A New Hope: Purple Lightsabers, Ponchos & the Dark Side

Spoilers for Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order follow. So proceed at your own risk

Back in the middle of April, I got access to play Star Wars. At the time, the game had already been out 6 months and I was not interested in it. However, being given a chance to play it on my console, I thought why not give it a try. After all, it seemed there was a photo mode in the game and I do love games with photo modes.

Now, at the time, my console play time was restricted due to my health. So, I could get only few minutes with the game at a time. But that was enough. I fell in love with this game from the first scene. The photo mode was amazing and the environment and atmosphere perfectly captured the Sci-Fi feel.

This game felt more on the ground level than the huge stakes that usually is covered in the Star Wars movies. I am not the biggest fan of Star Wars, but this game made me fall in love with the world. You get to explore multiple planets each with their own rich history, lore and creatures. Travelling back and forth between planets was a load of fun and the Souls-style, maze-like maps made exploration and discovery an experience in itself. I did also like the combat and the Souls-like regeneration of enemies when you meditate (equivalent to bonfires).

Another awesome part of this game is the environmental story-telling along with the use of Force Echoes. This was very reminiscent of Dark Souls in that a lot was left up to discovery rather than being shoved in your face. Discovering the backstory of certain main plot points through this mechanism was very interesting. I looked forward to uncovering the mysteries and many a time, it made me explore around more and discover secrets I would not have otherwise found.

Bogano

The first planet you get to travel to in the game and man, what a perfect planet to start your journey in. Boglings, secret tombs, and a sleeping dragon plague this planet. You also meet and battle your first mythical creature, the Oggdo Bogdo here.

Zeffo

The home of the ancient race, Zeffo, this planet is filled with secrets. Ancient architecture and huge monuments with intricate carvings in an unintelligible language dot the landscape of this planet. The puzzles to unlock hidden areas seem challenging and are quite satisfying when figured out, making best use of the environment and your new force powers.

Dathomir

The home planet of Darth Maul and the Nightsisters is as sinister as you can imagine. This is where you can get the double sided lightsaber. You do get to also see the Nightbrothers' town, which I personally felt was one of the most tedious sections of the game. It was the only part which felt like a diversion and I wanted to get back to the main story as soon as possible.

However, one of the most interesting parts of this planet was discovering the story of the Wanderer through the Force Echos.

Kashyyyk

Nature dominates this planet reclaiming what was one's its own. But the war rages on between the Resistance and the Empire. However, as you travel in deeper to the Origin tree, nature is in force with a lot of environmental threats to deal with.

With the interweaving paths added to it by the fact that you can swim through sections, I am sure to have missed quite a few secrets in this planet.

Characters

Jedi: Fallen Order has some of the most interesting and memorable characters in all of Star Wars. Albeit there are only a few characters, each and every one are well developed.

The Wanderer and Trilla make for some good villains. The Wanderer does seem to have the old villain desire for power and being ready to do anything to achieve it, unwittingly giving in to the dark side. Trilla, on the other hand, has a troubling origin being a Jedi apprentice during the purge and forcefully turned to the dark side. There is a point of redemption in the final battle before she is cut down by the Darth Vader himself. Avenge her we must.

My most favorite character was Nightsister Merrin (maybe it was coz of her character model and accent). You do learn her reason for hating the Jedi and with some proper reasoning, she comes over to your side.

In Conclusion

All in all this is an awesome game. I loved every moment of it (except certain annoying parts in Dathomir) and I can't wait for the next part.

The ending is filled with a lot of possibilities, though they did give a definite end to this chapter. I agree heartily with their last trophy: "Trust Only in the Force" and hope for a future with more such story-rich games.