Before Respawn even had the chance to reveal Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to the world, fans had been speculating to no end in regards to how it would play. Rumors surfacing online prior to the gameplay showcase at this year’s E3 pointed to a certain existing IP as being the inspiration for Cal Kestis’ adventure, to which there is obviously some truth. The comparisons with FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series are unavoidable, after all.
Strategic swordplay (or in this case, lightsaber), blocking, parrying, learning enemy attack patterns – the staples are all present and accounted for. All except one. Fallen Order doesn’t adopt a stamina system to prevent players infinitely spamming attacks but rather, punishes the player for doing so with a swift, merciless death. For that reason, knowing when to be the aggressor or defender is key to victory.
As it turns out, the very same formula is already present in another of FromSoftware’s titles: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Given the relatively close proximity of both games’ release windows, Respawn likely developed its own system independently in tandem with FromSoft’s, though the former has recently revealed that Fallen Order plays “very similar” to Sekiro. Speaking to Edge magazine, lead combat designer Jason de Heras discussed exactly that.
I thought it was pretty badass, and a little comforting to know that you could make this type of game without a stamina bar. They let you attack, they let you roll, they do all this for free – and then the AI will tell you if you’re doing the correct thing. It just confirmed to us that you don’t have to limit everything the player does; let them have a little more agency, and then let the AI give them a slap on the wrist or a punch in the face. It was a positive thing for us to know there was a game that was similar to ours. Very similar.
What’s more, Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen reveals how he himself has been a longtime FromSoftware fan, stretching all the way back to the studio’s King’s Field series.
I’ve been a huge FromSoftware fan since King’s Field. I mean, King’s Field II is one of my favourite games ever. But it’s not about you liking a game, and trying to make that game yourself. It’s more, ’What can we learn about what’s fun about it?’
It’s a fascinating insight into Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s development process, no doubt, and we can’t wait to see how it stacks up against its contemporaries come launch day on November 15th.