Star Wars has a long and storied history as a video game product. And unlike some licensed products, Star Wars games have been great, basically from the jump…

The game franchise peaked between 1997-2005, with games like X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, Rogue Squadron, Jedi Knight, Knights of the Old Republic, and the original Battlefront. Known for some combination of great story, great gameplay, solid single-player, or exciting multi-player action, Star Wars games were a hodgepodge of various styles and genres, held together by one of the most recognizable and profitable licensees imaginable.

After Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the LucasArts Game Studio was shuttered, and the rights to make Star Wars games fell to Electronic Arts.

Not only that, but EA purchased exclusive rights to Star Wars video games, something previously unheard of. In those seven years, there have been a whopping two games released for consoles/PC. Battlefront 1 was a relatively bare-bones online FPS. Battlefront 2 was basically the game Battlefront 1 should have been. And that’s…it. EA has had the license for almost a decade and the most they’ve done with it is a pair of FPS games that have little more to offer fans of the franchise than the 3D environments and sound effects they already love so well (and which are the easiest things in the world to reproduce since Lucasfilm has them readily available).

Finally, after all this time, a third game has dropped, this time a 3D adventure game, with a single-player focus and a strong story at the heart of the gameplay. Jedi: Fallen Order looks to be EA’s last chance to convince Star Wars fans that they aren’t just squandering the rights to an erstwhile gaming gold mine. In that case, the game can’t simply be “just okay.” It has to be, at least, “very good” and preferably “great” to really turn goodwill back toward EA. So…how is it?

It’s pretty good…maybe even very good.

The game is not perfect and there some clear pros and cons to make note of, which, of course, I will now do…

PROS

THE AESTHETIC – 10/10

Sound design has always been a hallmark of Star Wars. Not just games but the shows and movies are able, after all these years, to continue feeling like Star Wars, even with new characters and settings, simply because the music and sound-design hearken back to the 1977 original. There’s simply nothing else that sounds like a lightsaber deflecting a blaster shot. Credit Ben Burtt for pioneering those “Star Wars sounds” and credit LucasArts for insisting that all their games captured the feel of Star Wars, no matter the game or hardware limitations. EA has carried that tradition forward. Say what you want about their now-trio of Star Wars games, you can’t deny they have the look and sound of the galaxy far far away. Fallen Order is no exception. Every sound and environment, both new and old, retains that distinctive Star Wars aesthetic. It’s what makes Star Wars, Star Wars, and it’s here in 4K resolution in spades.

THE STORY – 8/10

Star Wars adventure games have been hit or miss when it comes to their story. Some are half-baked (Dark Forces and Jedi Knight), some are convoluted (The Force Unleashed 1-2), and some are genuinely great (Shadows of the Empire and Knights of the Old Republic). EA completely punted on having a story with their first Battlefront game, but they did offer a half-hearted attempt at one in the follow-up. It was good but nothing memorable, and far too short to justify the purchase alone. Fallen Order seems like it was conceived as a story first and then had a game developed around it; that’s a feeling I’ve not had since Shadows of the Empire. There’s mystery, adventure, character development, and surprises to be found here, and while it’s not quite up to the level of Shadows of KOTOR, it’s good enough to fall just below those greats.

THE COMBAT – 9/10

You will be swinging a lightsaber within the first half-hour of your playtime, but if you think you can get by just mashing the kill button like in the Arkham games, you’ll find yourself staring at the death screen far more than you might imagine. The combat is not incredibly deep, but for a game featuring a Jedi, it might as well be the grand canyon. There are plenty of skills to learn, as in past games, but here there’s also a need for patience in fighting, choosing how to engage, when to parry, when to block, slow, or thrust. There’s more finesse here than in any previous lightsaber-focused game. That being said, it’s just as satisfying as ever to deflect a blaster shot from one baddie, parry a swing from another, and engage in a furious combo to kill a third.

THE DIFFICULTY CURVE – 10/10

Anytime you play as a Jedi, it’s hard to strike the right gameplay balance between having challenging opponents and being an overpowered character. Developer Respawn Entertainment (EA’s division responsible for the excellent Titanfall games) should be credited with finding a happy medium. You play as a relative novice to the force, someone who has been unable to train and hone his abilities for a long time, meaning he is forced to re-learn his skills. At the same time, enemies are often presented in bunches; while it’s unlikely a single Stormtrooper could ever be a match for you, put six more in the area, having them all fire without remorse, and watch your health meter plummet in a hurry. There are times the game is absolutely brutal, but even then, there are plenty of save-points, infinite continues, and rarely ever are there any cheap-deaths. The game is hard but rarely unfair; it’s a welcome experience from many platforming/adventure games that tend to hold the player’s hand far too much.

CONS

SLIPPERY CONTROLS – 6/10

From a distance, the game might look like a Zelda clone but it hardly controls as tightly. Prepare to fall off a cliffside for no reason other than your character taking one more step than you wanted. Turning the camera with the right stick, often turns the character’s body, sometimes triggering an animation where he shuffles his feet, sometimes even to the point of stepping right off a cliff! Needless to say, this has happened to me more than twice. Turning around feels like you’re ice-skating. The camera also doesn’t always provide the best angle to line up a jump, making platforming sections cumbersome. Overall, the game works well-enough on wide-open spaces, but when things are cramped, and there’s stuff to fall off of, you probably will. A lot. I’m not expecting Nintendo-levels of precision, but when your character moves around a 3D space about as well as Crash Bandicoot for the PS1, you might want to fine-tune it a bit.

LEVEL/OBJECTIVE DESIGN – 7/10

This is a mixed-bag for me, as I think the levels and overall objectives are good and occasionally very good. My biggest problem comes with a map system that’s too archaic to really help, and levels that are too visually similar to help guide the player to where he needs to go. A great level, even in an open-world game with multiple, optional objectives (which this is not; this is very linear), is designed almost to steer the player through it, letting the gamer think he’s discovering things, when really he was just going where things naturally took him. Fallen Order’s levels are beautiful and vast, but sometimes you get in the middle of them and can’t figure out if you should go left and down or right and up. Sometimes you can veer off the path and think you’re heading in the right direction, only to second-guess yourself because there was an opposite path to take that seemed just as correct. It’s never a good feeling to be standing in the middle of a level wondering “now what?” That feeling happened to me (a thirty-year gamer) at least three times. That may not seem like a lot but it resulted in a few extra hours of mindless wandering, all the same.

REPLAYABILITY – 5/10

Once you finish the game, there’s not much incentive to play through it again. The developers have said the skill-tree is set up so that you can max out only one of the three major branches (health, defense, offense) in a play-through, meaning in order to see everything your character can do, you have to play the game three times. I get that, but that hardly seems enough to justify going through the same linear story, with its intentionally hand-holding, slow start all over again. There are always treasure chests you miss and skills you failed to unlock, but at the end of the day, once you see the ending, you’ve seen 90% what the game really has to offer. For some fans that’s fine, for others it’s a bit disappointing. For the record, I don’t think a game needs infinite content to justify the price; an adventure/story-driven game really only needs two things for me to go back to it again and again:

It needs to be fun from the jump
It needs multiple ways to accomplish a goal

A game like Super Metroid, or Breath of the Wild, or Resident Evil 4 has those factors, and even though I’ve 100%’d them multiple times, I keep coming back to them. I don’t see myself coming back to Fallen Order. The story isn’t quite good enough to justify it playing through it again, the gameplay isn’t quite fun enough, and the content certainly isn’t varied enough. It is what it is for twenty hours and that’s about it.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the pros of the game outweigh the cons (what I loved about the game moved me more than what I didn’t), with the biggest sin for me being the $60 price tag for twenty-hours of content. That being said, twenty hours of Star Wars fun equals roughly $3 an hour, which is a better value than the $7.50 or so you would pay for a two-hour movie ticket. There’s also no micro-transactions to be found anywhere.

Considering the game’s publisher that’s almost worthy of a gold star right there.

In the end, Fallen Order is a game that will almost certainly satisfy Star Wars fans who miss the days when a new game from one genre or another was released just about every year. It’s as different from the Battlefront games as can be, and despite some flaws, it is a whole lot of fun to play.

9/10 – Hopefully this is the beginning of EA’s renewed commitment to Star Wars and to producing a variety of content based on the brand.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

9 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Thatcher

10 months ago

Well, it isn’t my style of game, but it sounds like a fun adventure with amazing graphics. It’s nice to read an unbiased review. Sadly, the gaming community has been infected by too many sponsored posts.

Kkelie

This game is on my son’s Christmas wish list. It’s good to read the reviews. I’m sure I’ll get it now. I’m not much of a gamer so thanks for the review.

Jordaina

I love the sound effects! It’s like pretty close to reality if you think about it. I was impressed once I got going. I’d say give it a try.

Arabella

I’ve played it and it’s okay. It’s hard to navigate through sometimes and sometimes the story gets tedious. I definitely felt like a Jedi though and that counts.

KeeperofUnicorns

My kids tried the game and quickly grew bored. Maybe the game was too hard for them. The graphics looked fantastic from what I saw and I never heard about any glitches. But it just wasn’t a favorite.

Silver

Reply to KeeperofUnicorns

I’ve just started playing it after reading the review. I found it hard to get going because I kept dying. I finally figured out that I couldn’t rush in swinging my lightsaber but had to be strategic about it and patient. Maybe your kiddos are rushing in too.

Reply to Silver

Thanks for the info, Silver. I’ll pass it on and we’ll see if that helps. I know they still have the game. I might try it out myself.

That is exactly the problem I was having. I was getting pretty aggravated and almost gave up. I read up on it and then figured it out. It’s a pretty cool game now that I can actually move.

Cool, I’m glad to see another game review. I appreciate games that don’t rely on microtransactions to make their money. I’ll check this one out.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

REVIEW: Jedi: Fallen Order is a worthy addition to a great legacy of games