"EA's Best Apology Is a Soulslite With a Lightsaber"
About
You play as Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan hiding from the Empire, as you travel across hostile planets seeking a way to restore the Jedi Order. Combat revolves around lightsaber dueling and Force powers like pushing, pulling, and slowing time, with exploration and platforming linking combat encounters together. You'll unlock new abilities and equipment throughout your journey that grant access to previously unreachable areas, creating an interconnected world to gradually uncover.
Verdict
Fallen Order borrows the deflect-and-parry rhythm of Sekiro and the locked-door backtracking of Metroid, then wraps both in the most convincing Star Wars atmosphere in years. The combat clicks once the parry timing lands, but the map design and missing fast travel turn its best exploration ideas into a chore by the back half.
You'll like it if …
- +you enjoy reading enemy patterns and earning a parry rhythm before combat opens up
- +you love slowly uncovering an interconnected world and returning to old planets for newly-reachable secrets
- +you want a Star Wars story carried by atmosphere and characters over plot surprises
You'll dislike it if …
- −you have no patience for backtracking across multi-level maps without fast travel
- −you want deep, evolving systems rather than abilities that mainly unlock paths
- −you replay games for new mechanics rather than completionist collectible hunts
Breakdown
- +Deflecting blaster bolts and timing parries feels genuinely satisfying once the rhythm clicks
- +Lightsaber-and-Force interplay rewards players who learn to read enemy patterns
- +Interconnected planets create a sense of gradual world discovery
- −Grand Master difficulty shrinks parry windows until deflection stops feeling worth attempting
- −No fast travel turns completionist backtracking across Zeffo into busywork
- +Metroidvania structure pulls you back to old planets for newly-reachable secrets
- +20-to-30 hour single-player adventure with solid content density
- −Confusing multi-level maps hide collectibles behind abilities you get hours later
- −Most players finish and move on rather than chasing 100% completion
- +Cal Kestis grows into a character players actually care about
- +BD-1 is the rare companion droid that earns its screen time
- +Post-Order 66 atmosphere and emotional sincerity carry predictable plot beats
- +Environment art is striking and consistent across planets, carrying the atmosphere
- +Score maintains the actual Star Wars musical identity, making the galaxy feel real
- +Runs well on modest hardware and holds up on Steam Deck
- −Traversal stutter is a recurring complaint regardless of hardware demands
- −Mandatory EA launcher adds friction to an otherwise clean port
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