Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Has Perfected Lightsaber Combat

ign.com:

If your childhood was in anyway similar to mine then the phrase “saberrealisticcombat” has permanent residency in your brain. For those not in the know, this is the cheat code that activates dismemberment in 2002’s Star Wars Jedi Knight 2, the long-reigning king of simulated lightsaber combat. Type that string of characters into the command console and suddenly every swing of Kyle Katarn’s humming blade produces a recreation of the cantina scene from A New Hope. But even without the detachable limbs, Jedi Knight 2’s lightsaber – and those in its sequel, Jedi Academy – felt like an unmatched force, until now.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has the best lightsabers in any Star Wars video game I’ve ever played. Their pitch-perfect hum, crackle, and hiss are matched by swift and smooth fight manoeuvres that truly convey this elegant weapon’s prowess. And so, after two decades, we finally have a worthy heir to Jedi Knight’s clashes.

To be clear, I mean that in the spiritual sense. Respawn Entertainment’s Jedi games are very different to Raven Software’s Jedi Knight series; rather than shooter/hack-and-slash hybrids, they are rooted in the melee combat rhythms of FromSoftware. If you loved Jedi Knight, there’s no guarantee that Jedi: Survivor is going to ignite your inner kyber crystal. But if you’re looking to once again feel the energetic rush that Raven imbued its lightsaber combat with, then Jedi: Survivor has a Corellian freighter’s worth.

That initial rush comes via the massive improvement that Respawn has made to its fencing fundamentals. While I’m aware that Jedi: Fallen Order was largely admired, I personally found its Dark Soulsian combat quite rough around the edges. It felt slow and clumsy, with protagonist Cal Kestis