Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is now 7 years old. Respawn Entertainment developed it, Electronic Arts published it, and it landed on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is a single-player story in a market that had mostly stopped making them, and it holds up as the best Star Wars game in a long while — an assessment built on combat and character rather than on the license.
Trailer, via EA Star Wars.
Cal Kestis and the Scrapper on Bracca
The setup is grim and specific. Cal Kestis is a Jedi Padawan who survived the purge of Order 66, hiding his abilities while working as a scrapper on the planet Bracca, salvaging Clone Wars ships. When an Imperial probe catches him using the Force to save his friend Prauf, his cover is gone. The Second Sister and the Ninth Sister are sent to capture him, and the Second Sister kills Prauf for speaking up against the Empire.
That is the engine of the whole game: a survivor who cannot stay hidden. Cameron Monaghan plays Cal, Debra Wilson plays his mentor Cere Junda, and Ben Burtt voices the droid BD-1.
A Lightsaber That Rewards Patience
Combat is the strongest thing here. You strike, you block, and blocking drains a block meter until your guard breaks. Time a block just before the hit and you parry, which cuts the enemy’s meter faster and opens them up. Enemies glow red before unblockable attacks, and you sidestep, dodge, or interrupt with Force powers.
You start with one blade. Later you can dual-wield or use a double-bladed lightsaber. Force slow is your first power; wall-run, double-jump, force-push and force-pull follow, and they open areas you could not reach before. The Force meter refills when you land regular attacks, so aggression feeds itself.
Metroidvania Bones, Soulslike Discipline
The level design borrows from Metroid Prime, Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and the game is honest about it. New abilities unlock old ground. That structure keeps backtracking from feeling like padding, because the reward is a shortcut or a skill, not a collectible.
| Element | What Fallen Order uses |
|---|---|
| Level design | Metroidvania-style, new areas via unlocked skills |
| Combat inspiration | Metroid Prime, Dark Souls, The Wind Waker |
| Visual influence | Rogue One, Star Wars Rebels |
| Perspective | Third person, single player |
The Empire’s Inquisitors
The villains carry the story. The Second Sister, voiced by Elizabeth Grullón, and the Ninth Sister, voiced by Misty Lee, were trained by Darth Vader as part of the Imperial Inquisitorius. Both first appeared in Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith. Vader himself is voiced by Scott Lawrence.
The supporting cast is deep: Forest Whitaker reprises Saw Gerrera from Rogue One, Daniel Roebuck plays pilot Greez Dritus, Tina Ivlev plays the Nightsister Merrin, and Liam McIntyre plays the Dark Jedi Taron Malicos. Stig Asmussen directed, joining Respawn in 2014.
What Respawn Got Right
The game began as an original title unrelated to Star Wars. Electronic Arts saw the action and pushed it toward the license, convincing Lucasfilm to authorize and consult. That origin shows in the best way: the combat was built first, and the Star Wars skin was fitted to it rather than the reverse. Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab composed the score.
The weak point is the map and the backtracking, which ask more patience than the fights do. But the parry system, the Force meter economy and Cal’s arc from hidden scrapper to Jedi carry it. This is a game that trusts the player to lose a few fights and learn.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order scores 8.4/10.
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