Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order certainly had its fair share of issues at launch, and while some of them persisted a lot of them were eventually dealt with. Glitches and bugs ran rampant in Fallen Order, resulting in enemies clipping through environments and falling through the world mid-fight. However, the silver lining drawn here is that Respawn has an opportunity now to correct as many of these issues as possible before the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. That said, there is one intended design that many fans hope gets changed and has irritated them since launch.
Cal Kestis’ running animation was considered awkward and goofy in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Cal runs with wide legs and feet that kick back while his torso remains upright, and a lot of fans find it to be an absurd animation that takes away from the experience. This is obviously a personal opinion that some fans have and does not reflect how all fans feel, but it has become a large enough topic that it bears mention with a sequel on the way. Instead, Respawn should resist the urge to comply with fans and the animation should be kept identical in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Cal Kestis’ Run in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is Distinctive
Cal Kestis’ run has not been shown explicitly in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor yet, but there is an argument to be made about not changing it for the sequel. There was also a lot of discourse about Cal’s hair physics, though, and since it has been trimmed for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor it is possible that this discourse was enough to make Respawn reconsider Cal’s bouncy red hair. The run is divisive, but it is also distinctive of Cal now. If Respawn changes it, the animation runs the risk of possibly looking worse than it did before or plain and boring in comparison.
Even if it is an odd running animation, it gives Cal character and makes his animations unique as a result. It is only two months now until the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and while animations are important in some regard, that may not be the only concern that fans should have.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Has More Important Issues to Worry About
If Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s biggest concern is what to do with Cal Kestis’ running animation, then the game would seem to be coming along wonderfully. Rather, fans would almost assuredly rather that Respawn spends its precious development time ironing out the game-breaking bugs that marred Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
If the running animation was buggy then that is certainly a cause for concern, but because people simply thought that it looked strange it should not be held to the same standard as a bug that could truly disrupt the player’s experience. Either way, it will be interesting to see if Cal’s running animation has been updated or not when more gameplay is shown from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
It is true that if an animation is perceived poorly—and must be looked at for almost all the player’s gameplay—it can be frustrating. But if nothing has changed about it, then Respawn should be admired for sticking to its initial design if it has elected to concentrate its efforts elsewhere instead. Besides, if the running animation is still talked about in the sequel, then that must mean the rest of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is favorable enough to have to nitpick its animations again.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on March 17, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
