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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a direct sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The two games feature a continuous story arc between the two and feature similar gameplay. Many of the characters in the original game will be in the second game as well. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to play Fallen Order to enjoy Jedi Survivor. A fresh player in the series, especially those savvy with Star Wars knowledge, should feel right at home in this new game.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an upcoming, third-person, action game set in the Star Wars universe. In this game, players control Cal Kestis, a Jedi on the run, trying to outsmart the Galactic Empire after the tragedy of Order 66. Despite this, in Fallen Order, Cal started as a trainee Jedi, not receiving his status as an official towards the end of the first game. Additionally, characters like the pilot, Greez Dritus, the Jedi Knight and mentor, Cere Junda, and the Nightsister, Merrin, are all important members of the game’s story. Without knowledge of their motivations and personalities, it may be difficult for new players to form a meaningful connection with them.
A Five-Year Time Skip May Help New Players Jump Into The Story
(Updated on August 27, 2024 – updated links and format)
Despite the game featuring a wide array of characters and story elements from the first game, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor begins its new story with a 5-year time skip after the ending of the original game. This means that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will reintroduce many of the plot elements and characters, and various of the story-beats and character goals will be vastly different from those of five years ago.
Both new and old players of the series will need a reintroduction to the game as many things have changed drastically during the time skip, meaning that story-wise, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor shouldn’t be hard to jump right into. For players curious about what happened during the five-year time skip, a novel, Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars, is available and covers the missing story from those years.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Introduces Much Quality Of Life Improvements
From a gameplay stance, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor should be an easy place for new players to jump right into. The game features loads of new customization and combat options that are marked improvements from Fallen Order. Additionally, the game added certain quality-of-life improvements over the original game, including a fast-travel option, as well as more open-level designs.
With even more Combat Stances to choose from, and fluid one-on-one combat, it might be worth it to go straight to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor just for the overall combat improvements. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may be a bit difficult at times, however, the respawn mechanic of the game allows for quick repetitions of battles, giving new players opportunities to learn and master various fights quickly.
Star Wars Knowledge May Come In Handy But Isn’t Necessary
Even in the first game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, many elements of the story already required knowledge of the Star Wars universe as a whole to fully enjoy. Knowledge of events like Order 66 and Jedi Knight lore, while not necessary, helps ease the player into the universe as a whole and increases immersion. The game does do a great job individually explaining these events, however, though it would be impossible for the game to wholly flesh out every Star Wars planet and alien that is introduced. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will follow a similar pattern as well, rewarding Star Wars fans with cameos and lore, while not punishing players new to the universe for their lack of Star Wars knowledge.
Overall, while it may make the story a bit more confusing at times, a new player definitely doesn’t need to play Fallen Order to enjoy Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, thanks to the five-year time skip. Additionally, due to the many improvements the game has to offer, and tie-in material that helps catch players up on the story, the sequel may be just as good of an experience for new players as it is for old. Despite this, however, returning players and Star Wars will still find different sources of enjoyment in cameos and references to Star Wars lore. To most, however, missing out on these things won’t make or break the game experience.