Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderhad a lot going for it. Taking the best elements ofDark Souls' combat system, sprinkling in some Jedi Force power flair, and delivering a surprisingly emotional story,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderturned out to be a quality representation of theStar WarsIP, and nowStar Wars Jedi: Survivoris set to improve on it all in 2023.
One ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s most praised aspects was its selection of planets, both original to the game and based on iconicStar Warslocales. While the level design within those planets could arguably be improved, the atmosphere and visuals of each one felt truly impressive, as if the player had been directly transported to these beloved planets themselves. WhileStar Wars Jedi: Survivorwill make some big gameplay changes, its greatest improvement could be its approach to planets.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Planets Could Be Its Greatest Aspect
The moment the player first steps out ofthe Stinger Mantis shipon Bogano, they’ll likely feel an immediate wave of nostalgia. While Bogano was wholly new toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, its general atmosphere, visuals, and sound design are all masterfully woven together to make the player feel that same sense of nostalgia they get whenever they visit any of the beloved locales seen inStar Wars. Adorable little Boglings pop out from the ground, the skybox is filled with a gorgeous sunset, and the towering Zeffo vault that guides the player’s way just screamsStar Wars.
Bogano acts as the perfect introduction toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s planet exploration, and sets players up to look forward to the next location they’ll get to visit. Exiting a Hyperspace tunnel is one ofStar Wars' most effective tropes, andFallen Orderpulls that off every time, with the Mantis making its approach to the planet’s surface filling the player with wonder and anticipation of what’s on the surface. Respawn Entertainment also nails the planet design for those locations already fleshed out inStar Warscanon. Planets like Dathomir and Kashyyyk have been seen plenty of times throughoutStar Warshistory, andJedi: Fallen Ordermakes each of these environments feel suitably authentic to the source material, with each planet having the correct creatures, foliage, and architecture fans have come to expect.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorcan take this even further, and make its planets its greatest feature.Star Wars Jedi: Survivordoesn’t necessarily need more planets thanJedi: Fallen Orderin order to be an improvement, it just has to make those planets feel even more authentic and lived-in than ever before. WithJedi: Survivoronly releasing for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, the game will presumably be much more graphically impressive than its predecessor, and therefore its planets should feel even more realistic. Highly-detailed lighting, shadows, and textures should make all ofJedi: Survivor’s planets pop.
Of course,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s planets should also be a big step-up from its predecessors in terms of gameplay as well.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderhad some fairly interesting Metroidvania-inspired levels, but the cramped nature of most planets felt a little too linear to really live up to the genre’s potential.Jedi: Survivorshould take this Metroidvania inspiration and double down on it, but this time give players much more space to move around in and explore. Based on the recent gameplay trailer, it seems as thoughJedi: Survivormay be doing this, with the player being able to ride mounts now.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorreleases on June 21, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
