Revisiting Star Wars Jedi: Survivor One Year Later

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor celebrated its first birthday over the weekend - we revisited it to fall in love with the story all over again.

By Hannah Adkins

I've always preferred animated Star Wars content to its live-action counterparts – while scenes like the Mos Espa Podrace in The Phantom Menace made me fall in love with Star Wars, it was The Clone Wars that made me passionate. As a gamer, animation in the form of video games is no exception to this rule as I have spent many hours over the years revisiting titles like The Force Unleashed and Knights of the Old Republic. Admittedly, however, I was in a bit of a "Star Wars slump," so to speak, in my early twenties – while I had been excited to return to a theater seat to experience Star Wars on a big screen again as an adult, there was a high amount of trepidation building in me after The Last Jedi's release, a fear that Yoda would advise against building within me that perhaps we'd peaked at Rogue One and it was all doomed to be downhill.

Trepidation that was put to rest with Respawn's 2019 video game entry into Star Wars canon, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Very quickly this portion of the franchise won over my heart completely, inspiring all of the same feelings and reactions I'd long adored from experiencing Star Wars content and hopeful that I'd get to experience again. While there was still a bit of hope ahead of The Rise of Skywalker, I ultimately didn't have to wait that long, because a month before Fallen Order gave me everything from Star Wars that I could have hoped for – adventure, wonder, excitement, tragedy, love, and so much more.

While my friends were largely losing their minds at the first season of The Mandalorian, I personally couldn't stop thinking about and wanting to talk about the redheaded Order 66 survivor who I'd just watch work through trauma and reconnect to the Force. For me specifically, and many others who were "prequel kids" like me, there was something particularly special about loading into the game for the first time and experiencing the world of Star Wars in an immersive experience where the hero was close to my age. I connected to Cal Kestis in ways I'm not sure any other fictional character will be able to replicate in my lifetime. 

KX Droid + Cal
(Photo: Respawn, Entertainment Arts)

It was no surprise when its sequel was announced given Fallen Order left the narrative wide open for more of Cal Kestis' story to unfold, and equally unsurprising when the wait for the sequel became excruciating. Years passed not-so-patiently waiting for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and by the time it was ready to download I had so much adrenaline pumping in me I didn't even need caffeine to stay awake all night.

It's on that night and across the entire release weekend that the team who built Survivor solidified that this corner of the galaxy far, far away will forever be my favorite for the franchise. For me, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the franchise at its very best, which is exactly why ahead of its one year birthday I decided to play through the game again (as I know many others have done).

Loading up Survivor again was like the feeling of watching the person you love walk into a room when you've been apart for a while, and I was just as eager to fling myself back into its story as one would be to embrace their beloved again. There's something so incredibly special about Survivor that completely transports its players – its possible to forget our world and its darknesses for a while as you step into the boots of Cal. I'm still equally as stunned by the overall improvements made from practically every angle for Survivor versus its predecessor – improvements to gameplay, enhancements and changes to combat, a user interface that is as beautiful as any other piece of this game and further immerses players into Cal, and additional transportation methods and mechanics all blend to make a game that wants you to truly experience Cal and his story as you play it. 

jedi survivor feat.
(Photo: Respawn, Entertainment Arts)

From every visual aspect, Survivor provides so many frames that are breathtaking, and the design teams fully demonstrate their love for the IP through every single detail on the screen, no matter how big or small. From the vivid billboards of Coruscant where the game begins, to the desolate sands of Jedha, to the many corners to explore on Koboh, and to the surreal beauty that is the Shattered Moon, I was just as thankful for photo mode this time as I was the first.

Beyond its cast of returning characters who are each easier to love than the last, Survivor brings in not only fantastic humanoid characters like Bode Akuna and Dagan Gera but a wonderful variety of alien life as well in iconic characters like that liar Turgle, the fisherman whose never done anything wrong Skoova Stev, and my personal favorite "side" character Caij Vanda. The Star Wars universe has such a beautiful variety of life to offer, and seeing the team behind Survivor embrace this and have fun with the character designs is a huge bonus still.

calvsdagan
(Photo: Respawn, Entertainment Arts)

It would be wrong not to mention that the performances in this game, and specifically two that brought me to tears just as swiftly this time around as they did the very first time I played as well. Noshir Dalal, a consistent favorite of mine, puts so much depth behind Bode that I was just as wrecked by his reveal, my chest tightening and eyes burning with the threat of tears again. As for the game's central hero, Cameron Monaghan has always provided performances that are so completely human, so deeply emotional that they resonate with or strike their audiences each time, and I feel he was truly at his best on Survivor.

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Now older and more comfortable with himself and his connection to the Force, we get to see Cal continue to navigate having a much larger place in the galaxy than any one person should have, shouldering more responsibilities than any individual can take...though he persists time and time again, even when faced with his own darkness within. Every moment from Cal is expertly executed by Monaghan, every line delivered with the exact precision it will take to make you, the player, feel it. I'd be surprised to hear anyone say they've made it through this game without an emotional reaction due to Monaghan's performance.

As the credits rolled on another fantastic, immersive, tear-inducing playthrough on this game, I'm left with one question loud and clear in my mind: When will I be able to sacrifice an entire weekend to the third installment? Whenever that may be, I will absolutely be ready for whatever the third game may hold. 

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