Much of what makes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order special is what it iterates upon from other influential titles. Cal Kestis’ planet-hopping epic is an amalgam of action-adventure, Metroidvania, and Soulslike features. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Soulslike features stand out the most though, since the game is ingrained with comparable combat mechanics. This is clear from the particular camera used throughout the game, how meditation points behave like Dark Souls’ bonfires, and how boss fights are designed. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor already looks similar to Fallen Order based on its latest trailer, but there are changes teased within it too.
Such changes include new combat stances such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s crossguard lightsaber, as well as new mounts to better accommodate a wide range of exploration. Platforming is a feature that could be improved upon as well, and it may be with the use of a new grappling hook. But there is one mechanic that could be difficult to improve greatly upon: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s stim canisters.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Stim Canisters Are Exceptional
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Soulslike features continue with its stim canisters, which are obviously inspired by Dark Souls’ Estus flasks. Stims are consumables that Cal injects himself with in order to restore some health. This animation takes time, and therefore players must discern when it is safe to do so.
Likewise, the player only has a certain number of stims at any one time. There are yellow crates throughout Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order that award an additional stim, making them incredibly important to find on each planet. Once they have more stims, players may feel like they can afford to be more aggressive in combat because they will have more opportunities to heal. The fact that stims eject from BD-1 when Cal calls for them is also an immersive way for the healing salve to be administered. BD-1 has many fundamental purposes in gameplay that make it more than an adorable droid pal, and stims are a great representation of that design.
Because of how well stims are implemented in Fallen Order, there is not much else that Survivor would need to feasibly improve them. It is possible that players will simply need to be on the hunt for additional stims at the start of the game, but the sequel could instead try to add a feature here-and-there to help mix up the player’s options when healing.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Could Look to Sekiro for Stim Iterations
Pellets from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice would be a logical evolution for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s stim canisters, where players could have stims as their primary healing salve and a small-dose bacta tablet they consume when in dire need. Unlike Sekiro’s healing gourds, pellets regenerate a small amount of health over a period of time and are remarkably useful, particularly after hoarding a massive reserve that automatically replenishes from storage into the player’s inventory when resting at a sculptor’s idol.
Once gourds inevitably deplete within a boss fight, a single pellet can make the difference between players being able to remain aggressive and survive to dish out enough damage. Players do not want to consume pellets frivolously at risk of not being able to rely on them often, but they can help turn the tide of a fight if players have no more gourds or resurrection nodes. There are likely other iterations Star Wars Jedi: Survivor could consider as well, but only time will tell if any changes are made at all to its traditional stim canisters.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on March 17, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.