After a lengthy drought of new single-player games set in a galaxy far, far away, EA released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order which was regarded as a great return to form for Star Wars games. The intergalactic action adventure nailed many fundamental aspects that any fan would expect from a game set within this universe with intense lightsaber combat, fantastic sound and music, and an interesting cast of characters. Unfortunately, one element that the game lacked was interesting levels that popped off the screen, a sad misstep considering how extraordinarily diverse and colorful these locations can be in the films.

With a sequel to the original rumored to be in active development, there's an opportunity for developer Respawn to remedy this shortcoming from the original with locations that possess interesting level design and a visual authenticity worthy of the Star Wars name. Considering that the studio also made Titanfall 2, which boasted a wide variety of creative environments, the proper talent is in its studio to create settings that are not quite as generic or flat for the next installment.

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One of the main issues with the planets in the original title was the lack of intrigue or mystery in exploring them, with a consistent lingering notion that these locations, which are meant to be far off worlds, are simply levels in a video game. Since Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order showed clear inspiration from the Dark Souls series in terms of its combat, it is a shame that it was not able to capture that same sense of captivation that the locations in those games provide. Traversing the areas in a Souls game engages the player, with every corner possibly presenting a new threat and each room or open area overflowing with atmosphere.

By comparison, navigating the rooms and corridors of Fallen Order feels much more passive an experience. Platforming sections are relegated to moving upwards on clear cut, box shaped platforms as opposed to some effort of masking the action with more in-world assets and geometry (similar to methods seen in the Uncharted series). This notion of having areas just be walkways that lead to rooms, which in turn lead to more walkway,  is a consistent reminder that this is a location designed in a specific way on a computer as opposed to a world that feels lived in.

This is not to suggest that Fallen Order got all of its locations wrong, with some bright spots that indicate a love for the franchise and a hope to fix the issues mentioned above in the next potential game. The opening sequence alone was a flashy thrill ride and the beginning moments on the planet Kashyyyk additionally provide some of the game's most dazzling sequences. These were of course set pieces, meant to be visually interesting, and it is unlikely that Respawn will opt for a straight up action game and ditch the Souls like design entirely.

All the same, the more passive moments where the player is simply moving about the environments do little to keep the visual experience fresh and interesting. To return to the Souls comparison, other entries in the genre embody a particular theme with the environments, with Bloodborne having gruesome gothic architecture and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice boasting beautiful villages and fields to further immerse the player into its Sengoku era inspired mythology. Especially since this is a genre so heavily gameplay focused to push the player ahead rather than narrative based, it is all the more crucial to have interesting looking locations, and with a series so vast and visually rich as Star Wars this is an issue that can be easily fixed.

The levels in the first game all stick to a specific theme, with Kashyyyk being covered in trees while Dathomir is a red hot planet similar to our own Mars. Beyond these surface level appearances however, not much is implemented to make full use of each area and what would embody each habitat to make navigating the levels more interesting. On Kashyyyk for example, instead of a grassy area naturally flowing into a hill or thick brush to push through, the game opts to instead have these greener areas all divided by standard grey Imperial hallways, with not much to do in between other than cut down waves of Stormtroopers.

In order to better immerse the player with settings that feel as if they belong in the Star Wars universe, rather than purposely inserting regular hallways to guide the player in between the forested areas, the sequel should pursue the exact opposite approach and have the entire location of Kashyyyk, for example, be overflowing with foliage and brush for the player to sift through. This would help the setting pop more and alleviate the issue of everything appearing one dimensional, with the player actually having to climb trees, cut down branches with a lightsaber and rely on BD-1 all the more as a compass. Of course, overdoing it and leaving gamers utterly lost would be unfavorable, but there should be just enough so that each new planet exhibits a sense of discovery.

It is only a matter of time before fans learn what EA and Respawn have in mind for the future of the franchise but with the foundation set in the first title, there now leaves room for a follow-up to do what all proper sequels should, in building upon the established concepts and further improve in areas that were once lacking. The team behind the games are more than talented enough in the required areas and the brand being translated has plenty of material to draw from, so hopefully the next Fallen Order can grow from padawan level to the rank of master.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

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