I'm a Sucker for a Cute Droid--Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

I will be the first to admit that I've felt a bit mixed about Star Wars related media in recent times.  I'm not a hardcore fan, but I do have a bit of warm, fuzzy nostalgia for the franchise.  In general, the warm fuzzies aren't enough to actively propel me toward anything labeled Star Wars.  Quite frankly, I've been feeling a bit turned off by Star Wars--it's very formulaic and I guess I've seen the formula enough times now that it has become pretty "meh" for me.  It was with these general feelings of "meh"-ness that I viewed STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order with very little interest.  As more and more positive reviews started popping up, I found my interest piqued and popped it on my wishlist and decided that if it went on sale I would check it out.  Just last night I finished up the main campaign and I have to admit that despite the formulaic nature of Star Wars, I still can find myself having a good time and that maybe, just maybe, we're entering a new age of Star Wars (I haven't watched The Mandalorian, but I hear good things about it).

Playtime stats: I completed the main campaign and focused on trying to explore as much of each planet/map as I could.  I made some effort to return to areas I had previously visited to unlock some of the ability gated areas and to search for chests/secrets.  I did not 100% (in general I am opposed to looking up guides.  Finding all the chests/secrets would probably require many more hours of painstaking exploration that I didn't feel like doing).  My total playthrough clocked in at around 24 hour.

You play as Cal Kestis (AKA Ian from Shameless!)

Pros:

+ Gorgeous Star Wars world building.  The planets you visit all have their own unique environmental aesthetic and are filled with lots of cool little details and beautiful, scenic vistas.  The Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk is located in a forest filled with massive trees; Zeffo is an icy, watery world with scattered ruins from an ancient civilization--just to mention two of the planets that you visit.  This is one part of the Star Wars formula that I enjoy.

Overall, the graphics in the game are beautiful.  I was pleasantly surprised that my PC defaulted to the "epic" setting and it ran like a charm.  I think that even if you have an older PC that you will still enjoy it.  I was stupid impressed by the hair...yes, the hair!  Cal's hair looks wonderful and moves in a very natural way.  Even Greez's mutton chops look good!

+ Jedi-tastic gameplay.  You play as Cal Kestis a padawan who was unable to complete his full jedi training due to the fact that the Empire enacted Order 66 (you know, the infamous order to hunt down and eliminate the entire jedi order).  Cal was forced into hiding and has lost many of his jedi skills over the years.  Fortunately for the player, he still retains many of the best jedi skills--he can block and deflect blaster bolts like a pro.  At first, Cal's toolbox of jedi toys is pretty meager, but as you advance through the story you can unlock more and more skills that are useful for traversal and for combat.  These skills include staples like force push and pull but also include the ability to briefly slow enemies.  Becoming a truly effective jedi means learning how to utilize a combination of force and combat abilities.

+ Talent trees that let you pick a personalized combination of force, combat, or survival skills.  You can beef up your force talents and utilize them to disable groups of enemies or to use certain powers for longer durations.  Or, if you're like me and are an abyssal failure at combat, you can pour your points into survival skills so you can take more hits.

+ Fun traversal and complex maps.  Navigating each world will take you across weaving, winding paths and through many visually different areas.  Cal is an expert climber and can scramble up the sides of certain vertical paths.  His ability to slow objects also frequently comes in handy as he is often required to traverse huge moving pieces of machinery.  There are also many times where Cal finds himself sliding down muddy or icy paths (a skating-like feeling) and you have to steer him through it.  One of the nice parts about each map is that you can unlock certain doors and create shortcuts that make returning to an area in the future much easier.  Sure, it's linear, but it doesn't feel like it at all.

+ Challenging combat that requires a mastery of force skills and combat.  To be truly good at the combat you really can't just madly button mash--there are mechanics that require some attention.  Basic enemies can be mowed down, but the more elite classes (captains, inquisitors, and certain larger creatures) require a combination of skillful blocking, timing, and utilizing force abilities at the correct time--some enemies have a stamina bar which means that they won't be fully impacted by your force skills until you have depleted their stamina (which is accomplished through landing blows), so it requires some mindful timing.

There are many different types of enemies to face off against--each planet has its own unique wildlife that you will frequently tangle with--you definitely shouldn't write off the creatures though; the larger varieties can present some difficulty.  The bulk of the combat in the game takes place against a wide array of Empire-style baddies--an array of stormtrooper style soldiers (but with more variety including those who wield a rocket launcher, a minigun-style weapon, and flamethrowers).  Sometimes these groups of stormtroopers will be accompanied by a captain who has more advanced combat skills.  You'll also run into the black-clad inquisitors who present more of a challenge--there are multiple varieties and each is armed with a particular set of weapons that requires you to change up your fighting style.  You'll also encounter some larger, more robotic enemies.

Of course, the ultimate combat challenge are the boss fights.  In the course of the campaign you face off against numerous powerful bosses that require you to utilize all your skills.  Like any good boss fight, you'll die several times before you figure out the pattern or the correct skills to use.  I found the boss fights to be good challenges, but nothing that feels impossible.

+ Multiple difficulty levels.  If you want to just focus on the story and exploration, you can opt for story mode.  If you want to prove yourself the ultimate jedi-badass you can crank it up to Jedi Master level.  I opted for the second highest difficulty, am admittedly horrible at the combat, and managed to finish it.

+ Exploration is optional.  If you just want to advance through the main story, it's doable.  Sprinkled throughout each map are numerous chests and secrets.  The chests mostly contain cosmetic items, so skipping them isn't a big deal.  If you do opt to mostly skip the chests and other exploration there is a good chance that you will miss out on the force and health essences which are also hidden.  Gathering three of each type of essence will increase your total force (allowing you to use your force abilities more often) or health.

+ Customizable lightsaber.  Part of the fun of finding chests is unlocking new looks for Cal's lightsaber.  You can swap out several different parts, the material (you can find many different kinds of metals with varying colors), and you can change the color!  It's weirdly enjoyable.

+ If cosmetic items are your jam, exploration can yield a wide array of options for personalizing Cal's look, BD-1's paint job, and also the appearance of the Mantis (the ship that Cal joins/is rescued by).

+ Cal Kestis is a familiar face.  If you're a fan of semi-smutty television shows you'll quickly recognize the protagonist--the character model and actor are none other than Ian from Shameless!  I was surprised by this fact (I guess I didn't glance too closely at the game art) but found him to be a good fit.

BD-1 is your cute droid companion.

+ BD-1 is adorable.  Cute droids are a staple of the Star Wars formula and one that I heartily approve of and will never tire of.

+ Photo mode!  I love snapping screenshots and there are numerous filters and settings to play with.

+ Great action sequences and some unexpected moments.

+ Collectibles.  You can stock the terrarium on the Mantis with different types of seeds you find during your travels.  You can also unlock databan entries through Cal's unique ability to sense force echoes that reveal information about an object.  The databank helps to flesh out information about the characters and settings.

+ Light puzzling.  There are several puzzle-like scenarios throughout the game.  They aren't too terribly challenging and can generally be figured out with a bit of experimentation.  One cool feature that they added is the ability to ask BD-1 for a hint if you get stuck.

Cons:

- Controller recommended.  Upon first booting up the game I was prompted that it's best to use a controller.  You can play with mouse and keyboard (I might try it in the future) if you choose.  (Maybe I can blame my horribleness of having to use a controller--it usually takes me a little bit to get the hang of it--but the controls really aren't too bad).  If you're a mouse and keyboard purist, you might have problems.

- Irritating camera/lock-on controls.  Maybe this goes a little bit hand-in-hand with using a controller, but I found myself often frustrated by the camera angles during combat.  You can lock onto an enemy and the camera will focus on it--theoretically the camera should then automatically lock onto the next closest enemy when you kill your current target.  That isn't always the case and I found my camera often wedged in an inconvenient location.  It can be particularly frustrating during fights with groups of enemies.

- Chests/hidden areas are not marked on your map.  I'm not saying that they should automatically appear on the map, but I was frustrated that even if you visually found a chest (early in the game there are certain chests that can't be opened and require an upgrade found later) that it wasn't marked for later.  The map does conveniently allow you to hover over each distinct section and tells you how many chests and secrets there are for that particular area--this is very handy, but it would be so much better if it would mark them!  Most people who 100% are probably going to look up a guide.

- Main story isn't anything particularly memorable.  This is where the negative part of the Star Wars formula kicks in for me--you'll undoubtedly have a character with some sort of inner lightside/darkside conflict, you'll have characters who doubt themselves and have to fall to an ultimate low only to rise up ten times stronger...you know, the typical stuff.

- Multiple launchers if you buy it on Steam--it will have to launch through Origin...so irritating!

Recommendation:

Even though the story isn't anything particularly special, I found the gameplay to be quite enjoyable.  Exploring beautiful worlds and using fun jedi abilities to defeat enemies is the highlight.  The game is a bit on the shorter side, so I would recommend trying to grab it on sale (it goes on sale fairly frequently).