Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Infodump

Saturday's EA Play event, which accompanied the E3 2019 fair in Los Angeles, which began shortly afterwards, was opened with a presentation of gameplay from Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. The footage certainly answered many of the players' doubts, but it also raised a lot of new questions about the nature of Respawn Entertainment's upcoming work. Some of them are answered by an extensive article that has just been published in Game Informer. One of the magazine's envoys had the opportunity to visit the developer during a two-day visit to see a fragment of the game and talk to its creators, including director Stig Asmussen, known from God of War III. Below we have gathered the most important and interesting information that appeared in the article.

1. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order began its life as a completely original TPP action game focusing on close combat and the use of guns. The project was presented by the studio to the bosses of Electronic Arts, who decided that the concept would fit perfectly into the universe of Star Wars. After Lucasfilm accepted the idea, the work on the new production started in full swing.
2. Developers openly discuss the sources of their inspiration. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order was most influenced by two famous and iconic game series. This was reflected in all aspects of the project prepared by Respawn. These are Metroid (especially the Metroid Prime trilogy) and the Souls series along with Bloodborne. From the former, the devs borrowed world construction and design, as well as the way we traverse it. The latter was served as the model of an optimal and engaging combat system.
3. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order takes place a few years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III. Players take on the role of young Cal Kestis, a former Padawan who has to hide his past from the soldiers of the Empire. The action begins on the planet Bracca, where the hero finds a job in the Junkers Guild, which dismantles Republic ships used in Clone Wars.
4. After one of Cal's coworkers discovers and reveals his past to the authorities, he has to flee for his life. Unexpectedly, however, a mysterious woman named Cere comes to his aid. Soon it turns out that she is a former Jedi knight and plans to resurrect the decimated order. The ambitious heroine concludes a deal with Cal - in exchange for help in completing his training, the protagonist, who does not believe in the success of the mentor's mission, will support her in the fight against the Empire. The creators suggest that Cere hides many secrets. One of them may be information about a safe place where many Jedi survivors are hiding. During the game Cere is usually responsible for reconnaissance and we will rarely see her at our side.

1. The game will avoid long cut-scenes, as well as flashbacks. Most of the dialogues will be presented without taking control from the player. Cal's past will be revealed while we play, usually during conversations with other characters. The title has a closed storyline with a satisfying ending, closing the most important threads and answering most of our questions.
2. An inseparable companion of Cal is a small droid BD-1. The finalisation of his companion's appearance and discussions about it with Lucasfilm took almost two years. What is interesting, the inspiration for the creators was the iconic comic strip Peanuts. The personality of BD-1 is to be the derived from the comic's two popular characters - Snoopy and Woodstock.
3. Cal travels with Cere on board a spacecraft called The Stinger Mantis. Its pilot is Greez Dritus, a four-armed bat alien from a race created especially for the game, who will be the next pillar of the hero's team. During the game we can freely move around the ship's interiors, looking into the cockpit or the crew cabin. We will change the appearance of The Stinger Mantis according to our own preferences, using cosmetic objects that modify such elements as the color of walls or floors. In a navigation room that contains a map of the galaxy, we will choose one of the many star systems available. The journey between worlds will take place without a real-time loading screen. While jumping in hyperspace we can get acquainted with the topography of the visited world, talk or take part in other optional activities (mini-games?), which are still a mystery at this point.
4. The creators have not yet revealed how many planets we will visit during the game. For now we know the names of two - Bracca and Kashyyyk. The devs promise that during the campaign we will see both the previously unseen worlds and those well known from movies or other sources, in the proportions of half and half.
5. After landing on the selected planet, we begin exploring it. The landing site is a safe haven where you can talk to characters, upgrade your equipment or allocate skill points. However, none of the available worlds will offer players a typical open sandbox map. Locations prepared by the creators are linear, but at the same time often looped, full of blind nooks and crannies, shortcuts and numerous optional paths and secrets. The road to some of them may be blocked until we learn the right power or find the necessary gadget, which will motivate us to revisit some places.
6. Even when travelling on the surface, we will not experience any loading screens. In order to increase the imersion, the game will be devoid of mission markers and arrows indicating the way to the target. However, the navigation will be facilitated by a three-dimensional map, which we have already seen in the gameplay video.

1. During the game Cal will come across boxes in which there are many items used to improve Force power, health or to unlock new skill points (we still don't know anything about the latter). They will also allow him to modify his equipment, including his lightsaber. Using the found components, we can change the colour of the blade, for example. In addition, perceptive players will also find hidden boxes of cosmetic items.
2. In addition to the usual stormtroopers, the protagonist will encounter specialist units of the empire's soldiers, equipped with heavy armour, energy weapons, flamethrowers and rocket launchers. Of course, the most dangerous will be the powerful inquisitors, who will be accompanied by the so-called purge troopers, trained to fight Jedi one on one. During the campaign we will also defeat various kinds of creatures, such as huge spiders, which appeared in the gameplay showin during EA Play. It is worth noting that the Respawn Entertainment team is proud of the diversity of opponents in the game and promises many unique boss battles.
3. The article mentions one of the missions to Kashyyyk during which we infiltratean AT-AT walker, get rid of its crew and then take control of it in order to deal with other enemies in a a most spectacular way. The game will also include other heavy equipment from the Empire, such as AT-ST walkers.
4. According to developers Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is supposed to have a system of so-called "thoughtful fight". Those who expect quick battles based on the use of spectacular lightsaber combos, known for example from older games from the universe, will be highly disappointed. The influence of Dark Souls and its spawn is undeniable here.The first gameplay video has provided us with a sample of what to expect in this respect. Enemy encounters designed by the creators are meant to discourage mindless sword waving or throwing oneself at groups of opponents. Players are supposed to control their attacks, look for gaps in their opponents' defenses, and try to stun them or destroy their armor.
5. Our protagonist's condition is determined by three basic indicators - health, stamina and Force - whose constant control is one of the keys to victory.
6. Cal can perform light or heavy attacks, blocks, or short jumps with his sword drawn, allowing you to reduce the distance to the target or dodge.
7. Cal does not regain lost health points automatically when away from enemies. In order to regenerate them, he must use the medical canisters stored by BD-1. They are available in a strictly limited number and function in the same way as the estus flasks from the Dark Souls series. We can only retrieve them if we rest in a designated safe place or return to the deck of our ship. After that all opponents on the map (except bosses) reset themselves and return to their initial positions. We start the game with only two canisters, but by finding special components we can increase their number with time.
8. During the game we have access to a number of Jedi powers. Most of them will be used in both combat and level exploration. Standard push and pull allow you to throw opponents, manipulate the environment or remove obstacles from the road. The slowdown, as the name suggests, reduces the speed of enemies, and can also stop projectiles in mid-air. The Force will also be useful, for example, when we have to get past the blades of a fast-rotating rotor. The possibility of running on vertical walls and performing double jumps in the air will also be extremely useful. The creators did not want to talk about the rest of the hero's abilities yet.

So far, that's all we've learned. In the coming months, the creators will certainly share more details of the game and the plot. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with its release scheduled for November 15 this year.

1. Article on Game Informer
2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order official website