Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay reveals demanding combat and freaky Force abilities

The Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay premiere gave us a more than 13-minute long uninterrupted look at the game in action. Respawn Entertainment boss Vince Zampella and game director Stig Asmussen led off the EA E3 2019 festivities, saying that this particular bit of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay takes place about 3 hours into the game on the planet Kashyyyk and that it's an "expert playthrough" from a player who knows all the (lightsaber) tricks - the on-screen indicator warns that this is all alpha footage.

The gameplay began with hero Cal Kestis meeting up with Saw Gerrera, the rogue resistance leader who we also saw in Star Wars: Rogue One and The Clone Wars. Cal dispatches a few Scout troopers on his way into an Imperial facility, then clashes with some elite Purge Troopers with crackling purple staves. Cal can use his Force powers to blow open doors, grab things from a distance, hear fallen troopers' last words before their demise, or even slow time enough to re-position an enemy in front of his own blaster bolt. Now that's something you never saw Luke Skywalker do.

Aside from Imperial troops, Cal also clashed with some of the local wildlife - AKA the reason why Wookiees live up in the treetops instead of down on the surface. The fire bugs were nasty enough, and then there were giant spiders that could web you up with a quick projectile blast from their nasty little spinnerets - fortunately, Cal managed to dispatch one almost as soon as it appeared with a sick parry execution.

Stay tuned to all of our E3 2019 coverage as the event rolls on, or get a preview of everything big in games and entertainment this week with our latest Release Radar video. 

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Latest in Action
Rift Apart
Retiring Insomniac boss says developers should still tackle new genres, but it's much riskier these days due to time and money
Dollman being buckled into a seat in Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima left "a number of clues" in the new Death Stranding 2 trailer, including hints of a day/night cycle
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Ubisoft shareholder plans protest in response to mismanagement, Assassin's Creed Shadows delays, and alleged acquisition talks with Microsoft and EA
Key art for Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered showing Shay Patrick Cormac in a black and red outfit that's a cross between Assassin and Templar armor, with his ship The Morrigan behind him
Assassin's Creed Shadows can wait – I spent 40 hours mopping up the map in the one game in the series everyone skipped
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"