Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris out, and by all accounts, it improves on its predecessor in almost every way. From more complex character arcs to a more open-world design for its main planet, including better menu systems and UI, it’s clear that Respawn Entertainment took on all theissues with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand worked hard to stamp them out for the sequel. But by far one of the biggest areas of improvement forStar Wars Jedi: Survivoris its combat, which feels more fluid and responsive than its predecessor ever did.
With far more lightsaber stances than the first game,Star Wars Jedi: Survivoremphasizes player choice a lot more than its predecessor, really encouraging players to approach combat in whatever way they prefer. If they’re more of a one-on-one duelist, then players can choose the single-bladed lightsaber stance, and if players prefer juggling close-quarters and long-range combat at the same time, then the blaster stance is the best option. But one of the more underrated, subtle improvements toStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s stancesand combat comes from the game’s brand-new dismemberment feature, taking a page out ofDead Island 2’s playbook.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s New Dismemberment Mechanic Adds a Lot to the Combat
One of the biggest complaints ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s combat was its awkward pacing. Though it was clearlyinspired by theDark Soulsseries,Jedi: Fallen Order’s combat felt a little too floaty and just a tad too slow to truly live up to FromSoftware’s combat systems. Cal Kestis' attack and block animations felt quite meandering, often leading to failed parries at no fault of the player’s. This criticism was often paired with the feeling of swinging Cal’s lightsaber itself.Jedi: Fallen Order’s slower attack animations, and the response they garnered from an enemy, often made the player feel like Cal was swinging a lit-up bat, as opposed to a deadly laser sword.
Thankfully,Star Wars Jedi: Survivoreliminates this feeling entirely, and a lot of it comes down to the introduction of a dismemberment mechanic. One of the most highly requested features for a sequel,Jedi: Survivorfinally brings dismemberment back to theStar Warsvideo game universe, and it’s better than ever before. Introduced ingames likeStar Wars: Jedi Knight, lightsaber dismemberment goes a long way in making the weapon feel truly deadly, and that’s true forStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, whose dismemberment mechanic not only adds to the game’s combat experience, but also its overall tone and story.
From a gameplay perspective,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s new dismemberment mechanicreally adds to the game’s newfound sense of fluidity. Now, when Cal is in the middle of an impressive lightsaber finishing combo, his lightsaber no longer just bats Stormtroopers to the ground awkwardly, but slices through any limbs that come into contact with the blade along the way. This paves the way for more sleek and refined combat animations, which helps to add to the combat’s fluidity.
From a story perspective,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s dismemberment mechanic shows just how far Cal has come since the last game. Set five years afterJedi: Fallen Order,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorsees an older and more experienced Cal Kestis take on the Empire, and this dismemberment mechanic is the perfect way to show through gameplay just how efficient and ruthless Cal has become as a Jedi, and as a warrior. Cal no longer struggles with small patrols of Stormtroopers, and the ability to slice off their arms and legs with ease only cements that further.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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