PlayStation Plus Just Added The Decade's Best Star Wars Game

There aren’t many modern Star Wars games that meet the level of 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It’s a near-perfect soulslike that tells a compelling story in the familiar science fantasy galaxy. Some four years after release, it remained the best Star Wars game of the generation by a pretty wide margin.

That was until 2023’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Rarely do sequels hit surpass its predecessor by every metric the same way this game does. And now that it’s free via the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue, there’s zero reason to miss out on this dark second chapter in the story of former Jedi Cal Kestis.

Like the first game, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an action-adventure game that combines Soulslike combat, item-gated Metrovania-style levels, and Uncharted-style setpieces. With the proven formula set in stone, Survivor focuses on delivering an even grander adventure than the first game.

Each of the game’s planets feels less like a level and more like an open world with various hubs within. From the game’s opening on Coruscant to the scoundrel haven of Koboh, each planet has enough room for Survivor’s involved story missions and plenty to spare for exploration and uncovering secrets. There are hidden bosses, some of which serve as fun easter eggs for long-time fans of the franchise. And side quests help give the game’s surprisingly large cast of characters some time to develop. Like any good Metroidvania, it’s always fun to return to levels after obtaining a few upgrades and tools, unlocking even more items for Cal.

The combat has been deepened by giving you more options than ever. Players can make Cal their own, not only in how he looks, thanks to a variety of unlockable outfits and hairstyles, but in how he engages in battle. Cal now has five lightsaber stances. The single, dual-wielded, and double-bladed lightsaber stances return from the original. But he now has access to a new blaster and saber combo pulled straight out of Bloodborne, as well as a tanky crossguard lightsaber stance that’s all about powerful, deliberate swings. Combined with the force skill tree, combat feels more dynamic than ever.

The most refreshing part of Survivor is its story. Rather than lean on the familiarity of Star Wars’ core saga, it focuses on the personal journeys of the entire Stinger Mantis crewmates. We learn early on that the crew didn’t stay together in the five years since Fallen Order’s conclusion, something which causes tension between them all. How these interpersonal relationships develop feels surprisingly nuanced for a Star Wars story and makes for a much more interesting 25-hour playthrough.

When the game does intersect with the rest of the Star Wars canon, it swings big by pulling from the High Republic era. It’s a relatively new part of the Star Wars timeline (the High Republic kicked off in 2021) that feels ripe for new stories to develop as only a handful of books and the underrated TV show The Acolyte have been set during this period. Survivor makes the most of this, introducing characters that cast new questions and doubts about the supposedly altruistic Jedi order. It’s a refreshingly contained adventure despite the scale of the threats involved. And it makes for one of the better Star Wars stories told in the post-Disney era.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a perfect sequel to one of the best Soulslike games available today. It’s bigger and better than the original thanks to deeper combat and world-building that doesn’t retread the same ground as everything before it. It’s a gutsy Star Wars tale that isn’t afraid to stray from the familiar. And it’s one of the strongest additions to the PlayStation Plus library in months.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.