Summary
Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivordelivered an excellent title in the belovedStar Warsuniverse earlier this year. With its Soulslike combat, richly rendered locations, and a compelling story portrayed by a fantastic cast,Star Wars Jedi Survivorimproved upon its predecessor, 2019’sStar WarsJedi: Fallen Order, in nearly every aspect.Jedi Survivorstreamlined many ofFallen Order’s rougher edges as well as expanded on its ideas and mechanics, coalescing into a smooth and satisfying gameplay experience.
WhileJedi Survivorfocuses mainly on a single-player story in a larger series of maps and takes inspiration from RPG quest design, it already contains a number of elements that would lend themselves well to a roguelike mode. And with some other similarAAA titles adding roguelike modes, Respawn has a chance to follow suit and provide fans with a similar one forJedi Survivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorwas nominated for Best Performance and Best Action/Adventure Game in The Game Awards 2023, although it did not win in either category.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Could Make Great Use of a Roguelike Mode Ala GOW Ragnarok, TLOU2
Roguelike Modes Are All the Rage Recently
Roguelike modes appear to be becoming a popular trend, notably with a few of Sony’s first-party properties receiving roguelike modes in a short time. The upcomingThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredwill include the No Return roguelike mode, and just recently revealed at The Game Awards 2023,God of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLClooks to be one as well. A roguelike mode can greatly extend a game’s life cycle, bringing players back long after completing the main campaign to test themselves and their mastery over the games' mechanics in various situations.Stars Wars Jedi: Survivoris not a PlayStation exclusive, and thus has the potential for an even wider audience to enjoy a possible roguelike addition alongside its existing structure.
How Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Could Incorporate a Roguelike Mode
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s combat mechanics are tightly designed and great fun to engage with. Cal Kestis' array of Force powers and options regarding lightsaber styles and stances allow for a wide range of player choice and creativity in approaching fights. Beyond that, though,Jedi Survivor’s Force Tearsare a feature that could provide the blueprint for expansion into a fully fleshed out roguelike experience. These are bonus challenges that can be found hidden across the various locales players explore with Cal and his allies. Coming in two types – arena combat and traversal obstacle courses – and complete with timer scores, Force Tears are already set up as the perfect jumping off point to form an enjoyable series of roguelike scenarios.
Respawn could lean into the framework that Force Tears afford, and design longer, more elaborate versions of them as a roguelike mode forJedi Survivor.This would also provide an opportunity to give players some new toys by adding more items or upgrades toJedi Survivor’s range of abilities. Even if they might only be usable within the roguelike sections themselves, so as not to unbalance the core design, it could still be a chance to test out early versions of any ideas Respawn might be cooking up for a third entry.
A roguelike mode could also introduce more optional bosses like theHaxion Brood bounty hunters. Players could perhaps be tasked with a series of boss rush battles, with them being randomly chosen from a pool of possible foes. While these are only a few possibilities, the overall potential for aStar Wars Jedi: Survivor roguelike mode is strong, and Respawn should seriously consider one, as fans would surely welcome moreJedi Survivorcontent.
