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GAMING FEATURE

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HOWDY, SABER!

As a direct sequel to StarWars Jedi: Fallen Order , we have a fair idea what to expect when it comes to gameplay style. But what about the story? And will that gameplay be receiving any tweaks? Words Amy Flower & Paul Jones A s for the story this time out, we re-enter the life of Cal Kestis some five years on – in movie terms somewhere between WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

HAVEN’T PLAYED IT? Here’s what made StarWars: Fallen Order so special? Let’s state the obvious – who doesn’t want to be a Jedi? Set five years after Revenge of the Sith , Padawan Cal Kestis is one of the remaining Jedi looking to restore the Jedi Order and, as the game progresses, he becomes invested with more advanced Jedi powers to aid him on the quest. Combat eschews button mashing for measured blocking, precise attacks, and balletic evading manoeuvres. The best bit? Lightsabers are customisable and upgradable; the double-bladed version is a killer! Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order plays out over several very different planets, where puzzles, challenges and enemy confrontations are as diverse as the worlds themselves. There’s enough of the classic elements like Stormtroopers and AT-ATs to satisfy the Star Wars aficionados, and a good spread of the new to keep it fresh. The game is pulled together with a captivating narrative and convincing characters. An excellent single-player experience, if you’re poised to jump into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor when it drops and have yet to play Fallen Order , begin your galactic quest to re-establish the Jedi right here. And, of course, may the Force be with you!

as the ability to hurl a lightsaber at an assailant. One much-requested feature has been fast travel, and great news is that Respawn have listened and implemented it in Survivor . This point-to-point functionality will be augmented in-game by the presence of both a grapple hook like mechanism and rideable mounts that Cal can tame, to further help get us from A to B. Other additions and twiddles to look forward to include additional Force capabilities, and special collaborative team moves using AI, a more rewarding skill point system, plus combat

the prequel trio and the original trilogy. He’s still striving to stay one step ahead of the evil Galactic Empire, as they’re determined to eradicate all survivors of the Jedi Order 66. It appears that there’ll be more of a focus on Cal and crew finding a base from which to plan their future moves this time around. But they don’t necessarily count on having to take on another Jedi…

• Star Wars Jedi:

Survivor is out on Apr 28

On the gameplay front, the big improvement that we’re promised is several advances in lightsaber combat, with Cal to have five full

challenge and puzzle rooms. Oh, and robo buddy BD-1 has some extra tricks added to his skillset. The visual front is also set to deliver some treats, with the game’s new-gen exclusivity allowing for the introduction of

stances in his arsenal. Both the single- and double-blade stances will be back from Fallen Order , while the dual-wield single blade move from the original will now be fully playable. Of the two additional stances, one will be a heavier, cross-guard move that will require extra skill to successfully pull off, the other will combine a blaster with the lightsaber action. Other exciting additions include a Force stasis move, allowing the player to freeze foes, as well

real-time ray tracing. Other PS5 and Xbox Series X|S features such as improved load times thanks to SSD will also be harnessed, as well as haptic feedback features where available.

The song Sugaan Essena that’s heard initially in the opening scene of Star Wars: Fallen Jedi was written by Mongolian folk metal band The Hu. DYK?

APRIL 2023

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