Star Wars: Jedi 3 has the potential to be the biggest game in its trilogy, outclassing Star Wars: Fallen Order & Jedi Survivor if it sticks to what made its previous stories great. Each game has featured excellent lightsaber combat and large, open areas to explore, standing out as solid action-adventure experiences. However, the stories of each game rely a lot on pre-existing Star Wars concepts, with their most interesting elements coming from unique narrative choices.
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As of right now, there is no scheduled release window for Star Wars: Jedi 3, but we know that it is deep in development ever since Jedi Survivor launched in 2023. Some footage will likely be shown this year, at least with a cinematic trailer starting the marketing for the sequel. Hopefully, a potential Jedi 3 won’t have nearly as many performance issues when it comes out compared to Jedi Survivor, which ended up hindering the game for several months for different systems.
Star Wars: Jedi 3 Should Continue Having Original Characters Over Nostalgic Cameos
A great reason for the Star Wars: Jedi series’ success is partially due to how it creates interesting, deep, and most importantly, original characters that players want to follow. The protagonist Cal Kestis is the best example of this, acting as a survivor of Order 66 whose external and internal struggles are well woven into the stories of each existing game. Interesting side characters like the former Nightsister Merrin, Jedi teacher Cere, and Bode in Jedi Survivor are all fantastically written as well.
Most of the characters in these games have managed to avoid a common pitfall in Star Wars‘ recent projects, which tend to rely on nostalgia too much with cameos. Having Luke Skywalker show up in The Mandalorian‘s second season, or having Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels animated characters appear in live action has limited the amount of original characters seen in the series. Given the massive success of the Andor, which almost uses nothing but original characters, it shows that fans want to see new stories across the galaxy from far, far away.
Star Wars: Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor have not completely escaped the nostalgia-bait of the series. Darth Vader appears in both games, with Boba Fett also having a short cameo in the second one. Throughout each, the majority of the enemies you fight are also from the well-known factions of the Star Wars universe, such as The Empire’s Stormtroopers or even the Separatist droids from the prequel movies.
With upcoming games like Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic almost standing entirely on their own, the Star Wars: Jedi games still rely heavily on the established setting players are familiar with. Instead of branching out into new facets of the larger Star Wars universe, Cal and his friends still have to face The Empire or old foes of the Jedi Order at every turn. Original conflicts and characters might be far more interesting than retreading old ground with each game.
Entirely New Enemies & A Fresh Setting Will Help Jedi 3 Be Fully Separate From The Skywalker Saga
In my personal opinion, Star Wars: Jedi 3 needs to get rid of any connective tissue to the Skywalker Saga, including The Empire as a common enemy faced in the game. The fatigue tied to the lore of the “canon” nine movies aside, there are far more interesting stories that could be told in the larger universe that are independent. Although there is no taking away the origins of a character like Cal Kestis, the summation of the original events that happen to him and his allies in the games are original enough to be the cornerstone for future events.
At the end of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Cal finds himself with many mixed feelings on a world far removed from other parts of the galaxy. This could lead to new threats, including ones that exist outside the standard Jedi/Sith conflict that has defined past Star Wars stories. For example, Cal may be up against a criminal underworld with no connections to Rebellions or Empires, acting as unique foes that haven’t been seen in the series before.
Creative direction for a new game should rely more on original planets, enemies, and most importantly, characters to sell its vision. These elements already exist in Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor, but taking them further could craft an unforgettable experience for the trilogy’s finale. This has always been at the heart of Star Wars‘ ingenuity, and might be the way to make the best adventure yet for players in a potential Star Wars: Jedi 3.
What do you want to see in the sequel to Star Wars: Jedi Survivor? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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