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.

This is where we go right into explicit spoiler territory, chums. You can’t say I didn’t warn you!

The final duel in question is between Jedi protagonist Cal Kestis and the Second Sister of the Inquisitorius, our friend Palpatine’s elite Jedi-hunters, who you may be familiar with from the Rebels or Obi-Wan Kenobi TV shows. It’s their job to mop up what’s left of the Jedi Order and either kill or recruit anyone they find who is showing signs of Force powers.