Recent reviews by FoG

I can't recommend this game enough!

It's one of my 2023 Goty!

I had a great time, it's a refreshing and very interesting experience.

The evolution is fluid, it's chill, the Art Direction is really cool, it's not too long and unlike a lot of games in this genre, I found that there was some difficulty at times, but overall it wasn't far-fetched. It was pretty well done!

Of course, if what you're looking for is a fighting game, or a Fast-paced one, don't get it.

But I'm assuming that if you've reached the point of checking reviews, you're probably interested in the genre :p. In that case, I can only recommend it!

I think it will be one of the gifts I'll give to a few friends!

Let's finally review this game.

For the record, I streamed it when it first came out. And it took me months to motivate myself to write a review... I needed that to get past the frustration and cool off…

I have 100% finished FO (Fallen Order), which had given me renewed hope in Star Wars IP game, but ... I almost rage quit Survivor and clearly never restarted it after forcing myself to finish it ... And I'm thinking maybe FO made me set the bar too high on Survivor. I don't know but that's a shame because there are some very good points.

SPOILER WARNING!! I'll warn you beforehand but I'm going to spoil in this review, be ready.

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Yes, there are some very good points!

OST :
First point too often ignored, the OST is really cool! The game really does have some breathtaking musics, so I wanted to emphasize it!

Environment design :
Its design can be awesome. I found certain areas full of life, all brought together in a coherent and credible way with the IP. I loved wandering around certain areas that I found to be better done than I could ever have imagined.

Exploration Gameplay :
Apart from a couple of moments, moving Cal around the environment is a real pleasure.

Boss Fight: SMALL SPOILER ALERT
The game has for me, what is probably one of the best boss fights I've ever done in a video game. The Boss Fight with Merrin. WOW! I took a break at the end of the sequence and wanted to do it again right away. It was so cool and epic!!


NPC :
As with FO, most of the NPC are really cool and well-developed. I really enjoyed watching some of them evolve and discovering others. Most of the time, NPCs were consistent with the environment and everything seemed credible!
At least ... For most of them...

Soo, why “Not Recommended” huh ?

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UI/UX :
The game is clearly designed for consoles, with all the problems that brings to PC. I had several frustrating moments + UI bug.

EA :
As with FO, you’re forced to go through EA with all the problems that brings ...
I've had several connection and playability problems because of EA's software, in addition to game crashes and bugs ...
- In addition to potentially having security issues with EA's anti cheat software ... Which wouldn't surprise me since I've already had major security/virus issues with Origin...
- It's getting to the point where I'm wondering if cracking the game wouldn't be safer than trusting EA ... But that's another debate ...

Scripted part:
Many games have scripted moments, which are often necessary to move the story forward. But this game had several scripted moments where I particularly would never have done any of the proposed actions and did something else entirely. This made the game feel too "directive", and personally pushed me out of the game even more.

Cal, the poacher!
There is a very big problem of coherence with the Jedi motto for me. Far more so than in FO. Especially since they were almost selling the game as a "Be a friend to animals" game… But in reality, it's more like:
Game : “butcher animals and shut up!”
Me : “But I'm a jedi! I just want to use force and tell them to go back to eating their grass. I don't want to kill them. Especially since it doesn't advance the story one bit.”
Game: “NO! I DON’T CARE! KILL EVERYTHING THAT MOVES!”
I REALLY felt like I was spending my time killing animals that attacked me for no reason, just to "fill" time and "do battle". It was very annoying and completely inconsistent with the Jedi for me ...

The story :
Let's get to what, in addition to everything else, almost made me rage quit the game....

For those who don't want to be spoiled or want the short version:
- One NPC in particular, unfortunately what could be "THE" main NPC of the game, was far too cliché and poorly written for me. I saw it coming from the very first hour of play, and his predictable evolution simply destroyed all the fun of the story behind it... Coupled with subjects covered in the game that could have been so interesting to tackle in the Star Wars universe, but which just turn out to be unused, barely scratching the surface...

For those who want the detailed version :

BIG SPOILER ALERT START
Don't say I didn't warn you!

So... Let's start with what after reflection turns out to be potentially the main problem with the Survivor story .... Bode... The "too much" character.

It's crazy to think that the writing of one character can destroy the whole structure of a story ... For those who don't know, Bode is THE main NPC in the Survivor story.

He starts out as a "newbie" on your team at the beginning of the game. I remember my first impression of him:
"Great ... Another attempt to do a Han Solo 20.0".

My opinion quickly evolved to "He's too much". Too friendly. Too eager to join the team. Too much answer to everything. Too perfect. etc

Then he starts talking about his daughter...
And there, I remember saying on stream, when I hadn't even finished Coruscant... (Which is a bit like the game tutorial) :
- “Please don't do the "Actually I'm the big bad guy, but I'm doing this for my daughter you know!" ...

Guess what ...

…

Anyway, the problem is that afterwards I noticed all the inconsistencies or "how convenient" moments. All the times he disappeared and then reappeared without anyone asking him where he was, how he had survived or how he find them. All the times he had just the right thing at the right time... I just got through the game seeing what I didn't want to happen, happen … And it just destroyed all my fun in the game. It took me completely out of the game and broke all the credibility of the story.

And each step took me even more out of the game.

And I remember seeing Bode's betrayal coming from afar… That famous moment when he said "I'm going to call my daughter", I stopped playing thinking to myself "And here we go..." I really wondered if I should continue playing at this time...
And then the alarm which arrives without any surprise... And from that moment I just had the impression of undergoing cliché after cliché... The arrival of Darth Vader, because… You know… He needed to be here like in FO... A moment that should have been intense and epic like it was in FO, for me had the bitter taste of boredom and "too much" because of Bode...

Then it brings us to an ultra-scripted and badly brought moment where Cal "turns" a little on the dark side. Zero fun… Plus the impression of doing a series of boring and useless fights... All for "nothing". I think that the subject of the Jedi who turns to the dark side could have been so cool! But it only scratched the surface without pushing anything....

About topics covered but not pushed, the relationship with Merrin. Another topic that would have been great to explore. The subject of romantic relationships in the Jedi order is almost unused and could have made something great! But no, again, it only scratches the surface without going deeper...

Anyway, from that moment I really "suffered" the game. I saw the predictable moments develop one after another, until the final confrontation. At that moment I was on autopilot. Like "Ok, I'm near the end, let's get this thing over with and move on." I finished the game with such bitterness that it hadn't happened to me in a decade or two...

BIG SPOILER ALERT END

Anyway, that's my review.

To be clear, this review is a personal one, I know it won't be for everyone, but it's my feeling based on my personal experience and knowledge of the IP. I hesitated for a long time between "recommended" and "not recommended", but I decided that I'd do the review for players who, like me, like well-written stories, well-written characters and a coherent universe more than fighting and action.

Hope it helps!

I must say that I haven't played a Star Wars game that I found "good" since ... Kotor 2 ? ... That says a lot ! (I haven't played all the Star Wars games since then either, but the ones I've tried ... The least I can say is that it wasn't for me.)



I can't say much without spoilers, but what we learn very quickly is that we will have to find a Holocron to retrieve a list of force sensitive childrens and rebuild the Jedi order.

The least we can say is that it's a classico classic in the Star Wars universe. But as they often say, "The journey matters more than the destination". The story takes us to different "semi-open world" planets, where we will live interesting adventures, with particularly intense passages and a really cool gameplay! Wait until you get to Kashyyyk! You'll see what a good gameplay moment is in a game ^^.

And I have to admit that I liked Cal's choice at the end, but telling you more would be a huge spoiler.



Something I realize while writing this recommendation is that in the end you don't meet that many NPCs in the game. And yet, it doesn't bother at all! I really felt that each NPC was developed, with its own personality and goals. They were coherent in the universe and in their actions!

And this game offers some of the most interesting companions I've had in a game in a long time! Even if some of them arrive too late for my taste, which leaves a feeling of not really getting to know them. But I don't want to spoil anything so I'll be vague about it.

Anyway, the characters are well written and well developed! I didn't feel like I had any "Filler" characters or worse, characters that just gets under my skin... So that's a good point!



Even though I'm not a huge fan of the "action" genre, I found this game fluid and pleasant to play. The progression curve is good, the learning is well done and the whole thing feels natural.

The character's movements are well done, the gamefeel is pleasant and it's rare to have moments of frustration.

I even tested the hardest difficulty level to see and, although I didn't manage to play for a long time in this mode, I really had the impression that it was well done! Unlike some games that I find "Clumsy". But I'll come back to this in details in the "Souls-like" part.

The exploration is generally nice too, with some very interesting areas and others more standard but not boring.

Overall, except for some small problems that I will talk about in the "Cons", I enjoyed the exploration!



The art direction is cool, everything is consistent with the Star Wars universe, the planets are all different with their own color palette, props and sound ambiance! The music is nice and coherent, the SFX are well matched and nothing is annoying either (which means it's a very good job for me).

The props reuses are clever and well managed, you don't feel them while playing. I really had to pay attention and try to understand how things were done to spot them.

The whole thing is immersive and corresponds well to the vision I have of a Star Wars universe.



I am not a fan of the "Souls-Like" genre because it often means elitism and no accessibility. For me at least.

But this game offers different levels of difficulty and, having tried the hardest one, I find it well done. The combat gameplay is well timed, the combo's are interesting and follow the famous "Easy to Learn, Hard to Master".

It's fluid and doesn't feel clumsy like in some "Souls" games... And offers an intense difficulty for those who want challenge and other difficulties more accessible for those who want to play and not be tortured by the game? Maybe some peoples should take inspiration from it.^^



EA
For those who are like me not fan of EA for various reasons, know that it is necessary to go through their software ... And apparently you need a mandatory connection ... Which is usually a no go for me ... But I did the game on my main PC, with an internet connection, so I didn't realize this detail.

Exploration
Overall, the exploration is pleasant, but, having done all the achievements of the game, I must confess that the lack of fast travel made me almost hate Kashyyk and Dathomir, which was however among the most interesting planets for me. Sometimes you find yourself going in circles, getting lost, or having to waste 15 minutes making a boring detour just to get one thing... But that's something you probably won't feel if you just want to do the story and have no interest in coming back after finishing everything.

Overall, this is a great game! And one of the few that I liked enough to fully explore and finish it 100%.

Great ... So, about this pack and the other costumes pack of this game ...

First point : Very expensive for costumes that we had directly in game before and not in DLC ...

Second point : The worst is that you can't use them before chapter 5, (12-15H of game if you play while exploring like me) but it's not finished ! Sega apparently made the crazy choice not to display the costume changes ... Before finishing the game ... WTF. So we pay for something we can't even use until we finish the game...

Before that, the costumes changes are only displayed in combat. So we find ourselves with characters who constantly change costumes... Completely incoherent...

I rarely say this at this point but... This is a very big fail...

Fast but fun game, for a puzzle game. I think you need to have played the Witness to understand its depth. But the humor remains very accessible.

I had a good timein it!

A game that surprised me, and in a good way. I feel like that's rare enough for me to note.

If you like investigation games and dialogues, this game is for you!

If you're the kind of person who wants to fight only and skip the dialogues to the point where you don't know what to do without a quest pointer, just skip it! :p

One of the best Pixel Art Software!

C'est un très bon jeu, J'y passe un bon moment, mais il a aussi des défauts.

En pour :
- On peux y faire beaucoup (énormément ?) de choses
- L'histoire est intéressante.
- Les persos sont intéressants.
- Nos choix on un certain impacte
- On peux vraiment évoluer nos persos comme on veut (Voir même peut être trop haha)

En contre :
- Parfois très lent (On perd beaucoup de temps en déplacement, parfois très lent, même non surchargé, au point ou je rêve d'un mod qui triple ou quadruple la vitesse de déplacement ...)
- Les stats sont très/trop nombreuses et parfois brouillons. (Il est parfois difficile de comprendre pourquoi quelque chose ne marche pas)
- J'ai eu un pic de difficulté bien violent à un moment dans l'histoire, pour ensuite retomber à un niveau lambda. Pas vraiment bien géré.
- Le système de combat est un peu brouillons pour moi. Parfois difficile de suivre ce qu'il se passe ou de comprendre pourquoi telle ou telle action ne se fait pas.

Donc y'a un peu de frustration, mais le jeu est bien bien cool à part ça !

Je recommande, mais checkez peut être les mods qu'il y a avec haha.

Bon petit jeu posé à jouer avec des potes !

This game is just amazing, if you like the puzzle game style.

So try it !