I am currently on new game+ , continuing to evaluate and reflect on the game but as it stands, I have found the game to be fun but not really great.
Graphics and level design
When I started up the game I was impressed by the visual improvements at first but once you get into the game, you realize they have poured their effort into a few key places / vistas in the game and most of the locations / arenas are pretty basic.
Level design continues in the same vein as Fallen Order, with climbing sections, zip lines, wall running etc and a few additions such as a grapple and mounts. The additions though are pretty unremarkable, are usually used in isolation and require no skill to string together later in the game as far as I have found.
Puzzles are simple but enjoyable and never seem to hurt the pace of the game.
Level design can sometimes feel un-intuitive, the flow telling you to go one way, while there is a small gap in the wall on one of your blind sides for example.
Or on Koboh, when opening the forest gate, there is a climbing section where you have to jump to more vines to the right and instead of grabbing automatically Cal falls every time unless you alter your jumping angle / compensate.
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Combat and gameplay
I am going to get right to the point here. This was the most disappointing aspect of the game for me. I found the gameplay clunky and slow, a lack of combinations, very few ways to mix up your lightsaber and force powers. Most of the powers are pretty boring.... no force choke, force crush, force lightening... and of course no force heal or tutaminis.
With a huge amount of lore to draw from, why couldn't we have some of the different lightsaber forms (1-7) or at least a simplified version, like in Jedi Outcast?
Gameplay is a long way behind many of the current adventure games such as Horizon Burning Shores or more directly GOW Ragnarok, which absolutely shames Jedi Survivor in terms of how unique and satisfying each weapon feels... when I got the Draupnir Spear, I didn't want to stop using it. Each weapon was a brand new way to play and a revelation..... whereas anything added in Jedi Survivor is just more of the same.
Boss battles are all very similar and unremarkable. Not expanding on this here to avoid spoilers.
Customization is terribly underwhelming, no Jedi robes, no Sith robes, no Mandalorian armor, no Bounty Hunter outfit as far as I can see, no clone trooper or storm trooper outfits.... just a huge lack of imagination or diversity.
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Story
The story in general was decent but not anything special, I liked the characters a lot though. I don't want to spoil anything here.
Dagan is quite a cool antagonist and his motives seem genuine and understandable.
The main plot twist is incredibly obvious and I knew it was coming from basically the start of the game... which is a shame. Anyone with half a brain will figure it out.
The themes are admirable, avoiding conflict rather than becoming twisted by it. Love over war. Preserving and remembering our past and heritage / knowledge.
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Sound design and music is fantastic, authentic to the movies and probably straight from the sources.
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I had several glitches and crashes along with poor framerate during my first playthrough.... one probe droid got stuck in a wall near the end of the game and would not allow me leave the area. Several crashes on Koboh, especially when sliding down muddy areas. Slowdown in too many areas to mention.
My review might sound harsh overall but it highlights the negatives as constructive and honest criticism.... I did enjoy my time with the game and many parts feel reminiscent of God of War 2 and 3 in terms of level design and traversal.
This game is currently sitting at an 86 on PS5 with 102 critic reviews.
In my humble opinion it doesn't warrant above an 80, even if the performance was fixed. I would peg it around the high 70's and no higher
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Let me know below if you're playing this, what you think of it or if you plan on buying it in the future!
