Watch This Before You Buy Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order

Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order places you in the role of Cal Kestis, one of the few survivors of Order 66. But what awaits Cal and his allies in an era where the bad guys have won and tyranny reigns? Get ready, nerf herders: We're diving into everything you need to know before you buy Respawn's upcoming action adventure title.

Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order comes to Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on Nov.
15, 2019. Respawn Entertainment is developing the game, which will be published by Electronic Arts. The title entered development in 2015, about a year after Stig Asmussen joined Respawn.

Two years later, Asmussen revealed that they had partnered with Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm to create an all-new action adventure game set in the Star Wars universe. It's worth noting that, before moving to Respawn, Asmussen spent 11 years at Sony's Santa Monica Studio, where he helped establish the God of War series.

So, yeah, we'd say the dude has probably got a decent grasp of action adventure games! Electronic Arts released the first trailer for Fallen Order at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration, establishing Cal Kestis as the game's protagonist. Rendered in Unreal Engine, the reveal also provided a glimpse of other key characters, including Cere, the explorer droid BD-1, and Second Sister, a member of the Ancestors.

Though it boasted impressive visuals, some fans expressed their disappointment over the trailer's lack of gameplay. A second trailer containing some actual gameplay content followed for the Xbox E3 briefing for 2019. The trailer sets up the accompanying gameplay reveal on Kashyyyk, the Wookie homeworld, showing Cal and BD-1 in action.

It also provided the first look at Saw Gerrera, a recurring character in the Star Wars franchise. He made his debut in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars before moving to the silver screen as a Rebel Alliance leader and Jyn Erso's mentor in Rogue One.

"Got a name?" "Cal Kestis." "Saw Gurrera." It's unclear whether Saw will act as a recurring Fallen Order character or if his appearance is a cameo tied to the Kashyyyk mission. Fallen Order uses a third-person perspective, with Padawan Cal Kestis appearing as the sole playable character.

Though the gameplay demo focused on a scripted portion of the narrative, Asmussen has since clarified that Fallen Order does not have a linear progression, instead following a Metroidvania design philosophy. Other influences included Wind Waker, Dark Souls, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Combat in the game is slow and methodical, demanding strategy and creative solutions rather than brute force. Lightsaber battles function like less-challenging versions of the duels in Sekiro. "It's not just basically going in there and laying waste.

How you use your Force powers and when you use them, as opposed to when is the right time to use the lightsaber." As you play, you'll unlock Force abilities and physical maneuvers, while contending with a limited number of health charges and a Force meter that only fills through physical combat.

And get this: According to Game Informer's Andrew Reiner, lightsabers will be customizable. Players will be able to alter their weapons' color and style. Unfortunately, though, dismemberment isn't going to play a role in the game — likely due to restrictions placed on the title's content by Disney.

Respawn Entertainment head Vince Zampella stated during Star Wars Celebration 2019 that Fallen Order, as a single-player narrative game, would not include a multiplayer component or microtransactions. Following this reveal, others tied to the project confirmed the statement on Twitter, including Respawn producer Blair Brown and EA DICE global community lead Ben Walke.

The EA Star Wars Twitter account supported Zampella's announcement the following day, tweeting out: "No microtransactions. No loot boxes. And no, we won't be adding them. A single-player Star Wars story for those of you who are ready to become a Jedi." If true, this will prove a welcome change from previous games released by Electronic Arts; however, their checkered past, especially in relation to Star Wars games and loot boxes, has left many skeptical of their latest promise.

Time will only tell whether or not EA stays true to their word. In Fallen Order, Cameron Monaghan plays Cal Kestis. Monaghan is best known for portraying Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in Gotham and Ian Gallagher in Shameless. Debra Wilson, who played Grace Walker in Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, portrays Cal's mentor, Cere.

Wilson has worked on several other recent games, including Rage 2, Days Gone, Far Cry: New Dawn, and Just Cause 4. Daniel Roebuck, a lauded character actor and veteran of the film industry, voices Greez, the wry captain of your ship — the Stinger Mantis.

Legendary sound designer Ben Burtt created the voice for BD-1. "Yeah, I'm OK. You alright?" "No, we are not doing that again." Additional talent includes Gideon Emery of Teen Wolf and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Forest Whitaker reprising his role as Saw Gerrera.

The cast list does not mention Second Sister; however, EA has yet to reveal the full roster. The first trailer revealed Second Sister, a member of the Imperial Inquisitorious and one of Fallen Order's main antagonists. She first appeared in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith #19 by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli, a comic series that focuses on Darth Vader's genesis and highlighted the early development of the Inquisitorious.

Inquisitors, who first appeared in the animated show Star Wars: Rebels, typically work as part of a unit, wielding double-bladed spinning lightsabers. Second Sister hunts down Force-sensitives with the help of purge troopers, a new Stormtrooper class created by Respawn that also debuted in the Darth Vader comic series.

Purge troopers track down leads on potential Force users, acting as first responders. They wield electrostaffs, a special weapon capable of blocking lightsaber strikes. Based on trailers and gameplay, Cal will have several encounters with these elite soldiers, with Second Sister hot on the trail.