Speaking to Game Informer, director Stig Asmussen stated players will discover “five fully realised stances in the game” for protagonist Cal Kestis, including a dedicated dual blade option and Kylo Ren-esque crossguard-style lightsaber (both of which were glimpsed in the most recent gameplay trailer, which you can see below). As you may already have assumed, Asmussen said it will be “advantageous to use certain types of stances against certain types of enemies”. This, the director says, will require the player to “break down the enemies and figure out what the best weapon of choice is”. As for those weapons, Cal will have access to lightsabers and a blaster on Jedi Survivor’s release. The aforementioned dual blade option will see “Kestis flipping and spinning his two separate blades at high speed”. Meanwhile, he will be able to use his blaster simultaneously with a lightsaber. “It really speaks to where we find Cal in this part of the story,” Asmussen explained, calling Kestis an “unconventional Jedi”. “It’s five years since the first game, and the dark times are still in full swing… he has to do unconventional things. So, something that would be frowned upon during the height of the Jedi Order? Cal’s finding he’s going to do whatever it takes.” Cal can also wield a crossguard-style lightsaber in the style of Kylo Ren on Jedi Survivor’s release. This option provides players with a “more confident approach” as it is “weighty [and] beefy”. However, this extra weight will make it a more cumbersome weapon of choice, meaning players will have to be “very measured” with how they use it as “the timing windows are longer with [this] blade”. Asmussen also revealed Cal will be joined by a new face on his journey through a galaxy far, far away - a mercenary by the name of Bode Akuna. You can see Bode briefly in the trailer above. “[Akuna] and Cal form a special bond” throughout Jedi Survivor, Asmussen stated. “It’s almost like they’re brothers. They’re not exactly the same, but they really do complement each other.” Lastly, Asmussen touched on the new traversal techniques Cal can use to make his way around the game’s worlds. These include an ascension cable for “climbing and crossing”, while Cal can also “tame and ride” mounts. “It’s much of a wider Metroidvania approach,” Asmussen explained. “Cal can cross huge gaps by chaining several types of skills together. But it’s also about how we approach these mounts and how they’re used to negotiate and dominate the world.” And that’s your lot for now, however I am sure there will be plenty more revealed about the game soon. We will keep you posted. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor launches 17th March 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC - make sure you saber the date!
