Yahoo Finance Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release date, first trailer and gameplay details revealed - everything we know so far
Amid the hype over the first glimpse at Star Wars: Episode IX, gaming fans of that famed galaxy far, far away also have the most promising Star Wars title for years in the form of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Developed by Titanfall and Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order will be the first single-player focussed adventure based on the series for years. More recent Star Wars blockbuster games from publisher EA, such as Battlefront, have preferred multiplayer hijinks as the Empire and Rebellion skirmish in sprawling match-ups.
After the cancellation of both Star Wars 1313 and the action-adventure headed up by the now defunct Visceral Games, you would be forgiven for worrying that more focussed adventures in the Star Wars universe were off the menu.
No longer. Respawn boss Vince Zampella revealed at E3 2018 that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order would be a single-player game set shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith. And at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, we saw our first glimpse with a CGI trailer that revealed the gritty-looking Star Wars adventure that awaits. We haven’t seen any real gameplay in the wild yet, but here is everything we know so far about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
What is the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order story?
You will be playing as young padawan Cal Kestis, a Jedi apprentice on the run following Emperor Palpatine’s ‘Order 66’. The diktat comes at the end of Revenge of the Sith, ordering all Jedis to be wiped out. Only a few are left, scattered to the winds.
Cal is lying low with his faithful droid DB-1 and looking to dodge the sweeping eyes of the Empire, but that obviously doesn’t go according to plan. After exposing his force powers on the planet of Bracca, our young padawan finds himself hunted by Imperial Purge Troopers and the particularly persistent antagonist the Second Sister. An Imperial Inquisitor first introduced in the Darth Vader comics, the Second Sister has been tasked with Cal’s execution.
It is this threat that has forced Cal to awaken his incomplete Jedi powers, simply in order to survive. In the first teaser for the game, EA tweeted the tagline: “Don’t stand out”. This could have some interesting ramifications for gameplay, adding an element of stealth and diversion to the lightsaber action. Although don’t worry, we know for sure that laser-sword duelling will play a major part.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay
We haven’t seen any gameplay yet, but hopefully Respawn can translate the fabulously punchy gunplay found in Titanfall and Apex to fizzy, melee-based combat. The developer is calling Fallen Order primarily an ‘action melee’ game, with Cal finding a rickety old lightsaber to wield early on in the game.
“Players will use their Jedi training to create different melee combinations with an innovative lightsaber combat system and Force abilities,” EA said. “Players will also use traversal and other platforming abilities to strategically overcome opponents and solve puzzles in their path across this galaxy-spanning adventure.”
EA has said that the lightsaber will ‘grow and evolve’ as you progress through the game, while it sounds like Cal will naturally grow his force powers too. Game director Stig Asmussen said that many enemies will require specific approaches in ‘thoughtful combat’ as you unlock abilities; with a tantalising comparison to Nintendo classics The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.
“You really have to understand not only the enemy that you’re going up against, but the group of enemies, and they each have their own strengths, and they each have their own weaknesses. You have to figure out what tools that you have in your skill set to best take them down,” Asmussen told Press Start.
“A lot of it’s influenced by — If you look at a game like Zelda Wind Waker, as you get different abilities, each enemy is crafted in a certain way, or even Metroid — the enemies are crafted in a certain way that once you upgrade, you can think about how you’re going to approach them differently, and maybe they aren’t as big a challenge as they were at one point.”
EA has also made a big deal out of the fact that Fallen Order is absolutely a single-player game with no microtransactions of any kind. This is following the publisher’s oft-criticised public pivot to primarily multiplayer or service games; and the controversy over microtransactions and loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order developer
In many ways, what we know so far of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order feels like a notable departure for Respawn. This is a studio founded by the former heads of Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. It has thus far made its name on Titanfall and Apex Legends, two multiplayer focussed sci-fi first-person-shooters.
A single-player, third-person adventure doesn’t immediately sound in the team’s wheelhouse. However, the campaign for Titanfall 2 was one of the most inventive FPS single-player games in ages. Illustrious game designer Chris Avellone, who worked on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 with Obsidian, also confirmed he was involved with the game. As did God of War 3 director Stig Asmussen. With Respawn’s science-fiction grounding and a talented team at its disposal, there’s no reason it can’t make that transition.
What is also interesting from a technical perspective is that Fallen Order is being made with Epic’s Unreal Engine 4. The majority of EA’s game are made using the publisher’s proprietary Frostbite engine, which has come under criticism for being notoriously difficult to work with. Respawn seem to have swerved that obligation again, following the studio’s decision to build Apex Legends in Valve’s Source engine.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release date and platforms
EA and Respawn has confirmed that Fallen Order will release in ‘Fall 2019’ for PS4, Xbox One and PC. We expect a firm release date at the Star Wars Celebration reveal on 13 April.
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