At EA Play this month Respawn Entertainment was on hand to debut the single-player story-driven Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. What followed was 15 minutes of gameplay footage showcasing a somewhat linear Jedi power-fantasy full of Force powers, acrobatics, and Lightsaber combat. Although promising, the general consensus was that it looked a little bland. Safe. Linear.

According to the game's director, Stig Asmussen, this is not the case. And in fact the overall design shares many similarities to the non-linear styling of a Metroidvania game with deep combat mechanics and skill trees ala Dark Souls. A new extended gameplay demo of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order expands on the cinematic debut we got at EA Play, with the added bonus of AT-AT walkers trudging through a swamp, but also hints at this depth. With a brief glimpse at a ship/hub and a planetary map that will allow players to visit and revisit locations in the order of their choosing.



"Our approach to level design," Stig explains. "Is crafted in a non-linear way with heavy influences from games like Metroid, Castlevania, and the Souls series. The game will feature several planets that the player can elect to travel to via starship. On these worlds unique abilities and upgrades can be found that open up new paths across other planets, making retraversal an essential part of the gameplay experience." Adding that explaining all of this in a 15 minute demo would have been a lot, hence the focus on action.

Of which, players can expect a similar approach. "It should not be mistaken that our combat is overpowered or easy," Stig adds. "I promise there is considerable challenge and depth to be found within our combat system." All of this proving that it's difficult to get a clear picture of a game with only a small slice of gameplay shown. In the end it's great to hear that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is as much Metroid Prime as it is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.