If there’s one thingStar Wars Jedi: Survivorisn’t skimping out on, it’s enemy variety. In just the first few hours ofJedi: Survivor, players will face off against Stormtroopers, Scout Troopers, Purge Troopers, B1 Battle Droids, B2 Super Battle Droids, BX Commando Droids, and a variety of different Raider types, and it only continues to expand out from there. The same level of variety, unfortunately, isn’t present forStar Wars Jedi: Survivorbosses, but the ones that are there are of very high quality.
On the whole,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderdidn’t have too many bosses. Not counting any stronger variations of wildlife or the randomized bounty hunter encounters,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderreally only has three big boss fights, one of which is repeated multiple times during the course of the game.Star Wars Jedi: Survivorfollows a similar approach for its own bosses, but thankfully, it makes excellent use of one ofFallen Order’s most underrated boss encounters.
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Reuses the Ninth Sister Perfectly
One of the more understated boss fights inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis Cal Kestis' encounter with the Ninth Sister atop Kashyyyk’s Origin Tree. A Dowutin member of the Inquisitorius, the Ninth Sister is one of the twoSith Inquisitors inJedi: Fallen Ordersent after Cal Kestis. Unlike her partner, Trilla, the Second Sister, the Ninth Sister doesn’t hold back with her attacks, acting as a true test of skill for both Cal and the player controlling him. Cal narrowly defeats the Ninth Sister by slicing off her arm, and pushing her off the top of the Origin Tree, though that was never a definitive end to her character.
The Ninth Sister makes a booming return inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s opening hour. After an attempt to steal an Imperial Senator’s encrypted files, the Ninth Sister is alerted to Cal Kestis and his crew’s whereabouts. Upon arriving on the scene, the Ninth Sister, along with a squad of Purge Troopers, promptly kill three ofCal’s new crew members, showing that even without her original arm, the Ninth Sister is still a major threat, but it’s been five years since the events ofJedi: Fallen Order, and Cal Kestis is now a fully-experienced Jedi Knight.
At the end ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s tutorial mission on Coruscant, players come face to face with the Ninth Sister. This fight not only acts as a fun bit of fan service for those that playedFallen Order, but it also immediately sets the tone for the rest of the game, and it gives players a good idea of where Cal Kestis is currently at in his Jedi journey, and how far he’s come in the last five years. While inJedi: Fallen OrderCal struggled to even wound the Ninth Sister,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s first boss fight sees him defeat her with ease, unleashing his new dual-wield stance on her to finish the fight quickly and efficiently. Cal wastes absolutely no time trying to escape the Ninth Sister, but instead fights with a clear purpose, and his final attempt to turn her to the light side shows that he’s a true Jedi, willing to forgive even his worst enemies.
This opening boss battle with the Ninth Sister also does a great job of teaching players howStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s more refined, rhythmic combat works. WhileJedi: Fallen Order’s combat could feel a little unresponsive and awkward due to slow attack and block animations,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s combat is a lot more fluid and satisfying, thanks in part to the moreSekiro-inspired rhythm-based gameplay.Jedi: Survivorplaces a much greater emphasis on parrying and counter-attacking, and that’s tutorialized very well during the Ninth Sister boss battle.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S
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