Jedi: Fallen Order is a welcome single player Jedi experience that mixes tough tactical, skill-based combat with exploration and simple puzzles. It features a movement mechanic that may remind you of games like Assassins Creed - with wall running, climbing, swinging, shimmying etc.

I grew up with the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games and have waited years for something similar to come along. We got the Force Unleashed games, but neither of those were particularly great. I am pleased to say that this "fills the gap".

Simple, yet well done. Great characters and acting.
The story premise is fairly simple - involving a Jedi Padawan named Cal that escaped Order 66 and is in hiding. Throughout the game's early tutorial, he becomes hunted by the Empire and must race to find a Jedi Holocron containing the names and locations of force sensitive children - the "next generation" of Jedi.

While the premise is simple, the characters, voice acting and animation are all top-notch and really add flavour to the game. The character-based moments are all great - including the glimpses into back-stories that we see. One character in particular that you meet later on in the story, I wish was around more and had more screen time - since their interactions with the other characters were enjoyable.

Combat, puzzles, exploration and platforming. 15-20 hours play-time.
Gameplay consists of 4 main elements - combat, puzzles, exploration and platforming. The game reminded me very much of games like Soul Reaver - action games that included puzzles and platforming, along with unlockable abilities and upgrades. Combat is not a button-mashing affair - or a force-powered fireworks display. It's a more tactical, slow, reaction-based system that can be brutal. It takes some getting used to, but is a rewarding experience once you get to grips with it. I highly recommend using a joypad for the combat alone - it is immensely more enjoyable (and easier) than a Mouse and Keyboard here.

Force powers add spice to both the combat and the rest of the game - including using them for puzzle solving and environment manipulation. You gain XP to level-up Force, Lightsaber or Survival skills. XP itself is gained from combat, missions and exploration.

General gameplay is varied enough so that you are never doing one thing for too long and the game (for the most part) keeps this loop enjoyable. It does suffer from repetition - due to making you go through the same areas more than once. I would have loved a simple "Return to ship" button once you are done with the area you are in. Some of the save-point locations are frustrating as well and could have done with better positioning to avoid unnecessary repetition.

Playtime was around 20 hours for me, which could have both been shorter or longer depending on the amount of exploration you perform or the amount of battles you have to re-do. The game seemed to end just as it was finally "hitting its stride" for me, which was a real shame. It could have done with being a little longer. Send me to Nar Shaddaa!

All the authentic Star Wars feel is here and it looks and sounds wonderful.
Stunning. All the authentic Star Wars feel is here and it looks and sounds wonderful. Environmental detail is great, I just wish we had a bit more variety to the environments. I would have loved to see Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant, for example. Voice acting is really well done, as-is the music.

Great Star Wars single player action-adventure. Lacks length or significant depth and held back by small silly details, but will be sure to entertain.

Jimbo Rating: 8/10

Jedi: Fallen Order is a welcome single player Jedi experience that mixes tough tactical, skill-based combat with exploration and simple puzzles. It features a movement mechanic that may remind you of games like Assassins Creed - with wall running, climbing, swinging, shimmying etc. I grew up with the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games and have waited years for something similar to come along. We got the Force Unleashed games, but neither of those were particularly great. I am pleased to say that this "fills the gap". [h1]Story[/h1] [b]Simple, yet well done. Great characters and acting.[/b] The story premise is fairly simple - involving a Jedi Padawan named Cal that escaped Order 66 and is in hiding. Throughout the game's early tutorial, he becomes hunted by the Empire and must race to find a Jedi Holocron containing the names and locations of force sensitive children - the "next generation" of Jedi. While the premise is simple, the characters, voice acting and animation are all top-notch and really add flavour to the game. The character-based moments are all great - including the glimpses into back-stories that we see. One character in particular that you meet later on in the story, I wish was around more and had more screen time - since their interactions with the other characters were enjoyable. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] [b]Combat, puzzles, exploration and platforming. 15-20 hours play-time.[/b] Gameplay consists of 4 main elements - combat, puzzles, exploration and platforming. The game reminded me very much of games like Soul Reaver - action games that included puzzles and platforming, along with unlockable abilities and upgrades. Combat is not a button-mashing affair - or a force-powered fireworks display. It's a more tactical, slow, reaction-based system that can be brutal. It takes some getting used to, but is a rewarding experience once you get to grips with it. I highly recommend using a joypad for the combat alone - it is immensely more enjoyable (and easier) than a Mouse and Keyboard here. Force powers add spice to both the combat and the rest of the game - including using them for puzzle solving and environment manipulation. You gain XP to level-up Force, Lightsaber or Survival skills. XP itself is gained from combat, missions and exploration. General gameplay is varied enough so that you are never doing one thing for too long and the game (for the most part) keeps this loop enjoyable. It does suffer from repetition - due to making you go through the same areas more than once. I would have loved a simple "Return to ship" button once you are done with the area you are in. Some of the save-point locations are frustrating as well and could have done with better positioning to avoid unnecessary repetition. Playtime was around 20 hours for me, which could have both been shorter or longer depending on the amount of exploration you perform or the amount of battles you have to re-do. The game seemed to end just as it was finally "hitting its stride" for me, which was a real shame. It could have done with being a little longer. Send me to Nar Shaddaa! [h1]Graphics, Sound and Music[/h1] [b]All the authentic Star Wars feel is here and it looks and sounds wonderful.[/b] Stunning. All the authentic Star Wars feel is here and it looks and sounds wonderful. Environmental detail is great, I just wish we had a bit more variety to the environments. I would have loved to see Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant, for example. Voice acting is really well done, as-is the music. [h1]Summary[/h1] [b]Great Star Wars single player action-adventure. Lacks length or significant depth and held back by small silly details, but will be sure to entertain.[/b] Jimbo Rating: 8/10