Whatever you feel toward the game director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s fantasy oeuvre – Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring, a constellation of hits often referred to as the “Soulsborne” set – the impact of his studio FromSoftware’s work on the blockbuster video game industry is, with the arrival of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, indisputable. This most mainstream of brand-Disney endeavours has been shaped in ways both obvious and subtle by the gravitational force of Miyazaki’s one-time niche designs.
You play as Cal Kestis, a maverick Jedi unconcerned by the traditions of his order (you can dress Cal in any old scrubby T-shirt and cargo pants you collect in a remote treasure chest; no monkish robes here), who wields his lightsaber (also customisable) like a rapier. The rhythm of fights against droids, stormtroopers and 15ft rancors is moderated by participants’ stamina, which drains with each strike, recuperating only in moments of retreat – a quintessential Miyazaki design. Health is restored at glowing meditation spots, places of sanctuary where ability points are spent expanding Cal’s moves, but which also resurrect the local enemies.
And soon enough you take over a derelict saloon, where you collect the friends you make on your journey (many of whom use their practical skills to repair and upgrade the cantina). The game’s sweeping vistas are Tatooine filtered through Elden Ring, while Cal’s ability to wall-run and hook-shot his way across the landscape with bungee ropes recalls Sekiro’s ninja acrobatics. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is not the first theme-tribute to FromSoftware’s work, but it’s the most successful yet – a more accessible interpretation, certainly, but one that results in the finest Star Wars game in years, and shows how ideas from the fringes still have the power to reshape a medium.
