From Tie Fighter to Jedi Knight, Star Wars games used to be as numerous as stars in the sky. Then followed a long dry spell, which has now finally ended. The latest in the Star Wars gaming universe is certainly fun to play, but not quite perfect.
New films, new series, new toys: Star Wars has been back for a few years now, but gamers haven't seen much that's new so far. But now there's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a solo adventure based around light-sabers and Jedi Knights.
The game is purposefully a throwback to earlier days and lacks a lot of what might be expected from a modern game, such as online connectivity. This return to classical virtues works, even if Fallen Order has its weaknesses.
The story takes place between the original film trilogy of the '70s and '80s and the newer prequel films. It should also be understandable for people not that familiar with the Star Wars world.
The evil Empire has taken over the galaxy and defeated the once powerful Jedi Knights. A few survivors remain. One of them is young Cal Kestis, who's hiding out in a junkyard when the Empire finds him and he has to flee.
What ensues is a galactic treasure hunt for an ancient secret that could bring a decisive change in the fight against evil.
Cal travels from planet to planet, always on the look-out for old temples and new abilities. The gameplay is straightforward but also leaves the player enough opportunity for free development.
The story of Fallen Order is not terribly creative or innovative, but it's neatly told and has some great characters from heroes to bad guys.
The underlying themes of guilt, trauma and hope should occupy players who're not hugely interested in light-sabers and Jedi.
There's also plenty of humour from characters such as Cal's cute robot BD-1 and Greez, the grumpy, four-armed alien who pilots Cal's spaceship and who seems to care more about the patches in his spaceship seat than saving the galaxy.
When Cal isn't in his spaceship he has to jump around, solve puzzles and fight in about equal parts. The jumping around is the weakest part and often requires more precision than the controls allow.
The puzzles are in the Tomb Raider style and are just the right mix of challenging and solvable.
But the most important thing about a Jedi Knight game is probably the light-saber battles and in this instance the developers are fortunately doing almost everything right.
Cal is not as effective with his light-saber as other Star Wars heroes – compared to Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader he's just a novice.
Opponents such as monsters or stormtroopers can be dangerous to inattentive players while experienced, skilled players should be able to defeat their foes without suffering a scratch.
Whoever wants to find the last hidden light-saber component can end up spending up to 30 hours on the game.
On the downside, the game has many small flaws, including unsightly stuttering, long loading times and broken animations.
None of these spoil the fun but they do make it feel like the game is unfinished. If you're patient, you might want to wait till an updated version is released.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order costs US$60 (RM251) and is available now for the Playstation 4, the Xbox One and PCs. It's suitable for players aged 16 and older. – dpa
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
