Jedi: Fallen Order could finally be the Star Wars game we were waiting for

A player Star wars the games have a long history, but a mediocre record. Not since the critically acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic titles, which were produced by the legendary studios Bioware and Obsidian Entertainment about 15 years ago, Lucasfilm and his partner Electronic Arts produced a story Star wars a game that has managed to capture the magic of movies as well as the richness and depth of the expansive universe of the series.

This could finally change in November, when Fall of the Titans and Apex Legends Respawn developer releases Jedi Star Wars: Fallen Order. The game is the first real big-budget solo player Star wars game since 2008 The raging forceand tells a canonical story that took place during the events before Episode III – The revenge of the Sithwhen the Jedi Order is dissolved and the galactic empire supplants the Republic. You play as Cal Kestis (played by Shameless'Cameron Monaghan), a Jedi Padawan fleeing the empire after revealing his identity as a Survivor Force user.

After spending about 40 minutes with the game and chatting with the director of the game, Stig Asmussen, I'm sure he has the potential to be the narrative Star wars title fans have sucked. He tells his story as an interactive Star wars film in the best possible way, looks like a deep and engaging action-adventure, and has an absolutely exhilarating lightsaber fight.

"We try to be faithful to Star warsBut we are also trying to create a fun game, "Asmussen said in an interview this week at E3 Los Angeles. According to him, the biggest challenge for Respawn was to convince Lucasfilm that she can succeed in a game that undermines such an important element of the series – a period of time that is very visibly occupied by the independent film. Rogue One – while giving players the most iconic and creative symbol of Star wars know: the lightsaber.

"The way we approach the fighting is more realistic," says Asmussen. "It's not just about going there and throwing waste. [It’s about] how you use your Force powers and when you use them, as opposed to the right time to use the Lightsaber. "

This is partly because Assmussen reports that his team tells the story of an ongoing Padawan, a Force user who is not fully trained and whose education was brutally interrupted by the Order. , the betrayal of the Jedi Order by the Galactic Empire. murder a majority of lightsaber owners across the galaxy. "It's basically unpolished, rough around the edges. This is something we wanted to discover from the first day. Over the games, he begins to become a little more veteran. "

But it's also because Lucasfilm did not want Asmussen, better known for his work on the God of the war franchise before the restart of 2018, to make a game as indulgent as Force Unleashed. Or, as he said Polygon in a separate interview, "God of Star wars. "

"They will not let us go as far as Unchained ForceExplains Asmussen about Lucasfilm's advice. "They do not want to go that far. They want the film to be grounded, as in the movies. "Aesthetically, the tone Fallen Order strike is close to the spirit of the original Star wars trilogy, and you can feel it both in the way it tells its story and in the fight.

This has brought some viewers to the gameplay trailer revealed at E3 last weekend to say that everything seemed slow and slow. The common complaint is that, as a Jedi, Cal should be able to easily overcome his enemies and that he should move much faster and smoother, as Jedis do in previous films.

But Asmussen says it's not the kind of game Respawn wants to do. Much of the team was built from the ground up, which means that it shares almost no connection to the more central experts of the Respawn First Person shooter who worked on Fall of the Titans and Apex Legends. "We have someGod of the war veterans, people from Unexplored, from Metal gear, many people from Batman series, "he says." So we built a team of very experienced people who worked on action-adventure games. "

This experience was revealed during my brief stint in the game. Fallen Order feels like a hybrid of some of the best gaming ideas of the moment. It has a flawless narrative style that almost never gets you out of the action. It also does a great job of mixing traditional RPG elements and adventures, much like the 2018 God of the war barred by Cory Barlog, replaced by Asmussen God of War 3 before Barlog returns to relaunch the series at the Sony Monica studio.

In a scene from my in-camera demonstration, the Respawn employee who was guiding the first part swam to the feet of a wandering AT-AT in the middle of the battle, climbed the vine that was pushing on his legs and infiltrated into the cockpit. From there, he himself guided the huge machine, used his blasters and cut off the enemy forces to meet Saw Gerrera (played by Forest Whitaker, taking over his role of Thief A). It was the kind of scene that, if it had been in a God of the war The game of 10 years ago may have been a quick event, but has been refined and designed with greater care to look like the spectacular moments of a new Unexplored Title.

Fallen OrderThe fight is also slow, methodical and requires a good dose of strategy and creativity. This is reminiscent of a FromSoftware game. In particular, Fallen Order Lightsaber battles are a bit like the duel in Sekiro: the shadows are dying twice, a game Asmussen says that his entire development team realized that his style was very similar to theirs, although he is much more hardcore and difficult.

In particular, you can not just get into a battle and, as Asmussen says, ruin everything in your path. The rooted approach mentioned by Asmussen means that the lightsaber has a more destructive effect than in the original trilogy, but you must be well finished defeating the defenses of your enemies. This involves a mix of Force powers, such as push and pull and Cal's Force Slow signature, and parry or dodge, roll and counter. But when you show up for the lightsaber attack, Cal succeeds in a series of devastating, organic and varied knockouts, depending on the type of enemy and Cal's position relative to them.

Once I mastered the pace of combat and how to combine various Force capabilities and physical maneuvers, I felt really powerful and made my way through several enemies; it looked like a flashy and flawless action movie sequence.

Of course, the game repels your power in many ways. You have a limited number of health refills, similar to Dark souls, which can only be restored by resting at a place of meditation, which also serves as an access point to the save and the skill tree. Your Force Gauge also empties quickly. Being overzealous with force or lightsaber means that you will be stuck in front of your enemies until you feel ready to duel with them and try to get a parry or finishing shot. It is only through physical combat that you will be able to restore your force gauge.

Image: Respawn Entertainment

This approach to combat has the effect of transforming your Jedi into a sort of samurai or knight, which is the historical analogue. Star wars originally intended for these warriors. I felt more effective when drawing enemies in a tighter line and battling them in individual fights, using my Force powers as a last resort to close a gap or distance myself by either moving my body or by pushing and pulling the enemy. You will not feel like a Jedi superhero, as Obi-Wan and Anakin seemed in previous films, at least not completely. But Fallen Order gives you the feeling of controlling your abilities in a way that seems more rewarding and satisfying.

The final influence, and an Asmussen pointed out directly, is the series of games "Metroidvania" that have gradually taken precedence over the independent scene. Fallen Order is a traditional action-adventure game with a few light role-playing elements, such as branching dialogue options and real-time cinematic-style events running in the background during your exploration. However, Respawn is the subject of great retouching in the design of his game world and the puzzles that you will solve when you do not engage in a fight to give him the kind of depth you get in a game like this. this. Hollow knight.

For example, every planet you encounter can be revisited and secrets hidden on the ground are only accessible by acquiring new powers and Force abilities for your BD-1 droid buddy. There are also no waypoints in the game. BD-1 can project a map that will give you clues about where to go, but you will only find the right path by exploring. And on the occasion Fallen Order will put you in an intensive loop to unlock a new skill or ability that then opens multiple avenues to explore, some with implications for the main story and others more closely related to side quests.

Star wars Games, especially those based on history, arouse a lot of expectations among fans, both of those who dream of Knights of the Old Republic and dedicated fans who protect him in all forms of media. When EA canceled its other title based on the story, from EA Vancouver and Unexplored Amy Hennig, the disappointment in the community was palpable. The management of EI by the Star wars The license has also been controversial, going beyond the groping of single player games to the disorder of microtransaction of Star Wars Battlefront II.

Asmussen recognizes this, as well as the immense weight that Respawn bears with this game. "We hold ourselves accountable. We have a very high bar, as well as Lucasfilm, "he says. "That's why we wanted to say something new, without looking at things that raise a lot of expectations." Cal is gorgeous and, in one period of the series, recognizable even for casual fans, but Asmussen says that Respawn is dedicated to establishing a new ground for Star wars games with Fallen Order.

"I firmly believe that the galaxy of Star wars has some of the best ingredients. "