Summary
The recently releasedStar Wars Jedi: Survivordid well to bring the massively popular franchise to new pastures while maintaining the core tenets of the IP. While a lot ofStar Warsgames have remained quite rigid in what framework of gameplay they explore, this release proved that the franchise can broaden its horizons in games.
Following the success ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, the IP may be more comfortable in taking even greater deviations from what it has already explored in the gaming medium. With this in mind, it might be time forStar Warsto take a brave plunge into the world of expansive Souls-like releases even more thanFallen OrderandSurvivoralready have.
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The Unique Gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Of course, the recentStar Wars Jedi: Survivormaintained a lot of the same core gameplay as its predecessor,Fallen Order. These titles showcase a much more grounded approach to controlling a single Jedi, removed from the morebombastic elements seen in the likes ofThe Force Unleashed.
Because of this,Fallen OrderandSurvivorhave a greater level of consistent difficulty, offering some of the most challenging sequences for the IP in gaming. Like its predecessor,Survivorfeatures boss battlesand open areas that can be explored at a pace set by the player. These areas can be explored numerous times, with enemies respawning upon fresh visits to a location, having a lot of similarities to the winning Souls-like games by FromSoftware.
The combat ofSurvivoris also quite unique for aStar Warsgame, blending a mix of blaster and lightsaber combat within a single character if players chose. With the more grounded nature of the title’s overall combat requiring a greater level of focus in the way of parrying and timing attacks, this formula could easily be tweaked in the pursuit of an ambitious and fully dedicatedStar WarsSouls-like.
What a Full-Blown Star Wars Souls-Like Could Look Like
The Souls-like genre is becoming increasingly popular in the mainstream gaming space, withreleases likeElden Ringdominating the industry. While the formula of theJedigames is a good launching point, some tweaks are needed for a more comprehensive and faithfulSoulsexperience. Respawn’s twoJedigames have an incredible amount of Souls-like mechanics that clearly categorize it as one, but it still leans more toward a traditional action-adventure genre due to the other features that make up its gameplay loop, such as platforming.
AStar WarsSouls-like could be set on a single planet, perhaps one that has been largely unexplored in other media for the franchise. This would allow a thorough amount of lore to be put into the game’s chosen location, with implicit world-building being a major element of theSoulsformula. Of course, combat in aStar Warsgame such as this would have to be even harder, with a kind of forgotten Sith planet being the perfect location to foster these kinds of enemies.
If this potential project maintains the sameblaster combat ofSurvivor, then it could boast a unique blend ofDark SoulsandBloodborneelements, with lightsaber combat of course still taking center stage. The protagonist of the release could start off stranded with no equipment, having to scavenge the ancient relics of the planet for rudimentary lightsabers and armor before finding more efficient gear. InElden Ringfashion, the planet could also be open world and the player could choose from a multitude of varied builds that may not even include a lightsaber.
A lot ofStar Warsmedia runs the risk of sharing too many similarities between one another, despite the franchise fostering such a wide range of eras and stories. With this in mind, aStar WarsSouls-like seems like a logical game-changer for the IP given the groundwork that has already been laid bySurvivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions in development.
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