Star Wars: Jedi Survivor has remained quiet for much of its development cycle, but a leak earlier this week suggested that we don’t have long to wait for the big sequel. That info was confirmed in this evening’s trailer at The Game Awards, so we now know with confidence that the game is targeting a launch on March 17.
The trailer was accompanied by a visit from Cal Kestis himself, Cameron Monaghan. The actor is returning to play the beleaguered Jedi in the sequel, and he was around to follow up after the trailer to discuss his enthusiasm for the game.
For fans eagerly anticipating new details, the trailer offers a lot over which to muse. We see that Cal looks like a more grizzled and powerful Jedi than when we last saw him training to become a knight. That truth is denoted perhaps most powerfully by the presence of a stubbly beard – a sure sign of force mastery in the Star Wars universe, if ever there was one.
As depicted in the trailer, Jedi Survivor picks up some five years after the adventure described in Fallen Order. Returning companions include droid BD-1 and Cere Junda, but we also meet a new mercenary named Bode Akuna. In one sequence, we see Bode attacking in tandem with Cal, suggesting some sort of team-up dynamic may be present.
The new video also reveals that Cal has access to several new ways to navigate the game world, including an ascension cable that seems to replicate what we’ve seen from grapple guns in many other successful games in recent years. The Jedi also appears to have embraced his love of nature, as we see him tame and ride mounts.
In another sequence, we see Cal embracing new combat techniques, including some exciting, agile moves with dual lightsabers in hand. In another notable moment near the end of the trailer, he pops the blade of a crossguard lightsaber, suggesting Kylo Ren isn’t the first Force user to have rediscovered that particular ancient blade design.
The trailer also gives us a look at what appears to be two dangerous new foes for Cal, one of whom looks as if they might be wearing at least some parts of Mandalorian armor.
We also witness Cal crashland on a planet that doesn’t appear to be a familiar Star Wars locale, so it’s possible that we’re getting the first glimpse of a new planet in the fiction.
A one-armed man is seen near the beginning of the trailer in a bacta tank (which was replicated on stage for The Game Awards); it’s clear that Respawn is playing its cards close to the chest regarding precisely who this figure is – odds are it’s someone pretty central to the story that will play out.
The trailer leaves lots of questions open to debate, but there’s no doubt that Respawn’s sequel is looking like a visual treat and suggests that the game should offer a smorgasbord of new Star Wars storytelling to munch on when it releases in a few months.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 17.
