Summary
2019’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas a pretty great Soulslike that took a lot of fans by surprise, but it wasn’t quite perfect. Hearing all the first game’s feedback, Respawn got hard to work on a sequel, and this year’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivorgoes a long way in fixing a lot of its predecessor’s issues. Aside from some pretty major technical issues on launch,Star Wars Jedi: Survivordoes improve upon its predecessor in practically every way, from itsMetroidvania level design, to its array of unique cosmetic collectibles, to its more engaging side activities.
But by far one of the biggest improvementsStar Wars Jedi: Survivormade was to the series' combat, and in particular, the addition of more lightsaber stances. TakingFallen Order’s simple premise and running away with it,Jedi: Survivorhas a total of five completely distinct lightsaber stances, each coming with its own moveset, animations, and unique abilities. For many fans,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Blaster Stancewas one of the sequel’s biggest highlights, but with an inevitable third game on the horizon, this Blaster Stance might face an uphill battle.
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Star Wars Jedi’s Blaster Stance Faces a Dilemma
The Next Star Wars Jedi Can’t Just Forget About Blaster Stance
While all ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s lightsaber stanceswere great additions to the game, the Blaster Stance was an underlying favorite among fans. Though Respawn’s official stats would suggest the opposite, with the Blaster Stance apparently only having an 8% use rate by early adopters of the game, the Blaster Stance has since become one of the game’s most discussed features, and for good reason.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Blaster Stance not only gave fans the ability to hip-fire an energy bolt mid-combo, it also completely changed the moveset forCal Kestis' lightsaber, giving it a more fencing-based fighting style. The Blaster Stance also came with its own set of unique abilities, each one flashier than the last.Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Blaster Stance not only gave the combat even more variation, but it also fit with the darker themes of the game, showing that Cal is no longer just a Jedi Knight, but a survivor, willing to fight dirty if he has to.
The Next Star Wars Jedi Will Have a Tough Time Improving the Blaster Stance Without Making it OP
With the Blaster Stance being an underrated favorite, it’s likely that Respawn will bring it back for an inevitableStar Wars Jedisequel, though the developer may end up running into some issues regarding the stance’s balancing. On one hand, a Blaster Stance inaStar Wars Jedi: Survivorsequelwould need to be different in some way to justify its existence in the game. The easiest way to achieve this is by giving the player several different blaster types to choose from, such as a heavy blaster that knocks back opponents, or a repeater that delivers quick but weak shots.
However, the big issue here is that these new types of blasters could lead to the Blaster Stance feeling a tad too overpowered. If players can end up unlocking big blaster rifles and hand cannons, then they might end up foregoing the rest of the game’s lightsaber stances, turning aStar Wars Jedi: Survivorsequel into more of a third-person shooter than a Soulslike. But if Respawn doesn’t change the Blaster Stance in the sequel, then fans might deem the decision lazy. The Blaster Stance is really stuck between a rock and a hard place right now, and it’s going to take some truly creative thinking to get it out.
