Summary
Difficulty in games is always a hot-button topic with sound arguments on both sides, but that’s never more true than in Soulslike games. Now, traditionally, Soulslike games have been iconic for not having difficulty settings and therefore starting all players with the same advantages and disadvantages to learn in an unforgiving environment. With enough of these games played, it’s possible that a muscle memory will be established that can be carried from one Soulslike to the next, and that’s only partially true ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Survivor, likeFallen Orderbefore it, requires players to have amastery of lightsaber combat and Force abilitiesthat are both essential to success. Neither game is inherently easy due to being inspired by the difficulty of Soulslikes that it is inspired by. But because they’re more accessible as action-adventureStar Warsgames, they do include a comprehensive range of difficulty settings. In this case, even though the hardest difficulty would seem outrageous to pick right away, theStar Wars Jedigames’ Grand Master difficulty actually provides the best Soulslike experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s difficulty settingsare as follows, in descending order from easiest to hardest:
Star Wars Jedi’s Hardest Difficulty is Also Its Most Immersive
Star Wars Jedi’s Grand Master Difficulty is as Great a Balance as the Force
Fallen OrderandSurvivor’s Grand Master difficulty settingis the ultimate challenge for any Jedi, giving players the tightest party timing as well as maximum incoming damage and enemy aggression. To be fair, enemy aggression is likely where this difficulty setting is the least comparable to FromSoftware’s Soulslikes since their enemy AI is often all over the place, but having maximum incoming damage and a minimal parry window grants incredible immersion for aStar Warsexperience.
Indeed, Cal never perishes after succumbing to a single blaster bolt, but he will be cut down swiftly if they fail to block or evade enough of them. Enemy damage hardly ever feels cheap and can viably be perceived as realistic, especially when Cal is slashing a canonically OP lightsaber at enemies.
As forboss fight duels inSurvivorlike Dagan Gera or Rayvis, the stakes are high for both the player and Cal on the Grand Master difficulty because one whiff can mean certain peril, similar to how one properly timed side-step can result in the perfect opportunity to punish the boss and land a crucial hit. This difficulty is likely the closest to emulating an ordinary Soulslike experience from the beginning, and when players have upgraded Cal sufficiently he quickly begins to get the upper hand in a lot of encounters, which is no different from Soulslikes when players return to early-game regions after they’ve leveled up a bunch and found or upgraded far greater equipment.
Survivoralso closely emulates Soulslikes with itsstim canisters paralleling Estus flasks, and by collecting more there is always a greater sense of relief in any encounter when more healing salves are available and replenishable.
Star Wars Jedi’s Difficulty Options are Still Wonderful for Accessibility
Even with all this considered, having difficulty settings for players to tailor their experience will always be a boon.Star Wars Jedi: Survivormight appeal toStar Warsfans more than Soulslike fans, for instance, and in that case they might not want to instantly select the most arduous difficulty setting if they’re mainly concerned with seeing the story play out.
But if Soulslike fans enjoy such games and still wish that they were able to lower the difficulty,Survivorbecomes a perfect solution. Soulslike fans are accustomed to dying repeatedly, losing progress or XP, and generally having a hard time getting back to a desired area once they’ve been slain, and while theStar Wars Jedifranchise can certainly provide that experience if players wish it’s fantastic that lower difficulty settings are available too.
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.
