At this time marks the one-year anniversary of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order by EA and developer Respawn Leisure. The ultimate installment within the Jedi trilogy is already some methods in growth and gained’t be anticipated till as far down as 2027 (by way of Comedian Ebook). Contemplating that Star Wars month can also be about to start this Wednesday (and Star Wars Day on Saturday, Might 4), it is a good time to have a look again on the reveal and launch for Jedi Survivor. As we achieve this, I’ll be giving a few of my private ideas over the sport’s highway to launch and past.
The Reveal
The World Premiere Trailer for Jedi Survivor was held on the night of December 8, 2022 at The Sport Awards. The reveal trailer opened up with a view of a mysterious one armed determine floating inside a bacta tank earlier than the brand new character was proven waking up and being freed by the sport’s major character Jedi Cal Kestis (performed by Cameron Monaghan) and his droid companion BD-1. Following this intro shot, viewers had been greeted with new characters reminiscent of Magna Guards and different battle droids, the crime syndicate often known as the Haxion Brood and Imperial Stormtroopers, together with returning characters together with Cal’s outdated Jedi Grasp Cere Junda. In actual fact, I keep in mind watching The Sport Awards when this trailer premiered, and getting caught off-guard when the trailer began, as I assumed the brand new character within the bacta tank was a bodily prop on the present’s stage.
With out stepping into an excessive amount of element over the sport’s story, Jedi Survivor does happen a number of years after 2019’s Jedi Fallen Order. Contemplating the brand new enemies that Cal Kestis faces in Jedi Survivor, it’s for sure that his combat in opposition to the Galactic Empire continues within the sequel. A lot has modified in the course of the years because the occasions of Jedi Fallen Order, and never simply judging by Cere Junda’s new Jedi outfit in a single transient shot of her reunion with Cal. The World Premiere Trailer does reveal fast photographs of the brand new places the sport explores in addition to some new gameplay/fight mechanics (once more, not stepping into an excessive amount of element). In the direction of the top of the trailer, the sport truly had a unique launch date versus the April 28 launch day (extra on that coming in a bit).
Jedi Survivor’s reveal trailer ended with a March 17 launch date (yep, St. Patrick’s Day), however that’s not all. Proper because the trailer ended, Cameron Monaghan himself gave an thrilling stay look on the Sport Award stage, accompanied by the sport’s major theme melody and exhibiting off Cal Kestis’s lightsaber. Cameron would then give a brief speech to excite the viewers in anticipation of Jedi Survivor’s launch just a few months away. What a stay entrance certainly, Mr. Monaghan!
A Slight Delay
As talked about above, Jedi Survivor didn’t make it’s March 2023 launch date. So what precisely occurred? On EA’s official web site for the sport, the announcement was made on January 31 that Jedi Survivor was being given a six week delay to April 28:
To ensure that the staff to hit the Respawn high quality bar, present the staff the time they want, and obtain the extent of polish our followers deserve, we’ve got added six essential weeks to our launch schedule – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will now launch globally on April twenty eighth.
Because of EA and Respawn for giving us the time to ship the perfect expertise for our gamers, and to all of you in your understanding.
Might the Drive be with you.
To not fear, proper? It was solely a month and a half delay. This was alright with me, because the delay purchased me a number of additional weeks to avoid wasting up my $70 for the sport. Certainly the six week delay would give the devs additional time to iron out some any additional glitches that they could have been going through on the time. Although trying again, I recall that The Mandalorian Season 3 premiered on Disney+ firstly of March and the identical with The Unhealthy Batch Season 2 quickly wrapping up round Jedi Survivor’s authentic meant launch day. So, particularly for The Mandalorian Season 3’s premiere, may this have been a secret trigger for Jedi Survivor’s delay… or was this simply pure hypothesis (or a coincidence)?
I Sense A Disturbance In The Drive
Round just a few days or so earlier than the April 28 launch day, I pre-ordered my copy of Jedi Survivor on PlayStation 5. I used to be excited to await my pre-order being delivered, and it did get to me not too lengthy afterward April 30. However earlier than then, Jedi Survivor was lastly launched on April 28. Lengthy story brief, the sequel was given a variety of general reward for the gameplay being a big enchancment from Jedi Fallen Order. Although relying on who you ask (The Verge is one instance), the sport’s story might have been a weaker level to a sure diploma.
However regardless of the general constructive evaluations Jedi Survivor has garnered, launch day held one main disappointment — efficiency points. Jedi Survivor was yet one more instance of recent video video games with damaged launches, particularly for the PC port, on this case. The sport launched with a plethora of efficiency points, reminiscent of recreation crashes and unstable body charges that not even the Efficiency Mode possibility may fully repair.
Personally, these glitches weren’t as extreme on my PS5 copy of Jedi Survivor. Whereas I did expertise the unstable body charges and recreation crashes, not less than the latter had been fewer and extra spaced out. Some body tearing was noticeable when panning the digicam and a few ranges, such because the Shattered Moon, had worse framerate than others.
I nonetheless general loved my playthrough after getting my copy delivered. But, this was the beginning of the highway of wanted patches. Whereas I may solely think about how a lot worse Jedi Survivor’s launch may have been if the six week delay by no means occurred, it’s unlucky that the delay didn’t repair much more of those efficiency points. To keep away from such a damaged launch, Respawn and EA ought to have given the sport a fair longer delay, maybe releasing the sport nearer to November 2023, much like how Fallen Order was launched again in November 2019.
A minimum of Star Wars followers had an additional one thing to assist maintain them over whereas they hope for the patches to finally stabilize the sport’s efficiency. For the Star Wars Day 2023 celebration, Mark Hamill (finest often known as Luke Skywalker himself) teamed up with Cameron Monaghan on this Might 4 promotion for Jedi Survivor:
Steady Body Charges At Final
Jedi Survivor did obtain a number of updates within the following months, progressively fixing the glitches and bettering the in-game body charges all through all platforms together with PC. Some patches had been main, whereas others had been minor updates. However lastly on September 5, Patch 7 lastly made Jedi Survivor run with stable 60 FPS, significantly on Efficiency Mode. I used to be so hyped to lastly in a position to play the sport with easy and steady body charges.
Closing Ideas
Not an excessive amount of has occurred with Jedi Survivor since Patch 7. Solely a few newer patches had been made thus far since September 5, with the newest patch launched earlier this 12 months on January 11. Nonetheless, it was shocking information to listen to that EA has eventual plans for final -gen ports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (in keeping with IGN), however no official announcement for a launch date has been made, as of but. Maybe their launch dates can be introduced subsequent month throughout all of the Star Wars celebrations?
Up till this level, I’ve solely pre-ordered just a few video games, however Jedi Survivor’s buggy launch did make me suppose twice on pre-ordering any extra sooner or later. This additionally contains reconsidering pre-orders of comparably smaller video games from respected franchises or builders. The latter has finally been confirmed because of (for the upteenth time) the damaged launch of Star Wars: Battlefront Basic Assortment. To be fairly sincere, I haven’t even purchased my copy for the Basic Assortment, as I nonetheless am ready for additional fixes earlier than I can consider lastly making my buy.
In actual fact, it’s been fairly some time since I performed Jedi Survivor. The beginning of Star Wars month will quickly give me an ideal alternative to leap again right into a Galaxy Far Far Away as soon as extra with Cal Kestis and crew. Good factor all the key fixes give me a way more pleasing time enjoying Jedi Survivor, in comparison with how my expertise may have been had I purchased the Battlefront Basic Assortment since its launch week.
What do you consider Jedi Survivor a 12 months after launch? How was your expertise with the sport like? Tell us under!