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I'll admit, back when this game was very first teased with only the title, I was sort of laughing at EA because there wasn't even a beacon of hope that they would pull something off as defining as a Star Wars single player experience. We've got games like Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed that give that experience very well in many ways. So to even think there would be a potential repeat of that coming from EA, it just seemed unlikely.

But then you also go through the realization of knowing that Respawn is the one developing the game. EA is only publishing. We as fans were sincerely hoping that this game would not have any kind of money grabbing schemes. And EA made sure to let fans know early on that there will be absolutely no microtransactions or money grabs of any kind. At this point I'm cautiously optimistic because it's still hard to say whether or not there was a chance that they knew what they were doing and if they were just letting Respawn do their thing. The hope was that Respawn was able to just do the development side and just take care of that. With titles like Titanfall and Apex Legends on their resume, you'd understand that people were expecting something great.

Then you come to the release date, and simultaneously I got my deluxe edition copy because I had preordered it months prior. And let me just say this as clearly as I can. They did a ****ing unbelievably good job on Jedi Fallen Order. From the world building to the lightsaber combat, it all feels so fluid and nice that it really feels like you're playing as a Jedi. The combat is surprisingly tactical, but it's oh so satisfying once you get it figured out. Just takes practice. Graphics are pretty phenomenal. You'll see things in the background that will take your breath away. Like a Starfighter crashed in the ground behind you, etc etc.

People have been making the comparison to Dark Souls / Bloodborne / Sekiro, and I wholeheartedly agree. The game is tough. Especially if you're playing on the harder difficulty. The way you move around and the platforming are very reminiscent of Middle Earth: Shadow of War and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It takes a lot of inspiration and it throws it together in a wonderfully told story in the Star Wars universe.

I've so far put about 5 hours into the game, and I've had a blast the whole way through. The way the world builds upon itself. The way the story is told. The characters you meet. It's everything I was hoping the game would be. And the best thing about it. There's absolutely no microsactions or money grabs whatsoever. EA basically gave this one to Respawn and said "Hey, we'll publish this. Just make a great game." And god damn they did.

It's always nice when a game turns out as good as you wanted it to, if not better. I'm still playing through the game so there may be another review. So far, it's great.