Overview: Action-adventure game in the Star Wars universe set five years after Star Wars: Episode III.
20210306:
I recently wasted a good amount of progress (XP) while playing Path of Exile and the experience was enough to motivate me to take a break from the game. Looking for a new game to play, I decided to start Jedi: Fallen Order.
Setup: Started off playing UHQ (2560x1440) but only because I forgot that I had turned my resolution down for PoE. I later changed it to 4K (3840x2160). F510 gamepad. Difficulty: Jedi Knight (there are four difficulties: Story, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Grand Master). Normally I make sure the subtitles are on but today I'm keeping them to their default, off.
Gameplay Log:
During my first session, I played until the dodge and roll game mechanic was explained (B and B+B). (session 1, 35 minutes)
Later resumed and finished the train level. (session 2, 15 minutes)
Emphasizing to the player that Cere is in charge, Cere give the captain an order and he says "aye aye."
Bogano (session 3, 2 hours)
Finished the Tomb of Eilram on Zeffo. I tried to make my way back to the ship, but it was not obvious how I should do that. The world is very big (session 4, 2 hours)
First impressions:
I love the visuals in this game. With that being said, I haven't exactly been keeping up with modern games to know what to expect from AAA games.
I initially felt there was a lack of clarity on how the saves, but I later learned that the first real save point happens on Bogano. Prior to that, it's just a series of checkpoints. Quitting the game will put the player back at the previous checkpoint which in most cases is very little loss of progress.
The game feels really immersive. The camera system plays a large part of this immersion. Furthermore, the HUD is kept minimal with a life bar and a Jedi force bar.
Being nitpicky, the transition from cutscene to play could be made smoother. The obvious transition might be intentional to signal that a player can begin play, but I would prefer the immersive route.
The Metroidvania aspect of the game has been slightly overwhelming.
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours 50 minutes
20210307:
At some point today I switched the difficulty back to Jedi Knight, because Story Mode was beginning to be boring. I did, however, momentarily turn it back on for a difficult mini-boss (I only tried two or three times).
Gameplay Log:
Left Zeffo (@session 1, 23 min)
Missed the main objective (supposed to go to Kashyyyk) and revisitted Bogano
Left Bogano and went to Dathomire (again oblivious of the objective) (@session 1, 58 min)
Finally went to Kashyyyk (@session 1, 103 min)
The AT-ST Walker gameplay was straightforward but fun.
Pause first session after Saw Gerrera cutscene (session 1, 2 hours)
Go back to Zeffo (@session 2, 104 min)
Stuck at water turbine. Found solution on YouTube (@session 2, 147 min); my complaint after watching the first part of the solution is that nowhere in the game was that puzzle element conveyed (player-friendly puzzle design is seeded).
End second session at water turbine (session 2, 2 hours 35 minutes)
The battle with the second sister (@session 3, 36 min) ending at half the HP bar was expected.
Called it a night upon arriving inside the Origin Tree. (session 3, 3 hours 35 minutes)
Total Game Time: (today) 8 hours 10 minutes; (cumulative) 13 hours
20210309:
Gameplay Log:
Was able to defeat the ninth sister on Jedi Knight difficulty.
Progressed through Dathomir. Called it a night at the save point where Cal enters a memory of his past.
Total Game Time: (today) 3 hours 10 minutes; (cumulative) 16 hours 10 minutes
20210311: Gameplay Log:
Played from Cal's breakdown (breaks his lightsaber) to the second fight with the second sister (4 hours)
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours; (cumulative) 20 hours 10 minutes
20210312: Today I focused on completing the maps, collecting secrets, and stim canisters. I had a little help with finding the canister located in the Derelict Hangar on Zeffo; I knew from reading there was one located there, but I didn't fully use a guide to find it.
Gameplay Log:
Start Bogano 96% Explored; 9/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets
End Bogano 100% Explored; 14/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets (session 1, 30 minutes)
End Bogano 100% Explored; 16/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets (@session 2, 16 min) | Leave Bogano (@session 2, 20 minutes)
Start Zeffo 75% Explored; 12/43 Chests; 5/14 Secrets
End Zeffo 79% Explored; 21/43 Chests; 6/14 Secrets (session 2, 90 minutes)
End Zeffo 92% Explored; 33/43 Chests; 10/14 Secrets (session 3, 2 hours)
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours 20 minutes; (cumulative) 24 hours 30 minutes
20210313:
I continue playing around with completion. Today, however, I did fully depend on a guide to find a stim canister in the Imperial Dig Site on Zeffo. On a related note, I had recently tried to abuse the photo mode to find chests and secrets. However, there are definitely items that manage to elude this strategy.
Gameplay Log:
End Zeffo 95% Explored; 38/43 Chests; 12/14 Secrets (session 1, 1 hour)
End Zeffo 97% Explored; 39/43 Chests; 13/14 Secrets (session 2, 40 minutes)
Total Game Time: (today) 1 hour 40 minutes; (cumulative) 26 hours 10 minutes
20210317:
Gameplay Log:
End Zeffo 98% Explored; 40/43 Chests; 13/14 Secrets (@39 min); Missing a chest from Tomb of Eilram, Broken Wing, Crash Site. Missing a secret from Crash Site.
Start Nur | End (@96 min)
Thoughts on the Ending: Hmm. My first instinct is that I would have done the same. Then I started thinking about it from a story point of view. But I didn't necessarily see what in the story would lead to his choice. Then I read some "Fallen Order ending explained" articles to realize that it had to do with a vision he had.
Credits Start | Credits End (@1 hr 58 min)
Combat challenges and battle grid
Start Dathomir 88% Explored; 13/16 Chests; 2/4 Secrets (@2 hr 24 min); End Dathomir 97% Explored; 16/16 Chests; 4/4 Secrets (@3 hr 47 min)
Total Game Time: (today) 3 hours 50 minutes; (cumulative) 30 hours
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Strong visuals
+ The map feature is very useful
+ Lightsaber customization
+ Some other customizations which are welcome; color swaps would have helped extend those customizations
+ Nightsister Merrin
Neutral:
~ Combat is designed around an attack and parry system which leans towards catering to players seeking a challenge, e.g., Dark Souls and/or Sekiro players as opposed to the more satifying combat system featured in the Arkham series (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, Arkham Knight).
~ Getting pinned against a wall by an enemy and falling off feel like unsatisfying ways to die [originally this complaint was made worse by my assumption that enemies couldn't be knocked off the level; technically this assumption is true in the general sense (i.e., a normal lightsaber attack should have the capability to knock an enemy off); however, the game makes an exception with force push]
~ Lack of dismemberment (apparently a result of Disney, but takes away from the lethality of a lightsaber)
Cons:
- Unbalanced difficulty; some enemies are much harder to defeat than other enemies (at Jedi Knight difficulty); Story difficulty is drastically easier compared to Jedi Knight difficulty (having something in between would have been nice)
- The dependence on the map for navigation can be high
- Defeating a ranged enemy requires the enemy to fire at the player; sometimes the time required for the enemy to fire is annoyingly long
- Trying to force pull enemies isn't as fluid as it should be (sometimes I press LT but the enemy doesn't get pulled in)
- I would have liked the option to toggle abilities and bonuses (e.g., turn off double blade)
[20210307]
Summary:
I felt more comfortable with Jedi Knight difficulty by the end of the game. At the same time, I had almost all the power-ups. One could argue that some of the content that was hard for me wasn't meant to be tackled until I collected more power-ups. This is not easy to see during the first playthrough, but makes a lot more sense after having completed the main story.
In any case, I mostly liked the visuals and gameplay. Passing through crevices was done with such variation that it was never boring to pass from one area to the next by some crack in the wall or cave. Speaking of variation, there was a lot of variation in dialogue and interactions. However, one element that felt lacking in variation was ziplining.
In the end, this was my first game I played in a while that wasn't Path of Exile or League of Legends. That I ended up playing the game to completion (with respect to the story) is an indication of how good it is as a whole. In particular, I came to somewhat enjoy the attack and parry system - or at least appreciate it. I think I would still prefer the flashier combo system in the Arkham series (which arguably still requires skill to defeat enemies effectively). In that Fallen Order revolves around combat with a lightsaber, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor might be a better comparison.
20220409 Snapshot:
EPIC Games - You've Played: 1d 6h 59m 57s
Origin - Hours Played: 31 hours
Origin - Last Played: 20210318
20240217 Comment:
It's been a while since I've played this game, but I have developed a new habit of rating games and happening across this old post, I figure I'd give it an honorary 5.6.
STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order (PC) (2020)
Relevant Links:
None at this time
20210306:
I recently wasted a good amount of progress (XP) while playing Path of Exile and the experience was enough to motivate me to take a break from the game. Looking for a new game to play, I decided to start Jedi: Fallen Order.
 |
| Cal Kestis (player character) |
Setup: Started off playing UHQ (2560x1440) but only because I forgot that I had turned my resolution down for PoE. I later changed it to 4K (3840x2160). F510 gamepad. Difficulty: Jedi Knight (there are four difficulties: Story, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Grand Master). Normally I make sure the subtitles are on but today I'm keeping them to their default, off.
Gameplay Log:
During my first session, I played until the dodge and roll game mechanic was explained (B and B+B). (session 1, 35 minutes)
Later resumed and finished the train level. (session 2, 15 minutes)
Emphasizing to the player that Cere is in charge, Cere give the captain an order and he says "aye aye."
Bogano (session 3, 2 hours)
Finished the Tomb of Eilram on Zeffo. I tried to make my way back to the ship, but it was not obvious how I should do that. The world is very big (session 4, 2 hours)
 |
| Skill Tree |
First impressions:
I love the visuals in this game. With that being said, I haven't exactly been keeping up with modern games to know what to expect from AAA games.
I initially felt there was a lack of clarity on how the saves, but I later learned that the first real save point happens on Bogano. Prior to that, it's just a series of checkpoints. Quitting the game will put the player back at the previous checkpoint which in most cases is very little loss of progress.
The game feels really immersive. The camera system plays a large part of this immersion. Furthermore, the HUD is kept minimal with a life bar and a Jedi force bar.
Being nitpicky, the transition from cutscene to play could be made smoother. The obvious transition might be intentional to signal that a player can begin play, but I would prefer the immersive route.
The Metroidvania aspect of the game has been slightly overwhelming.
 |
| Merrin |
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours 50 minutes
20210307:
At some point today I switched the difficulty back to Jedi Knight, because Story Mode was beginning to be boring. I did, however, momentarily turn it back on for a difficult mini-boss (I only tried two or three times).
Gameplay Log:
Left Zeffo (@session 1, 23 min)
Missed the main objective (supposed to go to Kashyyyk) and revisitted Bogano
Left Bogano and went to Dathomire (again oblivious of the objective) (@session 1, 58 min)
Finally went to Kashyyyk (@session 1, 103 min)
The AT-ST Walker gameplay was straightforward but fun.
Pause first session after Saw Gerrera cutscene (session 1, 2 hours)
Go back to Zeffo (@session 2, 104 min)
Stuck at water turbine. Found solution on YouTube (@session 2, 147 min); my complaint after watching the first part of the solution is that nowhere in the game was that puzzle element conveyed (player-friendly puzzle design is seeded).
End second session at water turbine (session 2, 2 hours 35 minutes)
The battle with the second sister (@session 3, 36 min) ending at half the HP bar was expected.
Called it a night upon arriving inside the Origin Tree. (session 3, 3 hours 35 minutes)
20210309:
Gameplay Log:
Was able to defeat the ninth sister on Jedi Knight difficulty.
Progressed through Dathomir. Called it a night at the save point where Cal enters a memory of his past.
Total Game Time: (today) 3 hours 10 minutes; (cumulative) 16 hours 10 minutes
20210311: Gameplay Log:
Played from Cal's breakdown (breaks his lightsaber) to the second fight with the second sister (4 hours)
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours; (cumulative) 20 hours 10 minutes
20210312: Today I focused on completing the maps, collecting secrets, and stim canisters. I had a little help with finding the canister located in the Derelict Hangar on Zeffo; I knew from reading there was one located there, but I didn't fully use a guide to find it.
 |
| Cere Junda |
Gameplay Log:
Start Bogano 96% Explored; 9/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets
End Bogano 100% Explored; 14/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets (session 1, 30 minutes)
End Bogano 100% Explored; 16/16 Chests; 6/6 Secrets (@session 2, 16 min) | Leave Bogano (@session 2, 20 minutes)
Start Zeffo 75% Explored; 12/43 Chests; 5/14 Secrets
End Zeffo 79% Explored; 21/43 Chests; 6/14 Secrets (session 2, 90 minutes)
End Zeffo 92% Explored; 33/43 Chests; 10/14 Secrets (session 3, 2 hours)
Total Game Time: (today) 4 hours 20 minutes; (cumulative) 24 hours 30 minutes
20210313:
I continue playing around with completion. Today, however, I did fully depend on a guide to find a stim canister in the Imperial Dig Site on Zeffo. On a related note, I had recently tried to abuse the photo mode to find chests and secrets. However, there are definitely items that manage to elude this strategy.
Gameplay Log:
End Zeffo 95% Explored; 38/43 Chests; 12/14 Secrets (session 1, 1 hour)
End Zeffo 97% Explored; 39/43 Chests; 13/14 Secrets (session 2, 40 minutes)
 |
| Map |
Total Game Time: (today) 1 hour 40 minutes; (cumulative) 26 hours 10 minutes
20210317:
Gameplay Log:
End Zeffo 98% Explored; 40/43 Chests; 13/14 Secrets (@39 min); Missing a chest from Tomb of Eilram, Broken Wing, Crash Site. Missing a secret from Crash Site.
Start Nur | End (@96 min)
Thoughts on the Ending: Hmm. My first instinct is that I would have done the same. Then I started thinking about it from a story point of view. But I didn't necessarily see what in the story would lead to his choice. Then I read some "Fallen Order ending explained" articles to realize that it had to do with a vision he had.
Credits Start | Credits End (@1 hr 58 min)
Combat challenges and battle grid
Start Dathomir 88% Explored; 13/16 Chests; 2/4 Secrets (@2 hr 24 min); End Dathomir 97% Explored; 16/16 Chests; 4/4 Secrets (@3 hr 47 min)
Total Game Time: (today) 3 hours 50 minutes; (cumulative) 30 hours
 |
| Fighting Bounty Hunters |
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Strong visuals
+ The map feature is very useful
+ Lightsaber customization
+ Some other customizations which are welcome; color swaps would have helped extend those customizations
+ Nightsister Merrin
Neutral:
~ Combat is designed around an attack and parry system which leans towards catering to players seeking a challenge, e.g., Dark Souls and/or Sekiro players as opposed to the more satifying combat system featured in the Arkham series (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, Arkham Knight).
~ Getting pinned against a wall by an enemy and falling off feel like unsatisfying ways to die [originally this complaint was made worse by my assumption that enemies couldn't be knocked off the level; technically this assumption is true in the general sense (i.e., a normal lightsaber attack should have the capability to knock an enemy off); however, the game makes an exception with force push]
~ Lack of dismemberment (apparently a result of Disney, but takes away from the lethality of a lightsaber)
- Unbalanced difficulty; some enemies are much harder to defeat than other enemies (at Jedi Knight difficulty); Story difficulty is drastically easier compared to Jedi Knight difficulty (having something in between would have been nice)
- The dependence on the map for navigation can be high
- Defeating a ranged enemy requires the enemy to fire at the player; sometimes the time required for the enemy to fire is annoyingly long
- Trying to force pull enemies isn't as fluid as it should be (sometimes I press LT but the enemy doesn't get pulled in)
- I would have liked the option to toggle abilities and bonuses (e.g., turn off double blade)
[20210307]
 |
| Swimming underwater |
Summary:
I felt more comfortable with Jedi Knight difficulty by the end of the game. At the same time, I had almost all the power-ups. One could argue that some of the content that was hard for me wasn't meant to be tackled until I collected more power-ups. This is not easy to see during the first playthrough, but makes a lot more sense after having completed the main story.
In any case, I mostly liked the visuals and gameplay. Passing through crevices was done with such variation that it was never boring to pass from one area to the next by some crack in the wall or cave. Speaking of variation, there was a lot of variation in dialogue and interactions. However, one element that felt lacking in variation was ziplining.
In the end, this was my first game I played in a while that wasn't Path of Exile or League of Legends. That I ended up playing the game to completion (with respect to the story) is an indication of how good it is as a whole. In particular, I came to somewhat enjoy the attack and parry system - or at least appreciate it. I think I would still prefer the flashier combo system in the Arkham series (which arguably still requires skill to defeat enemies effectively). In that Fallen Order revolves around combat with a lightsaber, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor might be a better comparison.
20220409 Snapshot:
EPIC Games - You've Played: 1d 6h 59m 57s
Origin - Hours Played: 31 hours
Origin - Last Played: 20210318
20240217 Comment:
It's been a while since I've played this game, but I have developed a new habit of rating games and happening across this old post, I figure I'd give it an honorary 5.6.
STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order (PC) (2020)
Relevant Links:
None at this time
Date/Time
Saturday, March 6, 2021
@
12:00
Labels
__rating_5
,
__rating_is_by_memory
,
__rating.6
,
action adventure
,
images_are_xl
,
rpg
,
souls-like
,
Star Wars
,
third-person
,
top 10
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