There is a disturbance in the Force, and itโs caused by none other than Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is now looming as massively as the Death Star with its impending release date on April 28, 2023. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.
Youโll be able to purchase the standard edition for $69.99, while the deluxe edition retails for $89.99. Do be advised that certain retailers and stores might have different prices based on their own pricing models and other factors.
As for the differences between the standard and deluxe versions, the latter comes with these in-game items:
- Scoundrel cosmetic
- Rugged BD-1 cosmetic
- DL-44 blaster set
- Rebel hero cosmetic
- BD-ASTRO BD-1 cosmetic
- Rebel hero lightsaber set
Meanwhile, those who canโt wait to secure their own copy of the game can also pre-order on the publisherโs website. Those who pre-order the game will receive the following pre-order bonuses:
- Hermit cosmetic
- Hermit lightsaber set
- Combustion blaster set
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was originally slated for release back on March 17, 2023, but Respawn Entertainment opted to push the release date out for more than a month in order to iron out some issues and ensure that โplayers get the most ideal experience they could with the Star Wars title.ย
What is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor?
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a direct sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order which was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It also happens to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2023 by Star Wars fans and video game hobbyists alike.
Like the prequel, Survivor is a third-person action-adventure game with RPG elements and combat heavily derived from Souls-like titles. The progression is primarily linear, but it allows players to return to planets or locales theyโve visited.
As for โactual gameplay, the Star Wars Jedi series is by far the most faithful and seamless recreation of Jedi or Force-user combat among all Star Wars games. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is no exception.
You get to control protagonist Cal Kestis, who is a Jedi himself and starts off the game with a lightsaber right away. As a capable Jedi, Cal also has a plethora of Force abilities like Force push, pull, speed, and different Jedi combat styles.
Speaking of which, lightsabers are one of the gameโs strongest draws, and the game knows this. Like its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will let its players customize the lightsabers from the color of the blade down to the intricacies of the grip for a more personalized experience.
Moreover, players can customize Calโs appearance with different hairstyles and costumes, though sadly, theyโre stuck with Cal as the game opted for a tighter and more cohesive narrative direction.
Some of the most notable fresh additions to the customization options would be a crossguard similar to Kylo Renโs lightsaber in the sequel trilogy, along with a dual lightsaber option for those who want to use Ahsoka Tanoโs fighting style.
Moreover, new Force abilities are reportedly coming into play. Mounts will also be present for easier travel, implying that the gameโs environments will be larger than its predecessorโs linear dungeon areas. Sure enough, the game will feature a vast open-world area thatโs connected with smaller linear areas.
The Story So Far
As a direct continuation of Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be a narrative bridge between the prequel and the original trilogy. It chronicles what happened to a survivor of the Order 66 purge from Star Wars Episode VI: Revenge of the Sith, which ensured the downfall of the Jedi Order in the charted regions of the galaxy.
That survivor would be Cal Kestis, a Jedi apprentice whose training was cut short by the unfortunate purge. Thus, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place more than a decade before Luke Skywalkerโs saga began in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
During the events of the first game, Cal Kestis was a fugitive on the run who crossed paths with the remnants of the Jedi Order as they sought refuge from Sith Lords and the Galactic Empire.
The game tasks players as Cal Kestis in securing an artifact that holds the key to the salvation of whatโs left of the Jedi Order or its ultimate and irrevocable destruction.
By the time of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is set five years after the events of Fallen Order, Cal Kestis and his rag-tag crew of fugitives must now secure a home planet far from the Empireโs burning gaze while also rescuing other fugitive Jedi.
System requirements
When Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was released, it served as a good benchmark for a lot of PC gamers and graphics enthusiasts due to its impressive and demanding visuals. You can expect Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to have the same caliber of graphics with a few notable upgrades due to newer technology and a more updated engine.
For PC users, youโll need this hardware straight from EA’s game page:
Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- RAM: 8Gb
- CPU Features: 4 cores / 8 threads
- CPU* AMD: Ryzen 5 1400
- GPU** AMD: Radeon RX 580
- GPU Features: DX12, 8Gb VRAM
- Storage: 155Gb
- *CPU alternate: Intel Core i7-7700
- **GPU alternate: Nvidia GTX 1070
Recommended
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- RAM: 16Gb
- CPU Features: 4 cores / 8 threads
- CPU* AMD: Ryzen 5 5600X
- GPU** AMD: RX 6700 XT
- GPU Features: DX12, 8Gb VRAM
- Storage: 155Gb SSD
- *CPU alternate: Intel Core i5 11600K
- **GPU alternate: Nvidia RTX2070
Itโs certainly more demanding this time around, and youโll need a beefy CPU in order to play the game. EA hasnโt disclosed what exactly โRecommendedโ graphics entail, but the general consensus for that would be โHighโ preset at 1080p running at 60 FPS (frames-per-second).
Meanwhile, โMinimumโ usually refers to the โLowestโ preset at 1080p running at least at 30 FPS. Itโs not too far-fetched to see Star Wars Jedi: Survivor becoming a new standard for PC and console benchmarking.
Take note of the rather high storage requirements; expect the same or something similar for the PlayStation and the Xbox platforms.
Higher resolutions and presets would undoubtedly require more powerful hardware. However, performance will ultimately rely on the developerโs optimizations for hardware.
Again, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set to be released on April 28, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows. One more week of waiting, plenty of time for a Star Wars marathon, and all that is canon. This is the way.