In 2023, Star Wars fans will be reunited with Cal Kestis for the hotly anticipated sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be set five years after the events of the first title. Not much is known about the plot of the game, but its gameplay will most likely look similar to the original. Players will once again take control of Cal as they desperately try to survive during the age of the Empire, and Star Wars fans are excited to see what Respawn will bring to the table.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order brought players across the galaxy to multiple planets as they tried to survive the Inquisitors and rebuild the Jedi Order. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will most likely bring players on another journey across the galaxy, but this time it should take them to planets that have more life. The planets in Jedi: Fallen Order were fun to traverse, and they are a major part of Star Wars lore, but the landscapes were mostly void of settlements and life. The galaxy is filled with populated planets, and Jedi Survivor needs to bring players to these landscapes so that they can truly feel like they are a part of Star Wars in its totality.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Had a Nice Collection of Planets
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order featured eight different areas for the player to travel between. Five of these locations were able to be fully explored, while the other three were locked behind certain missions. These planets gave players collectibles to gather and foes to defeat, but they were all pretty much empty of any sort of life beyond enemies. The zones were also built with force powers and wall-running in mind, and that made the planets feel like no one would live on them. The zones in Jedi: Fallen Order felt more like areas to test force powers in while killing enemies.
Players were able to explore Bogano, Zeffo, Kashyyyk, Dathomir, and Ilum. Planets like Kashyyk were cool to visit as Cal Kestis, but the way the planet was built made it feel empty of civilization. There were Wookiees and other allies present, but it was nothing compared to the cities in RPGs like Skyrim and Mass Effect. The zone that felt closest to being a populated planet was the junkyard of Bracca, but that zone was only accessible at the start of the game.
The various planets that players got to explore in Jedi: Fallen Order were fun to traverse. Cal Kestis would use his force powers to run across walls, flip over chasms, swing from vines, and beat back foes. This worked great for what Respawn wanted to do, but they could also give off the feeling of being nothing more than overly designed obstacle courses. Instead of sprawling cities and large civilizations, the planets of Jedi: Fallen Order almost felt like playgrounds built specifically for Cal in mind, and the Star Wars galaxy is more than that.
There Needs to be More Life in the Galaxy
Little is known about the planets that Respawn plans to use in Jedi: Survivor, but it should consider giving players more populated planets to explore. These planets should be filled with life and feel like a part of something larger, and there are many planets in the Star Wars galaxy that could fulfill that purpose.
The Star Wars prequel trilogy introduced a bunch of populated planets that could be great for Cal to explore. Many Star Wars fans know about the cramped streets and seedy underbelly of Coruscant, and they would love to explore it firsthand. At the time of Jedi: Survivor, Coruscant serves as the capital of the Galactic Empire, and it may not be the safest planet for Cal to venture to. However, it was also the home of the Jedi Temple, and Cal may need to go there to discover something. Coruscant could be filled with citizens and life, and also a boatload of foes to fight.
Coruscant is not the only massive populated planet that players may want to explore. The prequels also introduced Naboo, which serves as the home of Palpatine and Padme. Naboo features large green fields, massive lakes, and a pretty peaceful civilization. During the time of the Empire, Naboo prospered and was put under the control of Moff Quarsh Panaka. By the time of Jedi: Survivor, Saw Gerrera would have assassinated Quarsh, and not much is known about what happened to the planet after. Jedi: Survivor could fill that gap by giving Cal a reason to head to the home of the Emperor.
Jedi: Survivor could also bring players to the planet Alderaan before it gets blown up by the Death Star in A New Hope. Star Wars fans finally got to see the planet in-depth thanks to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+, and it was beautiful. The planet would become the center of the Rebel Alliance during the age of the Empire, and fans deserve to see more of that. While Cal does not have to meet Princess Leia, he could venture to Alderaan for other reasons, and players could finally get a chance to explore this ill-fated planet.
There are so many populated planets that Jedi: Survivor could include, and it really should. Respawn would have to construct these cities in a way that makes them not feel like the playgrounds of Jedi: Fallen Order, with structures that feel like someone actually lives there. Time will tell if Jedi: Survivor includes some more of these iconic planets, but Star Wars fans will continue anticipating where Cal Kestis' journey takes him in the meantime.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023
