Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
I’m a Star Wars fan and if you are, too, I think you’ll enjoy this game as much as I did. The main technical issue I ran into was with two cut scenes that occur on a certain planet (it starts with the letter “K”). One had choppy video and the audio in another was out of sync with the video. I found out that even people with better hardware still experienced this, so you should probably expect this, too, but it’s not a game-breaking issue and there were only two cut scenes with these issues. I also noticed very brief video choppiness while exiting hyperspace twice, but it was very minor. Other than that, the game ran very well for me on Epic settings. I ran it at my default resolution of 1920X1200 and locked at 60FPS w/ VSync.
Part of what makes this game great, is that it lets you experience being a Jedi. You don’t start with all the skills, but you’ll gain experience and be able to spend points towards abilities. In the end, I unlocked all but one of them. There were some things I got to do that felt really awesome. I loved deflecting blaster fire and sending it back to the shooter. This is something you see in Star Wars movies and it’s so fun to be able to do. Cal also has the ability to basically slow time, so when someone shot a rocket at me, I got to slow it down and Force throw it right back. It’s also fun to Force throw enemies off an edge or into another enemy. You can also Force pull an enemy towards you and hit them in a specific way when they’re close enough. I also liked being able to throw the lightsaber. One cool thing you can do with the double light saber is throw it and it spins in a circle around you, which is really good for when you’re surrounded.
Speaking of the double lightsaber, you can get it early in the game. Once you’re done with the first planet, you’ll have two options, one is easier than the other. You’ll want to go to the planet that starts with “D” (remember, no spoilers!). There’s a certain area there where you can get it, so I recommend reading watching a video about how to collect it. You can at any time switch between it an a single lightsaber.
The game is challenging, even on the second (default) setting. You can change the difficulty at any time in the settings options. I decided I was tired of dying, so I changed it to the lowest difficulty and this let me enjoy the game more.
I think the story is good. You may not be aware of Cal, but he was a Padawan of Jedi Master Jaro Tapal. Order 66 was a tragedy for him, to say the least. If you watch The Bad Batch, you’ll briefly see him make a brief appearance. Eventually in the game, you’ll see first hand what happened between the two and why you Cal is on Bracca, the junkyard planet, when you start the game.
The beginning is, interesting. Your droid boss has you and a co-worker go do something, but getting there is dangerous. In doing so, you’ll learn the mechanics for getting around in the game, such as jumping, running, climbing, etc. There’s much of that in the game. It’s not too bad. Eventually you’ll be able to do more things, like climb specific walls and climb faster.
On some planets, you’ll come across places you might not be able to reach until you gain a certain ability. These abilities are not skills you unlock in the skill tree, but they unlock during certain points in the game. Some of these include the ability to run along the side of a wall or being able to jump farther with a flip. Because you don’t start out with all of these abilities, you may want to revisit a planet once you obtain them, because there are many “secrets” hidden throughout each area. One of Cal’s Force abilities is to sense an “echo.” By touching something he can get a sense of something that happened and hear voices. These will add small database entries that add to the lore. You’ll also find boxes you can open, which contain customizations for your lightsaber, outfit, poncho, BD-1, and the Mantis. Some boxes can’t be opened until BD-1 gets an ability. Oh and there are also puzzles, some of which require certain abilities to solve (like being able to Force push).
Speaking of which, BD-1 is your little droid buddy. It’s a really cool droid that becomes Cal’s best friend, you’ll find it at the beginning of the game. It’s a nice little companion that can open those boxes I mentioned, scan areas in the environment, which can contribute to the lore, and also scan enemies, which will give you some information about them. I really love BD-1. As I mentioned, it’ll gain new abilities as you progress, which makes revisiting a planet a good idea.
The Mantis is the starship you’ll be riding in. The customizations you unlock for it are just paint jobs. It’s where Cal lives, pretty much, with others. Initially, there will be two others. You can also find “secret” seeds throughout the game, which Cal can plant. These plants are used by the pilot for food, but that’s just a bit of dialogue stuff and not really important. You will find the star map in the ship, a place to meditate, and a place to customize your lightsaber.
Speaking of meditation, there are spots in areas where you can “meditate.” Basically, this gives you access to the skill tree and allows you to rest, which will not only restore your HP, but also respawn enemies. You don’t have to “rest,” but these points are there so you can save your game.
There’s not much to say about customizing your lightsaber, but you’ll unlock different models of the different parts in those boxes I mentioned. I didn’t find many customizations that I was particularly fond of, but I’m just glad I found the blue paint jobs for BD-1, the Mantis, and lightsaber. I also found a blue poncho, so I was happy with all of that.
This is a first person, action, combat game. There are some cut scenes and some planets to visit. If you’ve watched Star Wars movies and The Clone Wars, you should recognize at least a couple planets.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I do recommend playing it with a controller. I used the Xbox One controller I specifically bought for PC gaming and it worked well. You can play with the keyboard and mouse, though. Also, if you get the game on Steam, you’ll have to install Origin and sign into (or create) an account. However, it’s still linked to Steam, so you can access the overlay (or web browser) the same way you’re used to or you can do so the Origin way. You’ll unlock achievements in both Origin and Steam.
I got the game recently at a discount and I got the “deluxe edition,” which seems to include some of those customizations I mentioned along with some extra stuff like developer commentary (it’s not devs talking over your game play, just some videos). I think if you like Star Wars, you should definitely get this. I think you’ll enjoy it.
The only reason I’m not giving this an outstanding Cheerful Ghost rating is because of the two issues I had with those cut scenes I mentioned. Overall, I still think it’s a great game and worth playing. You’ll see some cameos, too, so be sure to finish the game!
Part of what makes this game great, is that it lets you experience being a Jedi. You don’t start with all the skills, but you’ll gain experience and be able to spend points towards abilities. In the end, I unlocked all but one of them. There were some things I got to do that felt really awesome. I loved deflecting blaster fire and sending it back to the shooter. This is something you see in Star Wars movies and it’s so fun to be able to do. Cal also has the ability to basically slow time, so when someone shot a rocket at me, I got to slow it down and Force throw it right back. It’s also fun to Force throw enemies off an edge or into another enemy. You can also Force pull an enemy towards you and hit them in a specific way when they’re close enough. I also liked being able to throw the lightsaber. One cool thing you can do with the double light saber is throw it and it spins in a circle around you, which is really good for when you’re surrounded.
Speaking of the double lightsaber, you can get it early in the game. Once you’re done with the first planet, you’ll have two options, one is easier than the other. You’ll want to go to the planet that starts with “D” (remember, no spoilers!). There’s a certain area there where you can get it, so I recommend reading watching a video about how to collect it. You can at any time switch between it an a single lightsaber.
The game is challenging, even on the second (default) setting. You can change the difficulty at any time in the settings options. I decided I was tired of dying, so I changed it to the lowest difficulty and this let me enjoy the game more.
I think the story is good. You may not be aware of Cal, but he was a Padawan of Jedi Master Jaro Tapal. Order 66 was a tragedy for him, to say the least. If you watch The Bad Batch, you’ll briefly see him make a brief appearance. Eventually in the game, you’ll see first hand what happened between the two and why you Cal is on Bracca, the junkyard planet, when you start the game.
The beginning is, interesting. Your droid boss has you and a co-worker go do something, but getting there is dangerous. In doing so, you’ll learn the mechanics for getting around in the game, such as jumping, running, climbing, etc. There’s much of that in the game. It’s not too bad. Eventually you’ll be able to do more things, like climb specific walls and climb faster.
On some planets, you’ll come across places you might not be able to reach until you gain a certain ability. These abilities are not skills you unlock in the skill tree, but they unlock during certain points in the game. Some of these include the ability to run along the side of a wall or being able to jump farther with a flip. Because you don’t start out with all of these abilities, you may want to revisit a planet once you obtain them, because there are many “secrets” hidden throughout each area. One of Cal’s Force abilities is to sense an “echo.” By touching something he can get a sense of something that happened and hear voices. These will add small database entries that add to the lore. You’ll also find boxes you can open, which contain customizations for your lightsaber, outfit, poncho, BD-1, and the Mantis. Some boxes can’t be opened until BD-1 gets an ability. Oh and there are also puzzles, some of which require certain abilities to solve (like being able to Force push).
Speaking of which, BD-1 is your little droid buddy. It’s a really cool droid that becomes Cal’s best friend, you’ll find it at the beginning of the game. It’s a nice little companion that can open those boxes I mentioned, scan areas in the environment, which can contribute to the lore, and also scan enemies, which will give you some information about them. I really love BD-1. As I mentioned, it’ll gain new abilities as you progress, which makes revisiting a planet a good idea.
The Mantis is the starship you’ll be riding in. The customizations you unlock for it are just paint jobs. It’s where Cal lives, pretty much, with others. Initially, there will be two others. You can also find “secret” seeds throughout the game, which Cal can plant. These plants are used by the pilot for food, but that’s just a bit of dialogue stuff and not really important. You will find the star map in the ship, a place to meditate, and a place to customize your lightsaber.
Speaking of meditation, there are spots in areas where you can “meditate.” Basically, this gives you access to the skill tree and allows you to rest, which will not only restore your HP, but also respawn enemies. You don’t have to “rest,” but these points are there so you can save your game.
There’s not much to say about customizing your lightsaber, but you’ll unlock different models of the different parts in those boxes I mentioned. I didn’t find many customizations that I was particularly fond of, but I’m just glad I found the blue paint jobs for BD-1, the Mantis, and lightsaber. I also found a blue poncho, so I was happy with all of that.
This is a first person, action, combat game. There are some cut scenes and some planets to visit. If you’ve watched Star Wars movies and The Clone Wars, you should recognize at least a couple planets.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I do recommend playing it with a controller. I used the Xbox One controller I specifically bought for PC gaming and it worked well. You can play with the keyboard and mouse, though. Also, if you get the game on Steam, you’ll have to install Origin and sign into (or create) an account. However, it’s still linked to Steam, so you can access the overlay (or web browser) the same way you’re used to or you can do so the Origin way. You’ll unlock achievements in both Origin and Steam.
I got the game recently at a discount and I got the “deluxe edition,” which seems to include some of those customizations I mentioned along with some extra stuff like developer commentary (it’s not devs talking over your game play, just some videos). I think if you like Star Wars, you should definitely get this. I think you’ll enjoy it.
The only reason I’m not giving this an outstanding Cheerful Ghost rating is because of the two issues I had with those cut scenes I mentioned. Overall, I still think it’s a great game and worth playing. You’ll see some cameos, too, so be sure to finish the game!
