In praise of the brilliant finale of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

This piece contains spoilers for the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Somewhat appropriately, I begin this discussion of a Star Wars game with a Luke-warm take: game endings are quite frequently a bit rubbish. The usual structure is an extra-tough last level, a final boss fight, a cutscene to wrap it all up and then roll credits. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this structure, but it seems tricky to get right. Those last levels are often a slog, relying on the weight of numbers or cheap tricks to present a challenge, and a game’s final boss isn’t necessarily its best or most memorable.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order follows the template, for the most part. There’s nothing too overbearing in the last section of the game, though I found that its imprecise controls got the better of me during the final duel and I ended up dropping down a difficulty level in frustration. Your nemesis is defeated, you settle in for the traditional cutscene and then JFO yanks the rug from under you.

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