The plot is what you would expect from a basic Star Wars story. Go find one McGuffin to reach another McGuffin. I blanked out at some point during the expositions. The villains are not the most complicated bunch either. What’s interesting is the main character, BD-1 himself. His journey, his character development, and the relationships he builds with his sidekick Cal Kestis and the rest of the crew were really beautiful.
But honestly, the story is just the icing on the cake of fantastic gameplay. It’s not button-mashing like The Force Unleashed. You have to be very precise on when to go offense and defense. There are only a few core force powers and you have to be calculative about when and where to use them. Health and the force are limited, checkpoints are sparse and the enemies can be tricky. At earlier stages even fighting grunts like Stormtroopers can be a struggle. There’s a good range of enemy types, both imperial and native creatures. Of cause, there are some fun boss battles for you to fail and try again over and over. I played on Jedi Master Difficulty because I like pain and wanted to be what Anakin Skywalker isn’t.
Apart from combat, there are Tomb Raider-Esque areas where you have to climb and traverse the terrain and solve puzzles to reach the goal. Using the force to navigate through the world works really smooth. The game takes you to a few planets which can be freely explored. Each planet has its own lore to discover, ecosystems with amazing scenery, and horrific creatures to run away from.
There are some extra stuff too. Lightsaber customization is a really nice addition. I usually like character customization too but I wish there were more options than ponchos and not wearing a poncho. Cal looks so goofy when he’s wearing a poncho.
A few nitpicks: The 3D Holomap can be really confusing. I get they were trying to be unique but it’s difficult to read especially when there are floors above and below. Finding collectibles just for 100% completion is already tedious enough, but being forced to explore every single nook and cranny of every map of every planet is just ridiculous.
In short, this is a fantastic game for Star Wars fans and a fun challenge for fellow action game junkies. And can be a headache for completionists.
PS: Also there’s this certain new character; who made me feel things. And made want to become a better man. You’ll know who it is when you see ‘em...
RATE: 8/10
