It’s been more than two weeks now since Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment first debuted gameplay footage for their next big title Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The 14-minute video showcased protagonist Cal Kestis on a mission with some rebels to save Wookies, and it did give us a glimpse of what to expect from EA’s single-player title.
The Fallen Order gameplay video had a lot of potential, if a bit rough around the edges and lacking realistic blood and dismemberment – this is Disney we’re talking about, after all. However, some people did find that gameplay lacked variety, as only lightsaber combat was mostly shown – at least until today. EA has released an extended cut of the gameplay footage they showed at EA Play, lengthening the running time to 26 minutes of early gameplay footage. Check it out below.
In terms of differences, there’s a lengthy section at the beginning which expands on why Cal Kestis and his group are on Kashyyyk. The footage begins as Cal and BD-1 are swimming in a body of water called the River of Origin. There are some scripted events such as a flying TIE Fighter hitting one of the gigantic AT-AT Walkers, which is what Cal’s swimming towards. Then, using hanging vines on the AT-AT’s body, Cal traverses upwards, which reminds me of a few scenes in God of War III where Kratos climbed up Gaia’s body as Gaia attacked Olympus.
After traversing and reaching the top, Cal then enters the AT-AT, which looks quite cool on the inside. There’s a short battle of him versus three troopers. This is just some more showcasing of what we can expect from the melee battles. It bothered me a bit that some of the Shock Troopers just stood there while their colleagues were being murdered, and it takes you out of the immersion a fair bit. It feels like these baddies are waiting for you to come kill them, as opposed to being actual threats that you must deal with.
After dispatching the troopers, Cal then heads straight for the cockpit and ambushes the pilots, placing the AT-AT under his and BD-1’s control. We then get to see some action from inside the AT-AT, as Cal uses it to annihilate most of the troopers he comes across. This bit also officially introduces Saw Gerrera, who Cal inadvertently helps as he rampages through the storm troopers’ ranks.
After dispatching a ton of troops and a small Imperial carrier, there’s a short cinematic of Cal and BD-1 crashing the walker as it gets hit by a carrier. We then get to meet two new characters integral to Cal’s journey as they land their ship into a clearing with the rebels: Cere, a former Jedi Knight who acts as a mentor to Cal, and Greez, an alien who pilots the ship Stinger Mantis.
After a bit of back and forth between the characters, we can see another upcoming aspect of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order never before seen – it looks like by using the Stinger Mantis, which is Greez’s ship, Cal and his entourage can visit a number of different planets in the galaxy. It remains to be seen if the travel itself will be interactive, like if you can actually control the ship, but it’s interesting to see Respawn put such a mechanic in the game, which is looking quite expansive now.
Later in the video we also see Cal upgrade BD-1’s capabilities via a workbench, which can be found scattered around the world. This particular upgrade allows BD-1 to overload certain Imperial systems, which is useful in allowing Cal to traverse a huge gap by bringing along some machinery near him.
While the combat is easily the most fleshed-out part for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as of now, there are more than a couple of areas that need a ton of work. The facial animations are just flat out ugly at this point, and it reminds me of Mass Effect Andromeda as a final product. Not really surprising, as both were made on the Frostbite engine, but I digress. There’s also the enemy AI that I mentioned earlier, and that one could be a huge deal-breaker. I want a challenging game, not just some cinematic experience filled with handholding and overpowered swordplay.
There’s still a lot of time between now and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's release later this year, and so we should wait a bit until passing final judgement.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 15, 2019.
