You’ve probably seen the Steam reviews by now. It’s a bloodbath of "mostly negative" or "mixed" ratings depending on which month the patch notes dropped. Honestly, the launch of Star Wars Jedi Survivor was a disaster for PC players. Stuttering. Frame drops in Rambler’s Reach. VRAM leaks that would make a 4090 cry. It was bad. But here’s the thing: despite the technical baggage that still lingers like a bad smell in 2026, the game is actually a masterpiece of level design and combat rhythm that most people are overlooking because they can't get past the shader compilation stutters.
Cal Kestis isn’t the scared kid from Fallen Order anymore. He’s tired. You can see it in the way Cameron Monaghan plays him—there’s this weight behind his eyes that feels earned. He’s been fighting a losing war for five years, and the game doesn’t shy away from the toll that takes. It’s dark.
Why the Koboh Hub is better than any Open World
A lot of games try to do the "hub world" thing. Usually, it’s just a menu with extra steps. In Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Koboh is the heart of the experience. It’s a massive, sprawling planet that feels more like a Metroidvania on steroids than a traditional open world. You start at Pyloon’s Saloon, meet some weird aliens like Turgle (who is a national treasure, by the way), and then you realize the entire map is folded in on itself.
I spent three hours just trying to figure out how to reach a golden chest on a high ridge. It wasn't about following a waypoint. It was about realizing that I needed to tame a Nekko, use its jump boost, and then chain a dash through a green laser gate I’d unlocked three missions prior. That’s the magic here. Respawn Entertainment didn't just give us a map; they gave us a Rubik's Cube made of rock and moss.
The verticality is insane. You’re not just walking; you’re soaring on the wings of a Relter or using the new Ascension Cable to zip across gaps that would have been impossible in the first game. It feels fast. It feels fluid. When it works, it’s the best Star Wars has ever felt in a video game.
The Stance System is the real MVP
Let's talk about the Crossguard stance. It’s slow. Like, really slow. You swing that thing and you’re committed to the animation for what feels like an eternity. But when it hits? Man. It hits like a freight train. Star Wars Jedi Survivor gives you five distinct stances, and they aren't just cosmetic. You’ve got the classic Single blade, the Double-bladed for crowd control, Dual Wield for the aggressive players, and the new Blaster stance which feels straight out of a Western.
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Mixing these is where the strategy happens. You can only equip two at a time at a meditation point. This forces you to actually think about your build. Are you going into a room full of B1 battle droids? Take the Double-blade. Facing a lone Ninth Sister-style boss? You probably want the speed of Dual Wield or the raw power of the Crossguard.
The Blaster stance is controversial for some "purists" who think a Jedi should never touch a slugthrower, but it fits the narrative. Cal is desperate. He’s doing whatever it takes to survive. Shooting a stormtrooper in the face while parrying a scout trooper’s baton is peak "Survivor" energy.
The Technical Elephant in the Room
We have to be real: the performance is still the biggest hurdle. Even after dozens of patches, the Coruscant opening level can tank your FPS. Digital Foundry has done extensive deep dives into why this happens, pointing to CPU traversal stutter that just seems baked into the Unreal Engine 4 implementation Respawn used.
It sucks. It really does. You’ll be mid-swing, the game hitches for a microsecond, and suddenly you’ve missed a parry against a Bedlam Raider.
If you’re playing on a console like the PS5 or Xbox Series X, the "Performance Mode" finally stays closer to 60fps than it did at launch, but you’re sacrificing a lot of image clarity to get there. It looks soft. Sometimes blurry. If you want the 4K bells and whistles, you’re stuck at 30fps, which feels sluggish for a game that requires frame-perfect parries.
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Exploration that actually rewards you
In the first game, you explored a hidden cave only to find... a pink poncho. It was underwhelming. In Star Wars Jedi Survivor, the rewards are actually worth the trek. You find perks that change your gameplay. You find Essence Crystals that boost your health or Force meter. You find actual lore bits that connect to the High Republic era—a time period Star Wars fans have been dying to see more of in games.
The High Republic stuff is fascinating. Finding Dagan Gera, a Jedi from a more "elegant" age who has completely lost his way, provides a perfect foil for Cal. It’s not just "Empire is bad." It’s "What happens when a Jedi’s obsession with a better world turns into a nightmare?"
The combat isn't just "Souls-lite"
People love to call these games "Jedi Souls." Sure, you have meditation circles (bonfires) and enemies respawn when you rest. But the flow is different. It’s more about posture and guard meters. If you’ve played Sekiro, you’ll feel more at home here than in Elden Ring.
You have to break an enemy's guard before you can do real damage. This turns every encounter into a rhythmic dance. Clang. Clang. Spark. Force Push. Strike. It’s satisfying in a way that very few action games manage to pull off. The addition of "Force Tears"—mini-challenges hidden throughout the world—tests these skills to the absolute limit. Some of them are purely combat-focused, while others are platforming gauntlets that will make you want to throw your controller across the room. Looking at you, "Fractured Momentum."
A living, breathing galaxy (mostly)
The NPCs in this game have actual lives. If you spend time in the cantina on Koboh, you’ll hear stories evolve over the course of the campaign. Mosey, the monster hunter, will tell you about the legendary beasts she’s tracked. Monk, the droid bartender, has a dry wit that rivals K-2SO.
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It makes the world feel inhabited. You aren't just a visitor; you're part of a community. Planting a garden on the roof of the cantina sounds like a boring side quest, but watching those plants grow as you progress through the story adds a layer of "homesteading" that makes the fight for Koboh feel personal. You aren't just saving a planet; you're saving your backyard.
What you should do before starting
If you're just jumping in now, don't rush the main story. The "golden path" is great, but you'll miss 60% of what makes this game special. Here is how to actually enjoy the game without getting frustrated:
- Turn off Ray Tracing on PC: Unless you have a beastly rig, the RT implementation is the primary cause of crashes and stuttering. The game still looks gorgeous without it.
- Invest in the "Social" skills early: Get the perks that allow you to mind-trick enemies more effectively. Turning a DT Sentry Droid against its allies is the funniest thing you can do in combat.
- Explore the Shattered Moon immediately: As soon as the game gives you the option to go there, do it. The upgrades you find there make the mid-game much smoother.
- Talk to everyone: Check back in at the cantina after every major story beat. New NPCs arrive, and they often give you "Rumors" (side quests) that lead to the best boss fights in the game.
The journey of Cal Kestis is one of the best stories told in the Disney era of Star Wars. It's messy, it's buggy in places, and it demands a lot of your hardware. But beneath the technical flaws lies a game with a massive heart and some of the best level design in the last decade. It’s a testament to Respawn’s talent that even with a rocky launch, the game remains a must-play for anyone who wants to feel like a true Jedi in a galaxy that’s falling apart.
Go find some Jedha scrolls, pet a Bogling, and try not to get kicked off a cliff by an Oggdo Bogdo spawn. You've been warned.