Finally, Cal Kestis gets a lightsaber that works like a lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

In context: A Jedi’s lightsaber is essentially the most potent fight weapon within the Star Wars universe. It’s so highly effective {that a} single Jedi, armed solely together with his lightsaber, might simply take down a complete regiment of stormtroopers. With a blade fabricated from Power-infused plasma and the stability and weight of solely its hilt, minimal effort is required for a wielder to slice by way of nearly something like butter, together with armor, flesh, and bone.

In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal’s blade was successfully as lethal appropriately, but it surely did not act like a lightsaber when it got here to preventing humanoids. Though he might readily slice an R2 droid in half with no effort, hitting a stormtrooper and even an unarmored foe resulted in solely leaving a superficial scorch mark. It is nonetheless good enjoyable however very noncanonical mechanics.

That would change for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, although. IGN launched an explainer concerning Survivor’s fight stances over the weekend (beneath). In a battle, across the four-minute mark, Cal lops off a Stormtrooper’s arm. Wanting rigorously, you may see different limbs scattering the battle space. So, it could seem that dismemberment is feasible within the upcoming sport.

In 2020, Respawn mentioned Fallen Order did not have dismemberment, regardless of being current within the earlier iteration, Star Wars Jedi: The Power Unleashed, as a result of Disney and Lucasfilm mentioned, “no limb severing.” So builders opted for the far much less brutal scorch marks to the arm (or leg) that appear sufficient to knock them unconscious? Kill them? Who is aware of? The choice presumably made the title extra Disney-friendly however did not make a lot sense from a lore perspective as a result of there’s a purpose that lightsabers are designed the way in which they’re.

In response to canonical Jedi Code, Jedi warriors have been solely allowed to kill in self-defense and solely when there was no different recourse. Dismemberment supplied that different choice for the reason that lightsaber cauterizes because it cuts by way of flesh. So, a Jedi might take away combatants from the fray with out killing them by taking a limb if he selected — graphic however efficient. The primary time we noticed this tactic was manner again in 1980 in The Empire Strikes Again when Anakin Skywalker, underneath the affect of his darkish aspect Darth Vader, famously severed his son Luke’s arm to keep away from killing him.

Whatever the reasoning, it seems like dismemberment is making a return in Survivor. Watching extra of the fight reveals the devs used it considerably sparingly, which is nice. There’s a gratuitous line they most likely mustn’t cross. Nonetheless, it is onerous to know why the sudden change of coronary heart.

Kotaku noticed the mechanic and contacted EA and Respawn for remark, however all of the builders would say was, “The footage is what it’s.” It is onerous to know what they imply by such a obscure assertion, however I take it as their manner of not calling an excessive amount of consideration to the mechanic earlier than the sport is launched.

It might be that the Home of Mouse has not authorised or doesn’t know concerning the characteristic’s return, and the devs hope the sunshine dismemberment flies underneath Disney censor’s radars. Nonetheless, now that assessment copies are out, and the media has taken discover, the Magic Kingdom might nonetheless inform Respawn to throw the mechanic away once more, presumably triggering a delay or a big day-one patch.

Judging by previews, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor seems like an enchancment on an already nice sport. It is slated to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection, and Home windows on April 28. we’ll see then if dismemberment survived.