Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

There are Force Tears, too. Challenges that throw you into a void-like realm, platforming or combat, your choice. The first one I tried had you facing an Inquisitor, a couple of B2 Droids, some Bedlam Raiders, and a handful of B1s, which adds extra depth for players who buy cheap PS4 games and enjoy optional high difficulty challenges. And you could only use the single-blade Stance. Looked simple enough on paper. But it quickly turned into a frantic scramble for survival, and it took me multiple tries. Completing these gives you Skill Points on top of sharpening your own abilities. Simple as that. But you can also do other stuff. Gardening, collecting fish for the cantina, and hunting bounties. Navigating these huge new areas takes a while, sure. But you get mounts that help. And jumping off a Nekko gives you extra height for platforming, plus you can grab winged creatures to hang and glide off of. Fast Travel eventually unlocks, making the trip around each location smoother. But it’s easy to get lost just wandering, taking in the sights, maybe spotting something you missed before. So you run around a lot. But platforming is where it’s at, and I can’t stress how good it feels. Your hands just know what to do, chaining wall runs and grapples, timing double-jumps, clearing gaps while looking for solutions, and opening up shortcuts; it all feels natural and intuitive. Some jank still happens when you jump on certain parts of the environment, but way less than in the first game. The level design is just right, reinforcing an area’s natural features while giving you interesting puzzles and challenges. And the new AI companions help with that, especially when they open up new paths for Cal to take. But you can’t have a Jedi game without combat, right? So much of the old stuff from Fallen Order is still here. Cal has Force Push and Pull; he can block and parry with his Lightsaber and deflect shots back at enemies. And he can grab explosives and missiles mid-air, launch them back, which always feels satisfying, that little thrill in your chest when it connects. But for the most part, you’re still just hacking and slashing, trying to break through their block to deal uninterrupted damage while dodging the unblockable attacks. It’s a rhythm you have to learn, like a heartbeat you can feel in your fingers.

Gameplay Variety

Jedi: Survivor doesn’t really overhaul those mechanics. It just gives you way more options to play with. Five Lightsaber Stances now, each fitting a different style and giving you useful functions, which helps keep things fresh for players who buy cheap PS5 games and want variety without a complete system redesign. The single-blade is your general tool, good for parrying and combos. But you might rely on the double-bladed one for crowds. That one is great at deflecting heavy Stormtrooper fire, though the long animations take some getting used to. Then there’s the dual-bladed Stance, which rewards aggression and can auto-parry using the Force meter, letting you slash quickly before stepping back. And the Blaster Stance, where Cal holds a blaster in one hand and a Lightsaber in the other. Strange option, but it gives you some needed range, balanced by limited shots. I didn’t unlock the heavy-blade Stance yet. But just from these options, plus Force Powers like Confuse or Heavy Pull, there’s so much you can do in combat. It feels like your hands have more room to breathe.

Enemy Design

It would all be pointless without good enemies to fight. And credit to Jedi: Survivor, it introduces several new types to keep things lively. Bedlam Raiders with jetpacks and electric poles that pin you down; they attack immediately when Force Pulled. Shielded Stormtroopers whose shields you can rip away and throw back. Heavy Droids that fire almost nonstop and lob missiles. And more. Some beasts are downright brutal; they grab you and pummel you without mercy. But you’ll still have plenty of encounters where you just brutalize foes; it’s incredibly satisfying to Force Pull a Stormtrooper and execute them instantly. Tougher ones you can brute-force, but being clever is often more rewarding. What do you have in your arsenal? What abilities should you use right now? Walking into a new fight and thinking about how to take down opponents, that’s a fun time. And you take less damage that way, though the checkpoints are very forgiving. If you want more Lightsaber-focused fights, there are plenty, especially with the bosses. No spoilers, but each boss felt unique and challenging, adding real nuance to every fight. And one more thing about companions: commanding Bode to dropkick an Inquisitor from behind is both hilarious and effective. I welcome more of that.

Conclusion

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a must-play for fans of the first game. It doesn’t rewrite the rules; it just massively builds on them, improves, and expands the formula in so many ways. It tells a human story about home, family, and moving on. And it gives you a likeable cast and memorable locations. What more could you really ask for? So the story is a grand one, with galactic-scale ambitions. And it trips up now and again, for sure. It forsakes some of what made Fallen Order special in pursuit of that ambition. But the overall story is well told, with plenty of great revelations that will echo through Star Wars canon. It's also a good length, somewhere between twelve and eighteen hours, depending on how you play. And beyond the story, Survivor more than doubles that. Shedding the limits of last-gen consoles, it gives you bigger worlds with more to see and do. Respawn has mostly perfected that interconnected level design from Fallen Order. So the levels make more sense to navigate, without feeling overwhelming. You know where to go, what to interact with, and what to jump onto. And each location has that polish the first game lacked—looking at you, Dathomir, and your unjumpable platforms. Enemy placements are more thoughtful, too. Less cheap. In a game where one hit can take out a fourth of your health bar, knowing where enemies are coming from is everything.