Summary
As long as theStar Wars Jedifranchise continues to honor its Soulslike and Metroidvania roots it’ll always have a unique stamp on theStar WarsIP. It really does need both of those subgenres to uplift it as a distinguished series, otherwise it could’ve easily passed into obscurity as another action-adventure take on a galaxy far, far away. Instead, its Soulslike and Metroidvania bones are visible in every design choice, andStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars Jedi: Survivorare all the better for it. EvenStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, which had much wider areas to explore, maintained its humble Metroidvania inspirations.
Star Wars Jedi’s Metroidvania influencesare never more apparent than when players observe BD-1’s sometimes perplexing 3D holomaps. Everything is color-coded in a way that is meant to be instantly readable with passageways either accessible or inaccessible, though many level designs are labyrinths of incomprehensibly twisting environments. This is an area Respawn can surely improve on in futureJedigames, and one of the Metroidvania subgenre’s most popular indies could propose a way forSurvivor’s sequel to overhaul its map system entirely.
BD-1 Holomaps in Future Star Wars Jedi Games Should Be Delivered Piecemeal
Hollow Knight’s Maps Clear Up as Players Explore
Hollow Knight’s map systemmay not be everyone’s favorite, but it does present a salient option forStar Wars Jediif it wanted to completely reshape and repurpose how it delivers that information to players. WhatHollow Knightdoes first and foremost is not actually have a map available, which would make sense inStar Wars Jedisince BD-1 might not have been to that planet before and couldn’t be expected to have a full geographical scan of its terrain.
Having holomaps readily available was a great convenience, but it would also be fun to not immediately have a map on hand. SomethingHollow Knightemploys to its advantage is the feature of maps clearing up in areas players have visited, rewarding thorough and meticulous exploration and satisfying the compulsion to see every inch of the map’s rigidity fully unobscured.
Now, this could be a nearly impossible task to give players if maps continue to be as expansive asSurvivor’s Koboh or Jedhain the nextJedigame, with massive levels proving highly discouraging for such a map system.
Hollow Knight’s Maps Need to Be Purchased
Hollow Knight’s maps are not given freely but are purchased from a cartographer NPC whom players must find in each new region they enter. This feature would be an excellent choice forStar Wars Jedi, especially withSurvivorintroducing NPC merchants and resource currencies. LikeHollow Knight’s Cornifer, BD-1’s holomaps could be purchased from a dedicated NPC, or maybe accumulated in data fragments downloaded from different outlets on new planets.
There are loads of ways this could be implemented intoRespawn’s nextStar Wars Jediinstallmentimmersively and doing so could drastically and positively affect how the navigation of a planet’s levels is experienced.Hollow Knight: Silksongunfortunately doesn’t seem any closer to a release, and it’ll be interesting to see how much the sequel iterates on its predecessor, butStar Wars Jedistill has a lot to learn from games likeHollow Knightin delivering an outstanding Metroidvania.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
WHERE TO PLAY
The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. This narratively-driven, single player title picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order™ and follows Cal’s increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness. Pushed to the edges of the galaxy by the Empire, Cal will find himself surrounded by threats new and familiar. As one of the last surviving Jedi Knights, Cal is driven to make a stand during the galaxy’s darkest times - but how far is he willing to go to protect himself, his crew, and the legacy of the Jedi Order?Explore an Untamed Galaxy – Discover new planets and familiar frontiers in the Star Wars galaxy, each with unique biomes, challenges, and enemies. Master new skills, equipment, and abilities that will augment the ways you explore, fight, and roam. With larger areas to explore and more to discover off the beaten path, players who adventure beyond the horizon will find hidden rewards.
