Whatever you feel toward the game director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s fantasy oeuvre – Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring, a constellation of hits often referred to as the “Soulsborne” set – the impact of his studio FromSoftware’s work on the blockbuster video game industry is, with the arrival of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, indisputable. This most mainstream of brand-Disney endeavours has been shaped in ways both obvious and subtle by the gravitational force of Miyazaki’s one-time niche designs.
You play as Cal Kestis, a maverick Jedi unconcerned by the traditions of his order (you can dress Cal in any old scrubby T-shirt and cargo pants you collect in a remote treasure chest; no monkish robes here), who wields his lightsaber (also customisable) like a rapier. The rhythm of fights against droids, stormtroopers and 15ft rancors is moderated by participants’ stamina, which drains with each strike, recuperating only in moments of retreat – a quintessential Miyazaki design. Health is restored at glowing meditation spots, places of sanctuary where ability points are spent expanding Cal’s moves, but which also resurrect the local enemies.
