Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features “cinematic” and immersive combat

Here’s what we know about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order:

Well to be fair we actually do know quite a bit already about the setup and story for Fallen Order, but we don’t have a shred of visual evidence yet for how the game plays or even looks like in action. At Star Wars Celebration, the Respawn team described Fallen Order as being a more tactical lightsaber-swinging experience that stars you as a Jedi in training who finds himself caught in the middle of the Jedi purge following Emperor Palpatine’s activation of Order 66.

You’ll need to tap into the Force, utilise combat that has been described as easy to pick up and has plenty of depth to it. That’s about all that Respawn said about the gameplay during the reveal, with the team probably looking to save the proper gameplay debut for E3 2019. Meanwhile, I tasked some not-so easily-killable Bothans to get some more info. Which is kind of the name that I’ve applied to the office interns.

Anyway, a little bit of digging on the Microsoft store page revealed a few new tasty nuggets of hyperbole-laden information. Here’s the flavour text:

A galaxy-spanning adventure awaits in STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order, a new 3rd person action-adventure title from Respawn Entertainment. This narratively-driven single player game puts you in the role of a Jedi Padawan who narrowly escaped the purge of Order 66 following the events of Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. On a quest to rebuild the Jedi Order, you must pick up the pieces of your shattered past to complete your training, develop new powerful Force abilities, and master the art of the iconic lightsaber – all while staying one step ahead of the Empire and its deadly Inquisitors.

While mastering your abilities, players will engage in cinematically-charged lightsaber and Force combat designed to deliver the kind of intense STAR WARS lightsaber battles as seen in the films.

Players will need to approach enemies strategically, sizing up strengths and weaknesses while cleverly utilizing your Jedi training to overcome your opponents and solve the mysteries that lay in your path. STAR WARS fans will recognize iconic locations, weapons, gear, and enemies while also meeting a roster of fresh characters, locations, creatures, droids and adversaries new to STAR WARS. As part of this authentic STAR WARS story, fans will delve into a galaxy recently seized by the Empire.

As a Jedi hero-turned-fugitive, players will need to fight for survival while exploring the mysteries of a long-extinct civilization all in an effort to rebuild the remnants of the Jedi Order as the Empire seeks to erase the Jedi completely.

Cinematic, Immersive Combat

Jedi: Fallen Order delivers the fantasy of becoming a Jedi through its innovative lightsaber combat system – striking, parrying, dodging – partnered with a suite of powerful Force abilities you’ll need to leverage to overcome obstacles that stand in your way. This combat system is intuitive to pick up, but takes training and practice to fully master its nuances as you gain new powers and abilities along your adventure.

A New Jedi Story Begins

As a former Padawan on the run from the Empire, you must complete your training before Imperial Inquisitors discover your plan to revive the Jedi Order. Aided by a former Jedi Knight, a cantankerous pilot, and a fearless droid, you must escape the evil machinations of the Empire in a story-driven adventure. Explore and overcome a wide range of challenges focused on combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving.

The Galaxy Awaits

Ancient forests, windswept rock faces, and haunted jungles are all unique biomes you’ll explore in Jedi: Fallen Order, with the freedom to decide when and where you go next. As you unlock new powers and abilities, opportunities open up to re-traverse maps in new ways; leveraging the Force to augment the way you explore. Move quickly, however, as the Empire is actively hunting your every step in their effort to exterminate all remnants of the Jedi Order.

Y’know, I kind of get the feeling that the Jedi order isn’t rebuilt in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope but hey what do I know. As for the actual combat description? A part of me hopes that the action takes a few cues not from the Prequel or Original trilogy, but rather from that single lightsaber fight seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

It was beautiful, it was raw and it had a weight to it that no other film in the series has been able to capture so far. If Fallen Order can mix that visceral gameplay with the intelligence of the best lightsaber duel of all time (MEGA STAR WARS REBELS SPOILERS IN THIS LINK!), I’d be game for the end result when it arrives this November.

Last Updated: April 15, 2019