I’ve playedStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’sCoruscant heist opening multiple times at this point, and every time I play it, I can’t help but think about what could’ve been withStar Wars1313,the franchise’s most infamous canceled game.
The idea of anUncharted-like game aboutBoba Fettfighting throughout the Coruscant underworld is such an excellent pitch that I’ve grieved the loss of a game I never even had a chance to play for over a decade. Playing throughSurvivor’sopening doesn’t elicit feelings of disappointment about1313, though. Instead, I feel happy that at least some fraction of that idea was able to be realized.
Survivor’sMetroidanvia-like level design and Lightsaber-and-Force-based combat are much different than what was promised from1313. However, theidea of cleverly climbing and fighting across a seedy-looking level of Coruscant during a heist was still realized. Reflecting on the lost project ahead of this year’sStar Wars Day, I had a revelation about Respawn Entertainment’s latest game.Despite technically being a sequel to justFallen Order,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorfeels like the culmination of over a decade ofStar Warsgames, both released and canceled, that came before.
A walk through Star Wars gaming history
Growing up, two of my favorite video games were the originalStar Wars: Battlefront IIandStar Wars: The Force Unleashed. To this day, 2005’sBattlefront IIis my favorite game of all time, not only because of all the great memories that I had with it but also because it feels like an authentic Star Wars simulator where multiple eras, planets, and characters are preserved in incredible detail.Survivorfeels like it has the same keen attention to detail.
Players may not visit as many planets as they do inBattlefront II,but each location inSurvivoris densely packed with content and immaculately packed with detailed environments and characters that faithfully represent theHigh Republic, prequel, and Imperial eras. While the aesthetics feel as detailed asBattlefront, the gameplay fantasy pulls more fromThe Force Unleashed.
LucasArts tookGod of War’sformula and applied it toStar Wars, and for years provided the best Force user power fantasy in gaming.Survivor’scombat is a lot more likeDark SoulsthanGod of War, but it’s one of very fewStar Warsgames sinceThe Force Unleashedthat achieves and maintains that enthralling Jedi power fantasy.The Force Unleashedfelt like LucasArts’ last greatStar Warshoorah before things sputtered out with a disappointing sequel,Star Wars Kinect, as well asStar Wars 1313‘s promising announcement and devastating cancelation.
Although LucasArts is gone, it left all the right ingredients for whoever would pick up theStar Warsvideo game mantle next, though it would take EA a while to get there.Survivorwould eventually take learnings from these earlier games, as well as EA’s rocky decade exclusively makingStar Warsgames.
The EA Star Wars Era
After obtaining the exclusiveStar Warsvideo game license in 2013, EA tried to reviveStar Wars Battlefront. While their games did match the immaculate detail of the original, both were rife with controversy. The first was derided for its lack of single-player content. Later, its sequel caused massive controversy at release because of its pay-to-win loot boxes. While EA moved quickly tomake them less intrusive, it sullied the reputation of the EA Star Wars era.
As this was all going on, a new game titledStar Wars 1313was in development at Visceral Games under Amy Hennig, one of the minds behind theUnchartedgames. The project was reportedly a linear single-player action-adventure game about smugglers, but it didn’t align with EA leadership’s vision for Star Wars games at the time,so it was canceled.
Star Wars fans did not take this hat trick of Star Wars gaming blunders lightly. Thankfully, change came in 2019 with Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. That title proved that an action-adventure Star Wars game about a ragtag group of survivors during the Empire’s reign was a good idea despite1313‘s unceremonious cancellation. Its success showed that there was a market for single-player Star Wars content.
Fallen Order’ssuccess only allowedSurvivorto getbigger and better in almost every way. It has better combat, a more complex story, more detailed and content-rich worlds to explore, and set pieces that make hardcore Star Wars fans like myself remember what came before.
Survivoris a Star Wars game that feels like it has learned something from every released and canceled title that came before it and is all the better because of that. We’re entering a new era of Star Wars, where EA no longer has exclusive rights to the franchise. New games are in the works at studios like Quantic Dream, Ubisoft, Zynga, and even Skydance New Media, where Amy Hennig isonce again working on a new game.
As we enter this new period of Star Wars gaming history,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,even with its flaws,seems like it could stand the test of time and be the pinnacle of what a modern Star Wars game should look like. It’s the treasure at the end of a long road of video game successes and failures.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
