Star Wars Jedi: Survivor director discusses new combat and traversal options
Cal Kestis has a variety of new tools at his disposal in the upcoming sequel
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game director Stig Asmussen has discussed some of the new fighting and traversal abilities players can deploy in Respawn‘s sequel.
Survivor picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and continues the story Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights.
Asmussen told Game Informer the protagonist’s combat abilities have evolved since the original game with the inclusion of “five fully realized” fighting stances.
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“A lot of it depends on the enemy that you’re coming across,” he explained. “It’s advantageous to use certain types of stances against certain types of enemies, and it’s up to the player to figure that out. It requires the player to break down the enemies and figure out what the best weapon of choice is.”
The new stances include a dual blade option and a blaster and lightsaber combination.
“It really speaks to where we find Cal in this part of the story,” Asmussen said. “It’s five years since the first game, and the dark times are still in full swing.
“He’s an unconventional Jedi, and he has to do unconventional things. So, something that would be frowned upon during the height of the Jedi Order? Cal’s finding he’s going to do whatever it takes.”
Another new stance sees players wielding a crossguard lightsaber à la Kylo Ren.
“It’s a more confident approach,” Asmussen said. “It’s weighty; it’s beefy. But you have to be very measured on how you use it because the timing windows are longer with the blade.”
When it comes to exploring the game world, Survivor introduces several new traversal features, including an ascension cable (a type of grappling hook) and the ability to tame and ride creatures.
“It’s much of a wider Metroidvania approach,” Asmussen said. “Cal can cross huge gaps by chaining several types of skills together. But it’s also about how we approach these mounts and how they’re used to negotiate and dominate the world.”
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 17, 2023.
Publisher EA confirmed the launch date earlier this month with the release of a new gameplay trailer for the third person, narrative-driven action-adventure title.