One of the many strengths ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas how it allowed players to tap into the Force, but Lucasfilm almost didn’t allow developer Respawn to create a Jedi game at all. 2019’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderintroduced fans to Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan who survived the infamous Order 66 and sought to live a quiet existence as a starship scrapper before he is discovered by the Empire. From there, Cal embarks on a galaxy-spanning search for the remnants of the old Jedi Order while being hunted by the dreaded Imperial Inquisitors.
While plenty of pastStar Warsgames have allowed players to take control of a Jedi Knight and wield their iconic lightsabers and Force powers,Fallen Ordercombined these abilities with Metroidvania explorationand slower,Dark Souls-like combat to create a challenging gameplay experience that captured the feel of being a lost Force user with an entire galaxy against them. Players could unlock new lightsaber types and powers for Cal as they journeyed onward, which reflected Cal’s own rediscovery of his long-latent abilities.
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As integral as Cal’s rebuilt connection to the Force is to the plot ofFallen Order, it can be hard to believe that Lucasfilm almost didn’t approve of him being Force-sensitive.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderdirector Stig Asmussenrecently sat down for an interview withThe Guardian, in which he noted that he and his team had to convince Lucasfilm to let them have a Jedi as the playable character. He explains that the Jedi are “like the holy grail” to Lucasfilm and that it only gave the green light forFallen Orderafter Respawn offered to label Cal a “Force user” instead of a Jedi outright.
Sure enough, Cal was allowed to wield the Force inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and soon players will be able to embark on thenext chapter of his story inJedi: Survivorlater this month. In addition to all the Force abilities and lightsaber styles fromFallen Order, players will be able to unlock new skills for Cal as he searches for a safe haven against the Empire. Cal’s new skill tree is supposedly so big that Stig Asmussen claims that players won’t be able to unlock everything by playing through the main storyline alone.
It’s hard to imagine what kind of gameStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand its forthcoming sequel would have been had Lucasfilm not granted Respawn its approval to make a Jedi-centric title, as there have beenplenty ofStar Warsgamesthat don’t feature Force users as main characters. Still, players are thankful that Cal Kestis was allowed to use the Force inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and it is only a matter of time before the former apprentice strikes back once again in the upcomingStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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