Cal’s journey will continue in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to Fallen Order, set five years after the events of the first game. This interestingly puts it very close on the Star Wars timeline to Disney Plus’ Obi-Wan Kenobi, but if there is some correlation, that has not been revealed yet.
One thing that seems clear, though, is that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is heading down a darker road. The overall tone is much more sinister, as the Empire’s grip on the galaxy grows stronger. This will no doubt pair well with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Soulslike elements, but there’s at least one area where the new game should push their inclusion further. Specifically, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor should adopt more interesting bosses than the first game.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Souls Bosses
When it comes to Souls games, there are several boss fights that are either known for their difficulty or for how epic they are. A ton of Soulsborne boss fights are memorable. Whether that’s Dark Souls’ Artorias, Elden Ring’s Radahn, Margit, and so on, Bloodborne’s Orphan of Kos, or others, fans will often think back on them and smile at the triumph.
That’s not to say that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s bosses are pushovers, but they lack the memorable quality of Souls games and other Soulslikes. Really, the most memorable boss fight in Jedi: Fallen Order is Dathomir’s Gorgara because of how much it stands out from the game’s other bosses. Most Jedi: Fallen Order bosses fall into one of a few camps: Empire Mechs, The Inquisitors, Beasts, or Bounty Hunters.
This makes them feel somewhat repetitive, and that sense of triumph is lost. So, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is hopefully breaking off from the first game in its presentation of these bosses. Anything’s possible in the Star Wars universe, so it’s really not a huge leap to think bosses could become more memorable by adapting better stratagems and presentation.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Has to Craft Memorable, Challenging, and Beloved Bosses
Perhaps there could be a true Duel of the Fates-like moment where Cal must battle a Fallen Jedi across a descending Starship that’s falling apart. Perhaps Cal is pursued across a planet’s surface and must face an intelligent beast-like being who has embraced the Dark Side to defend its home, unleashing powerful abilities in the Force across the battlefield. Otherwise, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor could craft memorable backgrounds, like Malenia's and Radahn’s, accompanied by equally memorable boss fight presentations (such as the Radahn Festival and NPC-aided boss fight).
Many argue that Cal Kestis failed to leave a mark in the first game, and that position is understandable enough. However, it can also be argued that the bosses failed to leave a bigger mark, and rectifying that could make Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as memorable as something like KOTOR.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.