Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)

I was eagerly awaiting the release of this game because I enjoyed the first one so much. The mechanics, the story, the beautiful graphics. And, I mean come on, being a badass Jedi wielding a lightsaber and using all kinds of Force tactics? Pretty freakin' awesome.

This game had all of that, but I feel it didn't deliver. Maybe it was because the first one was something we didn't have and this one, well, we knew what to expect so there wasn't any "wow" factor. I dunno.

It WAS great, however, to start the game with pretty much all the abilities you ended the last game with. I also enjoyed the new stances (and using a blaster as well). But starting in the fourth or fifth chapter, it really started to feel like a grind - especially at the end. Just wave after wave of the same ol' same ol'. I also appreciated the ending (no spoilers), which was a nice touch. The dialogue, character development and story arch were all solid as well.

I guess the thing that bothered my most was some of the gameplay got REALLY frustrating - especially traversing large areas in the air. It seemed a lot more clunky than the first game and some of the challenges were just ridiculous. Look, I do enjoy having to figure things out, but sometimes where to go next just wasn't intuitive. I don't expect a big green arrow saying "this way," but some areas I was just lost on where to go (and ended up accidentally backtracking more than once). The other gripe I had was that later in the game there weren't enough save points, so one misstep and I'd have to go through 15 min of fighting the same foes again and again.

All in all, it IS a good game and I'm glad I played it. Bun unlike the first one, I have no desire to finish the side missions or get all the collectables. I know it's near impossible to recreate the awesomeness of a first game, and I guess that's what I felt. It just left me wanting more and I was glad when it was over.

But I must admit, that it's pretty disappointing if you evaluate it as AAA quality game.

I'm pretty sad with the current state of things in the game industry, where game release is always forced to make a quick buck and move along. I believe, that this game could be much better, at least technically.

Pros: sound design and music. It really gives you at least glimpses of this Star Wars movie feel.

Cons: The absence of a challenge is the main one for me except for the mentioned technical issues. Some main bosses were pretty nice, but I'd say I expected more challenge from some optional areas, like Bounty Hunters (similarly to God of War valkyries etc).