Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a third-person action-adventure video game. The game's playable character, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, is equipped with a lightsaber to fight against enemies. Both Cal and his enemies have a health meter and a block meter. He can use his lightsaber to strike against enemies or block incoming melee attacks or projectiles. By observing the attack patterns of enemies, Cal can parry hostile attacks just before they land. Parrying an enemy will significantly deplete their block meter, opening up an opportunity to strike and deal large damage.[1] Some enemies will glow red when they attempt to launch an unblockable attack. These attacks cannot be parried, and players must dodge them.[2] The game features five different lightsaber stances (double-bladed, dual-wield, single, blaster, and crossguard), each of which is useful against various enemy types and encounters, though players can only equip any two of them at a time in the game.[3] For instance, the double-bladed stance is suitable for fighting a large group of enemies, while the crossguard stance, despite being slow, is able to inflict powerful damage.[4] The game offers five distinct difficulty modes for players to choose from.[5]
Cal also has access to several Force abilities, allowing him to pull and push enemies and projectiles and briefly slow down time using the Force. As players progress, they will unlock more telekinetic abilities such as lifting and slamming enemies onto the ground and confusing enemies into attacking their own. Using Force abilities will deplete Cal's Force meters, though it will gradually replenish.[6] Throughout the game, Cal is accompanied by a droid named BD-1. In combat, the droid heals Cal using Stim Canisters[7] and helps hack into hostile droids.[8] Occasionally, they will be joined with a companion character who will assist them in both combat and traversal.[9] As players progress and eliminate enemies, they will gain experience points (XP), which can be used to upgrade Cal's skills.[10] The skill tree is divided into three categories, focusing on Cal's combat stance, Force powers, and survival skills. Each combat stance has its own distinct skill trees and special abilities.[11] Players can also equip Cal with perks, which provide passive combat bonuses.[12]
While some of the planets in Jedi: Survivor are linear levels, some locations are large, sprawling spaces for players to explore freely.[13] Meditation circles are scattered throughout the game, in which players can restore their health, though doing so will cause all enemies to respawn. Meditation circles also served as fast travel points and a venue for players to change their combat stance and upgrade their skills.[14] Cal will also respawn in the nearest mediation point after he is killed in combat. Attacking the same enemy who defeats Cal after respawning will allow players to retrieve all lost XP.[9] The game also introduces ridable mounts, allowing players to travel through locations quickly.[15] Cal is an agile character who can perform moves such as wall-running, air-dashing, and double-jumping using his Force powers.[9] Early on in the game, Cal will unlock the Ascension cable, which serves as a grappling hook for him to reach distant ledges.[15] Players need to chain these highly acrobatic moves together in order to reach great distances and complete platforming challenges to progress.[16] The game adopts a structure similar to a Metroidvania game. Both Cal and BD-1 will unlock new upgrades and tools for traversal and reaching previously inaccessible areas.[9] Players can also unlock various shortcuts, allowing repeated visits to the same location to be more efficient.[17]
