By Scuttle Games

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Hey All,

This is going to be a First Impressions Editorial, and I’m going to write this in a more casual style. For the full and formal review, you can check out the website this Sunday when it goes live.

Thanks for reading!

First Impressions:

Okay, this is going to be a bit controversial, so I’ll just jump right in.

I’ll be honest here, I’m rather confused on the near universal 9/10, 10/10, and epic praise being given this game. I won’t claim that it’s bad, as I don’t think so. I’m enjoying my play through so far. It could have been a LOT better.

The Good:

I need to give props to developer Respawn for the beauty of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order on display. This is a gorgeous game. There are wide vistas to enjoy, amazing Star Wars scenes to awe at, and it all feels distinctively Star Wars. And I don’t mean the new Star Wars either, no, this feels old school.

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I’m not all the way through the game yet, but so far I’m enjoying all the characters and their interactions together. We have a very Star Wars themed villain to hate, a grumpy but lovable alien Captain, and a broken and caring mentor. It’s a good cast, well acted, and they do a good job of injecting emotion into the greater story.

The true gem of this game is the lightsaber combat. Fighting feels epic. Blocking saber attacks with my saber, slicing into the enemy and seeing their armor split, the reaction and AI of foes, it’s all top notch and makes for the best Star Wars combat experience yet.

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The Mixed:

There is a catch to the combat though, despite the greatness of the system overall. First, it’s rather rare to cut parts off of foes. I’m fighting with a lightsaber . . . a weapon specifically known for being able to slice and dice. And yet, only in cinematic/finishers will limbs go flying or heads run a rolling. I just don’t understand why Respawn pulled their punches on this. Maybe for a younger rating?

Next, and this is probably just a personal issue, but I do not like the actor used for Cal Kestis in this role.

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It’s not the acting that bothers me, as he is a good actor, but rather that he is a real person at all and that I recognize him. See, Cal is played by Cameron Monaghan. He is most known for his role on the TV show Shameless. Sadly, that’s all I see when I look at the Cal character.

I wish game studios would stop using motion capture for their in-game characters. I get that it makes for good animation, but I’m playing this game for a fantasy. I don’t want to see an actor I know. I don’t want to associate that actor’s past roles to this fictional character, and I am having a hard time enjoying Cal because of this. It’s specifically difficult when what the actor is know for is so drastically different than the role he is playing in the game, as is the case here.

I need to add, it’s not just Monaghan that I have a hard time with. The older Force Unleashed games also bothered me for having its lead be a real person.

The Bad:

This is 100% not an RPG. If anyone anywhere told you it was, then please stop listening to them. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is an action/platform/puzzle game, with a strong leaning toward platforms and puzzles.

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Out of my 12 hours in the game so far, at least 2/3 of that has been running around the map jumping and solving puzzles with force powers. Not only that, but I can’t even clear a map in one go because a ton of puzzles can’t be completed without a power you’ll only find at a later point in the game.

Worse, jumping is not a strong part of this game. The character missed jumps very often, doesn’t grab ledges when he should, and it’s really hard to judge if Cal can leap a gap or not.

There is not even very much to hunt for by doing these puzzles either. There is no loot, only 2 upgrades found in the world, and not even new outfits to obtain. There are shaders for your existing outfit, and a little but of alteration to be made on you lightsaber’s appearance . . . wooo. No real customization is present in this game, and that’s just downright a mistake on Respawn’s part.

The Verdict:

I feel myself turning to rant mode, so I’m going to end this First Impressions right now. The full review will be up on Sunday.

As it stands, Jedi Fallen Order is fun, but a massive let down. It could have been way better. It’s not a live service casino, so that’s nice. But it’s not even close to the best Star Wars game out there.