The wait is over! Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm revealed a ton of new details and insights about the upcoming video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.
We’ve got an hour-long panel from Star Wars Celebration 2019 to dissect, an awesome story trailer and so much information, insights and behind the scenes, not to forget we also got a release date for the game as well! Sit back and enjoy the read. Videos are attached at the bottom of the article!
The most important thing to take out of the panel: This is a jedi fantasy STORY game. No multiplayer, no microtransactions, no distractions.
This is a STORY-driven game. No multiplayer, no microtransactions!
Many from the team of Respawn Entertainment are behind such games as Apex Legends, Medal of Honor, Titanfall, Call of Duty and more. This team is, as they said it themselves on the stage, a mashup of different developers, but one thing binds them all together – their passion for Star Wars.
Jedi Fallen Order has been in development for several years. 2014 was briefly mentioned, but it is rumored that the actual development has been happening in the last two years.
The game is an action melee game in which you play as a Jedi on the run. It takes place after Order 66 and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. You play as a Padawan, who survives those events. The combat is a pivotal part of the game. It’s easy to pick up, but hard to master. It is not about mashing keys or buttons. Respawn Entertainment are calling it internally “thoughtful combat”. This means that you have to think what you do, which ability you use, what enemy you approach and how. You have to identify the weaknesses of your enemies and exploit them by being smart and creative.
The game is introducing a lot of new characters and planets to the Star Wars universe. This is going to be a canon story, meaning what happens will be reflecting on future games, comics and Star Wars content in general. Jedi Fallen Order is set in a dark time. The Empire is at its highest. The Jedi are gone, nearly extinct.
The main character’s name is Cal Kestis. He is played by actor Cameron Monaghan, who you may know from the TV Show Gotham. Matt Michnovetz (writer for Clone Wars and Rebels) is responsible for Cal’s story. Cal is hiding in plain sight on a planet called Bronco, located in the Mid Rim. He’s a part of the Scrapper Guild, tearing apart derelict Starships, mostly decommissioned capital ships from the Clone Wars. The Dark times after Order 66 are shaping Cal’s behavior. He keeps his head down, trying to remain invisible and not stand out from the crowd. He cannot trust anybody with the secret of being trained as a Jedi. Eventually he will learn to trust a select few, gain new allies and companions, who will help him persist through failure and attempt to bring the Order of the Jedi back from the ashes.
All of the main character’s lines and animations/performances are done with motion capture. Cameron came up on the stage for the panel to share some insights of how this process goes, how unique and different it is to be doing it and later realize how things get transformed into gameplay and cinematics. He admitted that this was his first video game as a performer, but he’s a passionate gamer and a huge Star Wars fan.
Cameron also spoke about the lightsaber of his character. There is a very personal and special story related to that lightsaber. We will have to wait for the game to be released to learn more about it. Resapwn’s game director pointed out that the hilt we saw in the trailer may not actually be Cal’s own lightsaber.
One of the bag guys from the trailed was confirmed to be the very same Second Sister Inquisitor that appears in Darth Vader issue 19 comic book. She is a female individual who serves during the reign of the Galactic Empire under Darth Vader.
Wookieepedia reveals a bit more of her back story: “Before becoming an Inquisitor, the individual was a member of the Jedi Order who eventually fell to the dark side of the Force, becoming part of the Inquisitorius. Years after Order 66, the Inquisitor was present at the Inquisitorius Headquarters alongside the Grand Inquisitor, Seventh Sister, Fifth Brother, Eighth Brother a female Inquisitor and a Twi’lek Inquisitor. The helmeted Inquisitor stood beside a table where two of the Inquisitors toasted to the death of Eeth Koth during a mission and as they began discussing what Darth Vader would do after all the Jedi were dead.”
BD1 is a new droid pet that follows Cal and plays the role of a companion to the main character. It was revealed on the panel that there are some intense and valuable moments and conversations between the two of them. The game creators insist that BD1 is not a side-kick, but equal to Cal. One of BD1’s tools is called Spotlight. It can be upgraded (hint that the game will not be just an action story adventure, but some form of upgrading and customization will also be available). The sounds for the droid are coming from none other but Ben Burtt! The original creator of the entire Star Wars soundscapes.
The image above shows one of the support characters – Seer (I couldn’t catch the name of the character, will confirm later), played by Deborah Wilson – a former Jedi Knight. She takes the role of a mentor to Cal. They don’t have a traditional Padawan and Master relationship. Instead they both belong to a group that bands together and turns into a strange small family, as Cameron himself described it on the panel.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order introduces a new type of Trooper – the Purge Trooper. They are an elite group of soldiers, trained specifically to investigate, find and fight the remaining Jedi. They also report to the Inquisitors, who would then join the hunt to end the Jedi. The Purge troopers are designed by Respawn Entertainment’s team, but they are a product that’s result of a collaboration that also involves Lucasfilm and Marvel in which comic series these troopers have already been featured a little.
That’s all fun and all, but WHEN! When do we get to play this game? Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order releases on November 15, 2019. It will be available at the same time for the three major platforms – PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Before I leave you to enjoy the trailer and full panel videos, I would like to share a few thoughts with you. As a huge Star Wars: The force Unleashed fan, I am constantly trying to make a connection between that game and Jedi Fallen Order. I don’t know if it’s because I have been waiting for such a story game for almost ten years or because what we know after today, really points us into that direction. Jedi Fallen Order is a melee action game from third person. It is a strictly single player story experience. No multiplayer, no dreaded mictotransactions, nothing really scary. A few big names are involved in crafting the story, including the official Lucasfilm story group. This should guarantee us a true and long-awaited Star Wars adventure.
To be honest with you, guys, I had my doubts. Jedi Fallen Order has been developed by a studio that is not exactly known for its storytelling. The game has been engulfed with secrecy and mystics since its surprising reveal. Now, however, after we got to see the trailer, hear some of the developers and cast and got the confirmation of the game’s real genre and orientation, I am starting to build up my hype. How about you?
STAR WARS: JEDI FALLEN ORDER FIRST TRAILER
The first trailer we got to see was a story-based piece, rendered with the game’s engine. It does not feature raw gameplay, but is still representative of what and why you are going to do.
STAR WARS: JEDI FALLEN ORDER PANEL | SW CELEBRATION 2019
If you’ve got an hour available, take that time to check out the full panel. I did my best to recap all the highlights and details, but there are a few smaller things that the most hard-core fans might want to know as well!
