Yesterday, Electronic Arts kicked-off its E3 2019 celebrations with its 'EA Play' event and the gameplay reveal of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. While it's already been confirmed the title won't be coming to Nintendo's hybrid system, there's still an interesting link this game has with one of the Japanese company's famous series that's worth acknowledging.
The developer Respawn Entertainment, known for other titles such as Apex Legends and Titanfall, has partly modeled the game on Nintendo's bounty hunter space pirate series, Metroid. There's also a dash of Bandai Namco's Dark Souls thrown in for good measure.
As you freely explore the galaxy as the protagonist Cal Kestis, you'll encounter blocked pathways. Of course, if you've played one of Samus' games before, it's simply a matter of finding the right upgrade for the job and then returning to a particular section later on in your adventure.
Fallen Order is much the same - with Respawn explaining how it wants players to "embrace" exploration. There's no on-screen waypoint system guiding players to their next objective, either. The most help you'll get is from your friendly droid friend BD-1, who can bring up a holographic map of the surrounding area, highlighting points of interest. Much like Metroid, you'll also have to uncover the map as you progress.
The director Stig Asmussen further explained how Respawn studied Metroid Prime early on in development (thanks, Game Informer):
“We looked at the structure of Metroid Prime closely. Early on, I looked at the cadence of getting upgrades in Metroid and we mapped that out. Ours in Jedi: Fallen Order is nothing like that, but it was a good exercise to go through. I think [Jedi: Fallen Order’s approach] will feel fresh; it’s not exactly like Metroidvania. We also looked at games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls that have the same types of methodology. We studied those games and they inspired us to find an experience that works well for our game.”
The Dark Souls link isn't quite as prominent as the Metroid one, but it's still there. It's built into the combat segments. Rather than release a button-masher where you destroy everything in sight with relative ease as a Jedi, Respawn wanted players to have to read each enemy, study their patterns and then use this knowledge to their advantage. It results in slower but ultimately more intense fights, with Cal having to rely on a "simple" tool kit. As combat designer Jason de Heras explains:
"It's a very what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of combat system"
Fortunately, the game isn't quite as unforgiving as the Dark Souls series. Admittedly, the only thing we are a bit down about is the fact this game won't be released on the Switch. For anyone who is seeking a Star Wars fix on the Switch, you'll just have to wait until Zen Studios releases Star Wars Pinball later this year in September.
Would you like to have seen this game on Nintendo's latest device? Are you pleased to hear designers are still drawing inspiration from the Metroid series after all these years? Share your thoughts below.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments (81)
Metroid Prime and the 100's of games since that follow a similar path. God of War more closely resembles Metroid or Zelda than anything from this so far. Not to mention is this even coming to Switch?
@carlos82 Nope. This is another <insert game> not coming to the Switch article in disguise lol. There are so many games not coming to Switch during this E3, they will have lots to write about over the coming week...
God forbid they focus on what IS coming...
I sure love reading articles about games not coming to a Nintendo system on a Nintendo news site!
What is the sense of this? There are probably several other non-Switch games that have similar inspirations, how about doing a list. Can we focus, at least during the E³, where there is news aplenty on what IS actually coming to Nintendo's systems...
@GrailUK Are you suggesting that we don't cover games that are coming to Switch? 🤔
Settle down guys, they'll write about those too!
@Lemmy_the_Koopa The developer has stated quite clearly that this is inspired by Metroid Prime, hence the post.
I try to not get annoyed when I read these types of articles, but this one makes me bristle a bit. There are numerous reasons for that, but I think the main ones should be obvious.
This isn’t a Switch game. Why is this an article? If influenced by is enough to get an article there will be a million more of these click bait pieces. Sigh.
@Damo Haha. No. You just lose focus on them with articles like this. Don't worry, you are still my fave Nintendo site
I'm just not a fan of articles about games not coming to Switch is all.
@aesz Far Fetched? The dev is quite clear on how Metroid Prime influenced this game; it's interesting to see how Nintendo's franchises provide a foundation for games on all systems.
Plus, it's an article marked as "Random".
@Damo I get that, but with so much news probably going on during E³, it just adds to the noise. Since I am not paying your salary I am certainly not in the position to tell you what to write and on what articles you should spend your time. As a reader though, I would be rather happy to see more focused news. Especially, but not limited, if the company clearly stated that there are no Switch versions planned.
@GrailUK haha I don't need to go on Pushsquare for my Playstation news anymore. Having said that it is EA so maybe we'll get a legacy version instead over here with the story missing 😂
So far I think this looks really good, it's a shame it's not coming to Switch as I see nothing happening here that couldn't be done on it.
@Damo they literally say in the next line that their game is nothing like that. I just think they are just throwing names out there to get their game associated with them, as we all know how pathetic EA's output has been for years
This site is showing EA a lot more love than they are showing the console. If they can't see why Nintendo fans are against that then I'm at a loss. EA can disappear for all I care...until they actually bring a game.
Should know by now a “RANDOM” article stands for a “POINTLESS” article on this site.
Still waiting and hoping EA lose the Star Wars licence though.
No Stars Wars content produced since Disney/EA got the rights is worth any more than dog crap. I'll stick to Empire at War mods, KOTOR and the books and comics I grew up loving. Star Wars content that I love. Not this trash.
Dont own a Switch, but yes will want to try the game on PS4 as not had a proper Star Wars game for years. I liked the arcade style of the Gamecube games, Ive had some fun with Battlefront 2, but I do like space battles.
As EA are only re-releasing the same game and just changing the name on Switch, why can’t they just take Rogue Squadron 2, change the name to Rogue Squadron “Legacy Edition” and release it ?
It’s ok to do it with FIFA, so why not Star Wars ?
@Ristar24 How is Battlefront 2? I've heard good things about it lately since the controversy. It looks like a Star Wars Battlefront 1.
@carlos82
Did you even need to ask that question when the news of Fifa 2020 being a big FU to switch owners
This game looks inspired by the status quo, if anything. It's seems like typical AAA fare with a Star Wars skin.
This game looks like it has an invisible hand gently pushing you through it's setpieces, which is antithetical to both mentioned games' design philosophies.
I didn’t see much exploration from the gameplay they showed. But that’s good to know it is there at least and not just a linear Uncharted style game.
The combat looked like Sekiro but without much depth. The AI also didn’t look too bright.
It is a single player Star Wars game though. At least it is a better effort than previous EA Star Wars games, even if it lacks any identity of its own.
@Trajan Im not much of an online gamer to be honest, but I liked the off line story and arcade modes, even if they are pretty shallow modes to play. Just engaging in the arcade space battles was fun for me, great graphics and sound and smooth gameplay. Its also pretty cheap now, Ive not bought a single loot box myself. Shame some maps could not be played off line, though.
Pretty much every new Star Wars thing sucked the last couple of years so I have no hope for this.
The Nintendo Life editor spends more time in the comment section trying to justify pointless articles than he does actually editing them.
Not gonna lie...Solo player content in SWBF2 was amazing especially with added dlc... loved the story and this looks superb too.... wish we were get a Star Wars game on switch but either way this is day one - the only EA game that could be day one is a Star Wars one
@Stocksy
Totally forgot there was single player on that game I might pick it up in a sale. Thanks for the recommend.
Looked so very very average, not getting it.
@Damo
I think this is simply a matter of priorities.
I mean, it's clear that because of the mention of Metroid Prime, it can be justified to put an article like this on a Nintendo-centric website.
However, NintendoLife isn't like those blogs (GN, MNN...) that report on anything that is slightly related to Nintendo.
There are good Switch games that got little to no coverage on NL, and it's frustrating to see NL reporting on something like this Star Wars game being mildly inspired by a Nintendo game, while good actual Switch exclusives like Quad Fighter K, Radirgy Swag or Sisters Royale get completely ignored.
I mean, yes, Sisters Royale is JP-only, but the Switch is region free, and a new exclusive shmup from the creators of the famous Castle of Shikigami developers is something people should know about, as opposed to that Sonic-themed curry that makes people poop blue (which NL reported on despite the product being JP-only from what i remember).
Hey everybody, If you don’t want to read the article because it’s not about an official Nintendo game, guess what?
You. Don’t. Have. To.
@Robzilla Sure, but we can also voice our displeasure and tell the Nintendo Life staff which content we are keen on seeing , so they know our preferences and dig for tidbits and news accordingly .
@Fandabidozi well worth it... stars about the time of return of the Jedi... and goes right up to just before last Jedi... good mix of characters you know and decent story... decent FPS campaign and you really don’t get many of those anymore... they add a chuck of story to take it right up to Last Jedi.
I enjoyed and plan to play through again.
You guys should stop giving EA so much coverage since they treat the Switch like trash.
@GrailUK EA can disappear completely as far as I'm concerned
@Lemmy_the_Koopa I feel it’s so much easier to just ignore the article than give the editors grief because you don’t particularly like it. This is why people hate the internet.
yay.. MORE EA TRASH on Nintendolife. EA, a company that shoves the weakest versions of their games (if at all) onto the Nintendo platforms ever since the GameCube.
I'm with everyone else here that we shouldn't cover EA news, that just gives them publicity and clicks and makes them money.
@Robzilla It's a Nintendo-news website. If they wanted to cover EA news that can do so on the Playstation-centered news site they also run. Namely pushsquare. Or should they cover all [s]Sony and[/s] MS news from E3 as well? (Nope.)
@Robzilla Okay, there is a difference to giving grief and voicing displeasure. The latter can be done in polite way and me asking what the point of this and follow up with an explanation why I want to see other content seems polite to me. It's even implied in their community list to voice disagreement in a constructive way and I guess I fullfilled that criteria.
People hate the internet, not because of constructive feedback, but rather of some trollish behavior or people being nasty.
You might have generally spoken and I identify some comments here as being a tad on the abusive side of things and also would rather these people refrain from voicing their opinion in this way, but I don't want to auto mute that completely.
@Robzilla Oh man, I hope I didn't come across as giving anyone grief! Failing to see the worth in '<insert game title> is not coming to the Switch articles is not personal in the slightest. Certainly nothing against Liam or Damian who do amazing work here. I would be happier if the site avoided creating them and leave them to lesser sites. I'm not unique. And I would also like to think I am valued as a regular reader here (along with everyone else here.)
It's easy to say if you don't like something don't read it...but isn't that encouraging articles nobody reads? And if you can make a living doing that, then I am in the wrong job lol! Besides, this is a Nintendo site, I'm a Nintendo fan...so of course I want this site to be the best it can be for the totally selfish reason that I enjoy visiting it.
This game looks brilliant. Can't wait to play it. Looks like Uncharted set in a Star Wars environment, which is absolutely fine with me. And yeah, it's not coming out on the Switch, just like Red Dead Redemption 1 didn't come out on the Wii, and just like hundreds of other top-tier games haven't been ported to Nintendo's platforms over the years. When Nintendo releases a console that can keep up with Sony and Microsoft in terms of performance, then grumbling about big-budget games will be a legitimate complaint to lay at the feet of developers. For now, it's largely the fault of Nintendo. But that fault allows them to focus on making their own top-tier games, so swings and roundabouts.
When you wake up in the morning
Nintendo Life rubbing salt into your wound
You know that E3 must be coming
We'll ride the hype train there real soon
Theres the Tree house special
To shine the light on games
Splatoon and Smash and Mario
To kick off why we came
Can you guys post an article about Death Stranding for the PS4 next?
Apparently Kojima owned a Famicom when he was younger and it inspired him to make games.
@Lemmy_the_Koopa @Robzilla I feel it’s so much easier to just ignore the comment than give the person who commented grief because you don’t particularly like it. This is why people hate the internet.
It looked more Uncharted like from the trailer. Extremely linear, scripted, and forced. Ugly character models too, but at least it was running at 60.
If the game is good it would be the closest thing we ever to Star Wars 1313. But I'll wait until reviews to come out.
@GrailUK,
Exactly,what is the point discussing games that will not be released on the Switch,on a Nintendo website.
If I want this game I will buy in on my Xbox One s...
@Kalmaro I think this snarky remark is not warrented, because I engaged Robzilla and I think this was just us voicing our view instead of genuine griefing .
1 The game looks and plays nothing like Metroid. It looks like Uncharted with lightsabers. The complete opposite of Metroid.
2 I think it’s poor form to consistently pander for views standing on the shoulders of whatever popular [insert game here] happens to be drawing clicks, regardless of whether it’s coming to a Nintendo platform or not.
I own all consoles. If I want news for the other consoles I own, I’ll go to another site. I come here because I want Nintendo news about games coming to Nintendo Switch. If the game isn’t coming to the Nintendo switch I don’t want to see an article about it. And if it was just once in a blue moon that would be reasonable, but a significant percentage of games announced on other platforms are smuggled into headlines here. And that’s just unacceptable.
I think I’ll just stop clicking on articles, commenting on articles, or visiting the site beyond the forums, because that’s the only way to really put my money where my mouth is. This has been a complain of readers for some time now, and it’s only getting more frequent with more desperate connections to Nintendo.
The game looks like generic rubbish. It's a no from me dawg.
@JaxonH
Well said. Completely agree.
Game adoption on the Switch is incredibly high. Yes, on some resource intensive games that might mean a modest graphical downgrade to port it. Most Switch owners would accept that for portability. That developers seem to defiantly willing to leave money on the table makes no sense. This isn't the Wii U.
@GrailUK
https://nintendoeverything.com/
Lots of things coming as well
I don't know why these games don't appear here in NL.
Switch-bound or not, I was surprised to see something slightly interesting from EA's press conference. Then again, they showed Unravel 2 last year, and I felt the same about that.
Honestly I got more Sekiro vibes watching the lightsaber combat with the Inquisitors than Dark Souls. It's definitely more fast paced and aggressive than the latter game.
@rjejr Good rendition. I’m pretty sure there is a bar in the Mushroom Kingdom with “Willy and the Poor Boys” in the jukebox. Of course Bowser and Jr. keep trashing the place.
I loved what I saw.
Back to simple level design with a story. And dang did it feel like Star Wars. Respawn is also not using Frostbite - just old SE. Could be ported to Switch rather easily.
Not been this excited for a starwars game since Jedi Knight 😀
Got excited at first, and then I saw this -
NL: "it's already been confirmed the title won't be coming to Nintendo's hybrid system"
😑
NL (paraphrase): "But they're taking some of its inspiration from Metroid, so might as well do an article about it, right?"
😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑
Watched the EA Play presentation yesterday morbing. This is the first STAR WARS game I have been genuinely excited about in a long time. Pre-order.
Exciting a another Star Wars game and I'm pretty sure it will be a good game
I hate EA. The way they treat Nintendo since forever is disgusting.
@Varkster Getting tried of this
I want Nintendo news Not slow news day news
@ClassSonicSatAm it’s not slow news, just because it’s not interesting to you. You don’t have to click on it if you’re not interested
i have a very bad feeling ea is going to screw it up with their bad habits plus the rest of their conference was just trash.
What they showed from Jedi Fallen Order looked way too linear to be comparable to Metroid Prime.
The combat was definitely inspired by From games, but easier and more simplified.
@NotTelevision "Of course Bowser and Jr. keep trashing the place."
Bowser and Reggie will probably be there after E3. Reggie will be laughing hysterically and Boswer will be an exhausted mess constantly repeating "I have no idea how you put up with those insane fanbois for so long."
@JaxonH Where were you when I was complaining about the 5 Sega Mini articles in 2 hours, followed by 3 more the next morning?
And I think that's kind of the problem, they post 5 articles about the Sega Mini, which has absolutely nothing to do with Nitnedo whatsoever, and 90% of people eat it up, so that gives them license to write about whatever else they wanted that's only barely related to Nintendo.
Which is my dilemma, b/c I kind of prefer they DO Write about games that arne't coming to the Switch, b/c that way I know they aren't coming. Not first party stuff like Uncharted or God of War, those aren't coming, but 3rd party stuff by Squenix, Ubi, EA. The only way I know a game isn't coming to Switch is if they tell me.
I don't know what the compromise is. Have a "topic" like "Random" labeled "Not on Switch"? It's not a line, it's a wide gray area.
@rjejr Agreed. Let them write. No excuses needed, in my opinion. There are some people that insulate themselves against platforms they don't own, but I don't see why a site should have to help them do the fingers-in-ears "I'm not listening" dance. "Nintendo Life" is a site that should be comfortable sharing stories about how important games published by Nintendo are influencing other games.
I thought there was something about Zelda combat attached to this game and I'm interested in these things and that game — of course I am — as a Star Wars fan, someone who respects the talent of the developer, and someone who is interested in video games not just those on one platform.
@rjejr
I’d say if it’s not announced for Switch, it’s not coming. No announcement = no Switch version. So any given game you look at, if there hasn’t been an announcement then it’s not coming.
Once in a while is fine. But they’ve gone so far beyond that, to the point that practically any game announced now on another system gets an article here.
And it’s not that there’s a lot of people here that aren’t interested. I own every platform under the sun and I like to stay up-to-date with the games I can play on all my consoles that I own.
I just don’t want to stay up to date here. I get that news else where, when I’m interested in getting that news. When I come here I don’t want to have to filter through every other article written about a game not even coming to the system. I like videogames and I like mathematics. That doesn’t mean I want to read 30% articles on this site about calculus. I’ll go to a math site if I want to hear about math and I’ll go to a Sony site if I want to hear about PlayStation games, and I’ll go to a Microsoft site if I want to hear about Xbox games.
If people want news from all platforms they should go to a multiplatform site.
This happened in the silver reddit. A lot of the people who visit the silver reddit also like guns. So they would make a bunch of posts about guns, with a few stacks of silver coins in the background. But a lot of people who visit that site don’t give a crap about guns. And even if they do that’s not why they’re there. Naturally people got upset.
And I think the comment after yours is pretty ignorant. There are plenty of viable reasons people don’t want to see non-Nintendo content representing a large percentage of articles on a Nintendo focused site. And it’s not even sticking their fingers in their ears (though if someone wants to do that they should have every right). It’s just not what they come here for. Like the guns in the silver reddit. And it might be more excusable if there were more valid reasons, but slapping an “inspired by Metroid” label on a linear Uncharted game just to sneak it in a Nintendo headline seems like reaching across the entire kitchen table.
Btw, I don’t come around the site nearly as much as I used to which is why I probably missed the fact there were so many articles about the Genesis Mini. But I agree completely and it’s exactly what I’m talking about here. Too many articles that simply aren’t related to the topic at hand except by extremely weak arguments like “Genesis used to be a competitor, so this is relevant” or “ this super linear story driven game is actually inspired by Metroid”. Ya... right. If that were true we should be able to see the connection for ourselves Without somebody trying to point it out to us
@rjejr
Btw, off topic but, I wanted to tell you about Occulus Quest. So, I’d pretty much written off VR after owning PSVR and Occulus Rift. Too many cables and too much of a hassle to set up, as you have to turn the TV on with the TV controller, change the input, turn on the base platform the VR system relies on, turn the actual VR system on and dig out those ridiculous Move controllers that don’t have analogs with buttons smaller than a joycon spread too far apart... I haven’t played either of my VR systems since the first month after I got them.
So when my bro told me about Quest, a completely wireless, 100% portable VR system without any sensors or cameras, playable out of the box, I wrote it off too. I’d seen portable VR before, and it usually amounted to nothing more than phone-grade graphics that couldn’t even account for forward or backward movement.
But the Quest is LEGIT. It’s like a full VR experience without any of the cumbersome nonsense. No wires. No camera. No sensors. Just put it on and play. It suspends when you take it off like Switch, and has a camera so that you can see what’s going on even when you have the visor on. I played Sports Scramble, and it has my bowling! It’s the Wii Sports experience I’ve been waiting on for years. I might buy one, the only thing holding me back right now is the fact the $400 model only has 64gb, and the $500 model has 128gb. Of course I would want the bigger model, since there’s no microSD expansion. Would be nice to see a revision which adds storage expansion, but even if that happens it’s going to be a year or two away. Thought you might be interested though. This thing will get me back into VR. Probably going to sell my other headsets.
@Lemmy_the_Koopa it's just a bad argument to make in general, and it was kinda out there in front of everyone so it's hard to ignore.
The gameplay trailer reminded me a lot of Final Fantasy XIII
@Kalmaro Don't worry, I understood . Just did not want to not get nasty
@JaxonH I know it's off topic, but it's nice to hear someone else, here at NL, mention the Oculus Quest. I had it pre-ordered and have been absolutely loving it since day one. Finally, a device that makes VR affordable and convenient without sacrificing the immersion or fun factor.
Speaking of Star Wars games, I've been playing Vader Immortal on Quest. It really shows off what the system is capable of.
These are exciting times to be a VR enthusiast.
@Lemmy_the_Koopa It's all good, wasn't trying to be nasty either 👍
Exploration and backtracking are fine, but in a plot-heavy game that's not a true Metroidvania, there really should still be some kind of objective marker to keep you from getting lost when you just want to advance the story. Even "Xenoblade Chronicles X" gives players that much.
Looks more generic, almost like a mediocre uncharted/force unleashed clone, than anything.
@JaxonH "No announcement = no Switch version."
I feel like 90% of third party Switch games aren't "announced" as Switch games though. they're announced as either PS4 or Xbox games and we have to squint really fast at the last 3 seconds of the trailer to see if it's on there. Lego Star Wars. Minecraft Dungeons. Nobody "announced" those as Switch games that I'm aware of, I have to pause a trailer on YT near the end to stare at the coming on screen and try not to confuse Switch w/ Stadia.
Cyberpunk probably isn't coming to Switch, but it wouldn't have bothered me too much to see 1 article on here about it. Not 3, or 5, but one. Of course for that game that article should have been a year or 2 ago. There were a few "Nintendo" looking games during the MS presser today. Cant' recall the names. That Fairy game Spiritfarer. There was an article about it on here but it was "announced" for Xbox, not Switch. We don't need an article for Gears 5, Halo or Forza Lego, but I do wonder if Switch will get Ori 2 since I believe it's getting Ori 1.
For the most part I agree with you, Nintneod Life should be for Ntinedo "news", but sometimes I think that news involves games we think Switch might be getting but isn't. I was shocked to find out today the Spyro Trilogy isn't already out on Switch, seems like it should be. If there is a Banjo Kazooie remaster, and Banjo is in Smash, but the B&K remaster ISN'T on Switch - see Joker in SSBU but P% nto on Switch - then I think NL has to cover a game nto coming to Switch. It's been awhile since Metal Gear solid was on a Ntinedo console, doesn't keep Snake out of SSBU.
I do think NL needs a good way to say "NOT ON SWITCH" first and foremost not to get peoples hopes up though. It's not a fine line, but it's a fuzzy line.
@JaxonH Considering how little we use our PSVR my wife would throw me out on the street if I even looked at an ad for Quest.
My son did buy Superhot today for $10 but 1 of the Moves, ti requires both of ours, was wonky.
Of course I really dont' play anything anymore except Gems of War - match 3 JRPG lite - so it doens't matter. I do yardwork all day - about $600 in tools this spring - then sleep. But if I ever do get back to gaming, I'll let ya know.
FYI FF7R March 3rd 2020. But I'm guessing it's only the first disc or there abouts so I'm in no rush.
I still feel like a version of this game could have been made for Nintendo Switch. Will it look as good as the PS4 and XBone versions, no. But it's built of Unreal Engine which has Switch support. And since it's not an online experience like Battlefront, this game totally could have come to the Switch and been perfectly playable. And it wouldn't have been that dumbed down of a port either, not like how the Wii's Force Unleashed game was to the other consoles at the time. I think Respawn is just one of those developers that is inherently anti-Nintendo for no viable reason.
Don't know what's with all the hate, this is a gaming website that mostly reports on nintendo related games. Personally I like that they report on more than just nintendo gaming, but I also own both sony & nintendo products. I don't own an xbox, but I still enjoy hearing about all gaming news in general.
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