. Each combat stance has its own distinct skill trees and special abilities. Players can also equip Cal with perks, which provide passive combat bonuses.
While some of the planets in Jedi: Survivor are linear levels, some locations are large, sprawling spaces for players to explore freely. Meditation circles are scattered throughout the game, in which players can restore their health, though doing so will cause all enemies to respawn. Meditation circles also served as fast travel points and a venue for players to change their combat stance and upgrade their skills. Cal will also respawn in the nearest mediation point after he is killed in combat. Attacking the same enemy who defeats Cal after respawning will allow players to retrieve all lost XP. The game also introduces ridable mounts, allowing players to travel through locations quickly. Cal is an agile character who can perform moves such as wall-running, air-dashing, and double-jumping using his Force powers. Early on in the game, Cal will unlock the Ascension cable, which serves as a grappling hook for him to reach distant ledges. Players need to chain these highly acrobatic moves together in order to reach great distances and complete platforming challenges to progress. The game adopts a structure similar to a Metroidvania game. Both Cal and BD-1 will unlock new upgrades and tools for traversal and reaching previously inaccessible areas. Players can also unlock various shortcuts, allowing repeated visits to the same location to be more efficient.
Players will encounter other non-playable characters who will give Cal side quests (known as rumors in the game). Some of them can be recruited to join Cal at Pyloon's Saloon, unlocking more side content such as eliminating bounty hunters pursuing Cal, planting alien seeds, and playing Holotactics, an in-game tabletop game. BD-1 will also help open hidden treasure chests that unlock additional cosmetic items for both Cal, his lightsaber, and BD-1. They will also find various collectibles, which can be sold to vendors in exchange for upgrades, perks, or customization items. Cal will collect Force Essence, which increases either his maximum health or Force or grants additional skill points or perks. Scattered throughout Koboh are seven High Republic-era Jedi Chambers for players to discover. Jedi Meditation Chambers feature puzzles and challenges for players to complete and provide rewards such as perks or skill points. Players can also complete Force Tears, which are optional challenge rooms that reward players with an additional skill point when completed.
Synopsis Setting and characters
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order. The game follows Jedi Knight Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) as he fights the Empire while searching for a place to hide from them. Cal's allies include Jedi Master Cere Junda (Debra Wilson); former pilot of the Stinger Mantis Greez Dritus (Daniel Roebuck); BD-1 (Ben Burtt), a small droid; Merrin (Tina Ivlev), one of the last surviving members of the Nightsister clan of Dathomir; and Bode Akuna (Noshir Dalal), a mercenary fighting for the safety of his daughter Kata (Tajinae Turner). Other characters include Jedi Master Eno Cordova (Tony Amendola), BD-1's former owner, now helping Cere recover the Jedi Archive; and ZN-A4 (Kendal Rae), a droid from the High Republic Era formerly owned by Jedi Master Santari Khri (Tracy Ifeachor).
Cal fights many enemies during his journey, such as the Pau'an Senator Daho Sejan (T. J. Ramini); Imperial Commander Lank Denvik (Gideon Emery); the Ninth Sister (Misty Lee), who is trained by the Sith Lord Darth Vader (Scott Lawrence) as part of the Imperial Inquisitorius program; former High Republic Dark Jedi Dagan Gera (Cody Fern), who seeks to reach Tanalorr; and his right-hand man, the Gen'Dai Rayvis (D. C. Douglas), the leader of the Bedlam Raiders. Temuera Morrison voices Boba Fett, having portrayed the character several times previously.
Plot Five years after destroying the Jedi Holocron, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis has parted ways with Cere Junda, Greez Dritus, and Merrin to continue his battle against the Empire as a resistance fighter working under Saw Gerrera. Cal and his team infiltrate the Imperial capital world of Coruscant and steal valuable military data from Senator Daho Sejan. Cal is disheartened to learn from the data that despite all his efforts, the Empire has become more powerful, expanding its reach farther through the galaxy.
The Ninth Sister arrives to confront and exact revenge on Cal, killing Sejan and most of Cal's team, but is killed by Cal soon after. Cal and his mercenary comrade Bode Akuna escape Coruscant, but the Stinger Mantis is damaged. After protecting Greez's town on Koboh from a group of marauders known as the Bedlam Raiders, Cal reunites with Greez to repair the Mantis. While searching the required parts for the repairs, Cal stumbles on ZN-A4, or "Zee", a droid that served the Jedi Order during the High Republic era. Zee gives Cal a tuner device that activates a facility called the Forest Array, which Zee was ordered to activate centuries ago before becoming incapacitated. Cal travels to the Array and has a vision of High Republic Jedi Dagan Gera and Santari Khri, who discovered the mythical planet of Tanalorr hidden behind the supposedly impassable Koboh Abyss nebula. Cal discovers a one-armed Dagan in a bacta tank; in the hopes of recruiting a former Jedi, Cal frees him, but Dagan, having turned to the Dark Side, attacks Cal and escapes with the Gen'Dai warrior Rayvis, the leader of the Bedlam Raiders.
Realizing the value of a planet inaccessible to the Empire, Cal, Bode, and Greez repair the Mantis and head for the planet Jedha, where Cere has been working with Merrin and Eno Cordova to rebuild the Jedi Archives with the help of a resistance organization called the Hidden Path. Cordova explains that Dagan was the first and only pilot to find a path through the Koboh Abyss. Santari developed special compasses to navigate it, and the Republic established a settlement and Jedi Temple on Tanalorr. However, the Republic withdrew from the planet and destroyed the compasses when it was assaulted by a group of raiders known as the Nihil. Angry at the Jedi Order for abandoning the planet, Dagan killed several Jedi while attempting to retrieve one of the compasses, resulting in Santari severing his arm and imprisoning him in the bacta tank. Cal, Merrin, Bode, and Greez search for the three remaining compasses; Bode wishes to find a refuge for his young daughter Kata, while Merrin believes that the Hidden Path could use Tanalorr as their new home. During their journey, Cal and Merrin confess their feelings for each other and decide to pursue a relationship.