Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Trailer Reveals Adventures Of A Padawan On The Run
For a Jedi on the run, the rules are rather simple: Don't stand out, accept the past, and trust no one. Instead, put your trust in the Force. Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving members of the Jedi Order after the purge of Order 66, relays these rules in the first official trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is being developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.
Fallen Order takes place after the events in Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. In Star Wars canon, Order 66 saw almost every Jedi executed, and many of those who survived were subsequently killed in the Great Jedi Purge that followed. It's not clear if Fallen Order will see Cal progress (and survive) the Great Jedi Purge as well, or if the gameplay will take the character up to that point.
Either way, Fallen Order is an all-new single-player, action-adventure game. In it, players will be able to develop Cal's Force abilities, hone his lightsaber skills, and explore the ancient mystery of a long-lost civilization, EA says. Part of the challenge will be staying a step ahead of the Empire and its deadly inquisitors.
“Many Star Wars fans, ourselves included, are really interested in the dark times, so we wanted to explore that mysterious, dangerous period,” said Stig Asmussen, Game Director, Respawn Entertainment. “The team at Lucasfilm have been amazing collaborators, helping us explore and further develop this part of the timeline where the Empire is at the height of its power and any remaining Jedi are in hiding. Within this narrative, we’ve crafted a game with intense, yet thoughtful and fun melee combat using the lightsaber and Force powers, allowing anyone to fulfill their Jedi fantasy."
No microtransactions. No loot boxes. And no, we won't be adding them. A single-player Star Wars story for those of you who are ready to become a Jedi. https://t.co/kTheWVBjJc
— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) April 13, 2019
For the Lucasfilm Story Group, a single-player, story-driven game was "exactly" what it was looking for, and so Respawn Entertainment had a relative easy pitch (as far those things go). This also presented EA with an opportunity to build some good will with gamers. In a Twitter post, EA confirmed that there will be absolutely no loot boxes or microtransactions in Fallen Order.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out. EA acquired Respawn Entertainment at the end of 2017, and more recently, the development studio and publisher combo surprised the gaming scene with Apex Legends, a hugely popular free-to-play battle royale shooter set in the Titanfall universe.
There is both reason to be skeptical and optimistic. Pretty trailers do not always lead to engaging and polished gameplay. As it applies to EA, one of the concerns is the Frostbite game engine, which Anthem's development team (BioWare) struggled with, partially causing a stressful work environment. However, Jay Ingram, a community engagement specialist at EA, confirmed on Reddit that Fallen Order is being built on the Unreal 4 game engine.
We will find out how it all comes together this holiday season—Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is set to release to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 15, 2019.
