Summary
Respawn Entertainment is now two-for-two with its games set in theStar Warsuniverse, withStar Wars Jedi: Survivorbeing both a massive improvement over its predecessor and one of the best action games of 2023. A third game in theJediuniverse starring Cal Kestis is all but guaranteed at this point, especially following voice and motion capture actor Cameron Monaghan’s admission in an interview that a thirdJedigame is currently in the works. BothJedi: Fallen OrderandJedi: Survivorborrow heavily from Soulslikes in their gameplay, but the third game could truly shake things up by leaning fully into the “space samurai” aesthetic of the Jedi and taking inspiration from another FromSoftware title –Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
George Lucas' Kurosawa inspirations and shot-for-shot scene homages inA New Hopeare well-tread territory at this point, and the lightsaber being the stand-in for the traditional katana is also a known quantity.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandJedi: Survivorare both what could arguably be considered “Soulslites”, with several of the defininggameplay mechanics ofDark Soulscarried over but with a greater focus on accessibility and difficulty scaling. The next game in the series should go all-in on its FromSoftware inspirations by borrowing the parry-heavy, timing-based sword fighting ofSekiroto feature the best combat in anyStar Warsgame.
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is Still the Gold Standard of FromSoftware Combat
Methodical combat and tense boss encounters are the cornerstone of theDark Soulsseries, leading to them both becoming defining characteristics of the Soulslike genre. Other developers have made commendable attempts at providing their own take on FromSoftware’s design philosophy, but each of these attempts still tends to fall short of the intangible greatness present in FromSoftware’s library of titles. FromSoftware itself has branched out and experimented with the formula that helped to make them a household namewithBloodborneandSekiro, and in doing so inadvertently crafted the titles in the studio’s library with the best atmosphere and best combat, respectively.
ThatSekirohas set a bar for sword combat in games that few other titles are able to even come close to (much less other games by FromSoftware itself) is no small feat. Part of the brilliance inherent in its design is that the game gives players all the tools they’ll ever need at the game’s outset and then simply requires players to learn and, eventually, master the mechanics of its combat. It’s hard to think of a better combat model, both thematically and mechanically, fora thirdStar Wars Jedigameto use and see Cal come full circle in his journey from displaced Padawan to full-blown Jedi Master.
The Next Jedi Game Borrowing From Sekiro is a Page Out of Lies of P’s Playbook
Other games have cribbed aspects ofSekiro’s combat to great success, with the most recent example beingNeowiz’sLies of P. While the game clearly wears itsBloodborneinspirations loudly in its atmosphere and setting, the combat actually borrows quite liberally fromSekirothrough the implementation of a “perfect parry” mechanic. LikeSekiro,Lies of P’s combat requires players to be observant and study enemy behaviors before rushing in to attack, and getting the timing down of the parry is crucial to success later in the game.
A third game in theJediseries should see Cal face off against more Force-using opponents, resulting in some of the best lightsaber duels to ever feature in aStar Warsgame.TheStar WarsJediseriesis already chock-full of Soulslike inspiration, but if the final game in the trilogy is to lean more heavily into sword combat, it follows that it should take its FromSoftware influence to its logical conclusion. No game has done sword fighting better thanSekiro, and the conclusion to Cal Kestis' journey should aim high by attempting to replicateSekiro’s combat model.
