Fallen Order’s near-perfect gameplay blends engaging exploration and quality level design with engaging combat in an addictively fun experience that is only brought down by its middling level of writing, which is all the more disappointing for a title set against the rich backdrop of the Star Wars universe.

2019’s content rich Star Wars season kicks off with Respawn Entertainment’s Jedi: Fallen Order, and whilst EA’s track record with its Star Wars games has been… shaky, to say the least, Respawn delivered one of the best, and certainly most underrated shooters of all time in 2016’s Titanfall 2, so I was hardly lacking confidence in their ability as a developer. However, what I’d seen of Fallen Order prior to its release, while interesting, wasn’t enough to have me chomping at the bit to play it, but nevertheless the Star Wars fan in me dictated that I decided to give it a go, and to a degree I came away pleasantly surprised.

Spoilers ahead!

The story follows Cal Kestis, played by Gotham and Shameless star Cameron Monaghan, a Jedi Padawan hiding out following Order 66, as seen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The opening is short, but effectively delivers the context for the story and some basic tenets of the gameplay, and after that it wastes no time in diving into the main plot, as Cal is rescued from a precarious situation by the game’s supporting characters – Cal’s new mentor and former Jedi Master Cere Junda, and the resident comic relief in gambling starship pilot Greez Dritus. The plot can best be described as a bit of a treasure hunt, as the newly formed crew of the Mantis travel across both familiar and as-yet unseen planets in the Star Wars universe looking for tombs and artifacts of the ancient Zeffo civilisation. Recordings laid out by a long-dead Jedi Master will not only have you deducing the history of the Zeffo, but will also eventually lead you to a secret record of children across the galaxy with the potential to become Jedi, which our heroes hope to use to rebuild the religion and take on the evil Empire. Trudging around old temples hoping for the next boss battle isn’t the most exciting way to spend the game, but add in Cal’s personal journey to reconnect with his past, his pursuit by both the deadly Inquisitors and a furious bounty hunter guild, plus a few detours sprinkled inbetween, and it’s clear that there’s quite a few layers to the story. Each element of the plot gets its moment in the spotlight, and although some of the story beats are weaker than the others, as a package deal it never feels overly chaotic or messy. There are some great moments here and there, whether it’s the little things like meditations on the nature of failure to the big zingers like hijacking an AT-AT or even a frighteningly fun escape from Darth Vader himself that caps off the game with just the right amount of shameless fan service. That said, the majority of the story is just padding that brings you from point A to point B, and although it’s understandable from the point of a videogame, it does sting a little for a Star Wars title. Nevertheless it does its job well enough in propping up the gameplay, and although Fallen Order‘s story didn’t blow me away, it does a lot more good than it does bad.

Character-wise Fallen Order doesn’t exactly amaze either. Cal has some merit to him as a protagonist – he starts the story in a place where he’d much rather keep his head down than fight the good fight, and intermittent flashbacks serve to show you why, but it evaporates quickly in the context of the main story as he pretty much just mindlessly agrees to join Cere’s quest with little consideration for the risk to his own life he’d spent so long hiding himself from. Cere herself feels like much more of a driving force behind the plot compared to Cal, and much like him she has her own well-crafted and emotionally charged backstory, but it grows into a surprisingly solid arc that sees her reclaim the title of Jedi and struggle with the internal conflict between light and dark as she tries to right the wrongs of her past. Greez is undoubtedly Fallen Order‘s wellspring of levity, and although the writers tried to carve out a piece of the story to build on his backstory, it ultimately feels very weak and detracts from the rest of the plot. Nightsister Merrin is the last addition to the crew, but due to her appearing so late into the story, she doesn’t really get any time in the spotlight outside of the Dathomir section of the game, and her backstory is more of an easter egg than something that serves her character. With all that said, every member of the crew has personality by the bucketload, and there’s some great chemistry there too, especially between Cal and his droid BD-1 – which is all the more surprising as they’re essentially one-way conversations. As for the villains, Fallen Order gives us the Second Sister and the Ninth Sister of Star Wars: Rebels‘ Imperial Inquisitors – Jedi hunters out on a mission to find Cal and claim the list of Force-Sensitive children for themselves. The Ninth Sister isn’t much more than a big ol’ bad guy to do battle with, but the Second Sister serves as a foil to Cal as Cere’s former apprentice looking for revenge on the master who abandoned her. However, limited screentime means that she just isn’t fully realised by her knee-jerk turn from villainy and untimely demise at the story’s end. It’s unfortunate that so many of the characters lack that extra little bit of finesse that they needed to shine, but thanks to solid performances and at least serviceable writing they tend to hold up more often than not.

Where Fallen Order really excels is in its gameplay – mashing a Souls-esque (or so I’m told) action combat system together with platforming and traversal à la the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy. Solid, functional and fun; the combat is perhaps the best to come out of Star Wars games as a whole, giving you a vast degree of control over Cal’s lightsaber swings, force powers and movement that only grows the further you progress into the game. As well as new moves and abilities that come to you naturally through the story, a moderately sized skill tree also provides you with a variety of ways to change your playstyle and improve the mechanics at your disposal. At “Jedi Master” difficulty Fallen Order offered me a near-perfect level of challenge, with the game’s toughest enemies and boss battles offering varied and suitably testing encounters, while weaker opponents maintain that essential air of unrelenting power that comes with being a Jedi. The learning curve of the combat system also provides great satisfaction when mastered, easing your experience with most enemies while opening up those more challenging fights you might find off the beaten path. Speaking of, exploration is only supplemented by the distinct and carefully crafted locales the game has to offer, from the arid and hellish landscapes of Dathomir to the dense woodlands and swamps of Kashyyyk – the maps, while a bit on the small side, are excellently made and one of the game’s biggest strengths. Fallen Order also delivers many new ways to interact with its world the more you play – upgrades to BD-1, relearned Force abilities, and new gear all open up additional pathways for exploration, and the majority of the unlocks are tied to progression in lieu of dumping all the game’s tools on you at once, helping to maintain a sense of novelty and freshness in the gameplay loop throughout. Collectables will also keep you revisiting locations, especially the sought-after customisation items for Cal, BD-1, the Mantis, and most importantly the lightsaber, that while giving you a little personal touch to your playthrough, can feel a little shallow due to the limited number of options.

There’s not much left to say about Fallen Order – I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed that the story didn’t quite gel together, but at the end of the day I’ve had a good experience with the game thanks in large part to its gameplay. Both the combat and exploration have provided a fantastic experience that lives up to the mantle of Jedi in the game’s title, and purely from that perspective it may be one of the best Star Wars titles ever published. Although the plot is rounded out in a fairly satisfying way, it does leave the door ajar for a sequel in a few ways, and if the reaction to the game is comparably favourable among consumers and critics alike, I’m sure a second Jedi instalment will be more than likely.

7/10