After several years of disappointment by EA’s Battlefront reboot and its sequel, fans no longer seemed to trust Star Wars games. That changed when Respawn presented the world with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, an action-adventure RPG about a survivor of Order 66.
From the visuals to the gameplay, Fallen Order was a smash hit. It proved that single-player Star Wars games can still be great. Now, Fallen Order sits within the canon as a gem of a game. Is it flawless? No. With a sequel in the works, there are some rough edges that are hopefully buffed out in the follow-up.
10 Fix: More Boss Fights
Despite presenting itself as a Dark Souls-esque game, Fallen Order really doesn’t have that many boss fights. They are there and they are challenging; however, there are only about two big bosses per planet and a few random mini-bosses.
With this being a galaxy far, far away, there are tons of aliens, droids, and other threats that can be used as boss fights. Embrace that Dark Souls style and make each planet a gauntlet to traverse while delivering a great story.
9 Keep: Vast Planets
The planets in Fallen Order are a blast to explore. Not only are they beautiful, but they provide a Metroidvania-style adventure. This allows the player to come back later with new equipment and abilities to access different areas.
From Zeffo to Dathomir, every planet was unique with tons of puzzles and enemies to face. For casuals and completionists, the planets were easily some of the best aspects of Fallen Order. The only thing the sequel maybe could change is the number of planets, as you cannot have too much of a good thing.
8 Fix: Larger Skill Tree
Respawn made the refreshing decision to not turn Cal Kestis into a Force God. The upgrades in Fallen Order fit within the realms of the movies; anything that was new did not turn Cal into an overpowered Jedi like say The Force Unleashed games.
That being said, the skill tree could still be improved. Rather than new Force abilities, add more lightsaber combos for each lightsaber variation: single, double, and twin. A few new Force upgrades, more upgrades for BD-1, etc.
7 Keep: The Mantis Crew
Harking back to the original trilogy, Fallen Order had players falling in love with the characters. Cal is great, Greez is a lovable grouch, Cere is a strong but flawed mentor, and BD-1 is the most precious droid in Star Wars.
One thing that really shocked fans was how quickly the relationship between Cal and Merris was established, and it worked. Will Cal fall in love or will he blindly follow the Jedi Code.?
6 Fix: More Customization Options
Fallen Order delivered in the areas that mattered the most: the gameplay and story. This helped make up for the severe lack of customization. Granted, it was refreshing to be able to create a unique lightsaber hilt but even the lightsaber options were limited.
There were so few emitters yet there was an overabundant amount of lightsaber materials that rarely looked good. This needs to be improved with the sequel. Then there’s Cal himself; while the ponchos gave him a unique look, why not include options for a hooded cloak? Or Clone War armor? Even different hairstyles and facial hairs would have been refreshing.
5 Keep: A Star Wars Story
Fallen Order told a very personal story about a Jedi that also only fit perfectly in the Star Wars universe. It didn’t need to connect to the Skywalker Saga dramatically, it was its own disconnected tale.
If the sequel does branch more into the Skywalker Saga, that would be fine as long as the game has a well-told story from beginning to end. Fallen Order is considered one of the best Star Wars games due to its story; it proved that single-player Star Wars games are still alive and strong.
4 Fix: Fast Travel Is A Must
While the Metroidvania-style maps are awesome, at times, they can be a completionist’s nightmare. The maps are absolutely huge, which results in situations where a section is not fully explored or one chest has not been found.
Backtracking through the planets can be a bit of a pain, and fast traveling between meditation circles should have been a function post-story.
3 Keep: The Perfect Combat
Once again, Respawn made the genius choice of not making Cal into an unstoppable force of nature. Even a stormtrooper is able to kill the young Jedi, which results in combat that forces the player to be tactical with each encounter. Fallen Order’s combat is tricky to learn, and mastering how to parry is an absolute must.
Figuring out a foe’s weaknesses, depleting enemy stamina, and learning tricks make for some of the most satisfying lightsaber combat. Respawn should not nerf or drastically change the combat; at most, the studio only needs to expand upon it.
2 Fix: The Performance Issues
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a gorgeous game. In fact, the game could benefit from PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, as it runs very poorly in some spots.
Specifically, on Kashyyyk, the framerate drops a lot and the rendering can take a good thirty seconds at times. Then there are the loading times; during frustrating fights, having to wait up to two minutes for the game to reload is agonizing. Then the game would run buttery smooth on Zeffo. The sequel hopefully runs more consistently.
1 Keep: Darth Vader
In easily the game’s best sequence, Darth Vader appears to fight Cal Kestis. In a genius move from Respawn, there was no defeating Vader. The player is forced to run, almost like they are trying to escape a threat in a survival-horror game.
Now that Darth Vader has caught wind of Cal and the Mantis crew, he is not going to just let them go. When Vader gets involved, he becomes determined to hunt his prey. Naturally, fans are anticipating more encounters with Vader in the sequel.
NEXT: The 10 Toughest Enemies In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Ranked
