this game had its ups and downs for sure. the performance issues and the constant crashes sometimes made me wanna stop playing, but the story and combat when the game WAS working kept me going. if you're a star wars fan, you need to play this game asap
the story is definitely this game's major draw for me. i think it was so well handled. at first i was iffy on the ending but now that im thinking about it, makes sense.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT
I'm going to be honest. I didn't play much of the first game. I finished the first visit to the first planet and stopped because I was playing the PS4 version and respawning took simply too long for a game that's about trial and error.
That being said, not having played the first game, that honed in on the catchup the game did. I felt like I knew exactly what happened because of how well the game made sure that for new and old players, the story of fallen order was reiterated.
Now moving on to this game's story. There's so many themes that go even past just the usual jedi stuff, but what really drew me in WAS the usual jedi stuff. It was explored in such a way I had never seen before, with Cal having difficulty with the negative emotions that usually lead to the dark side. However, he was able to control it somewhat, and kept the emotions at bay when it was important, with the help of his loved ones... loved one. Lol.
The brotherhood between Bode and Cal was beautiful. Seeing two people bond so well due to a shared tragedy and also a similar past; losing their family; was wonderful to see. Bode frequently referred to Cal as his Brother, and I agree wholeheartedly.
That's where the twist comes in. When it is revealed that Bode was working for the... rogue empire? Some kind of empire faction that didn't really care about the higher ups and would take in a jedi if it meant he works for their personal gain, I felt so worried. I was like, well shit. My favorite character is gonna die because he's silly. But no! The game makes his motives clear, wanting to protect his daughter at all costs. Calling him a villain would not be accurate. I feel like he was not able to control the dark side of his emotions as well as Cal had, though, due to being out of touch with the force all those years, working strictly as a bounty hunter.
It sucked that Cal ended up having to kill Bode. I understand, but I was really hoping he would come around and we could all be a happy family, but I guess the game wants to set up for a third game, as it is implied Cal is going to teach Kata the way of the force. Maybe? That's how I interpreted it, atleast.
This game was amazing, and the only thing keeping me from giving it the 10 I feel like it should have is the aforementioned performance issues that hindered my experience frequently.
Again. PLAY THIS IF YOURE A STAR WARS FAN YOULL BE DOING YOURSELF A FAVOR