This game was such an adventure from start to finish. It took me ~1 year to finish the game (y'know, juggling this, other games, and my personal life). I even had my laptop reformatted and lost all my progress worth ~30 hours of gameplay (halfway through the story). It's a good thing that save files were available to download online but that took me another ~10 more hours to go back and retrieve all of the chests and secrets I've collected in my first playthrough. And, believe me, it did not feel tedious at all because the game itself was such a fun experience that it didn't even feel like a redo.

If I were to be honest, it did not have the perfect animation for a game made in 2019 but that doesn't mean it was not beautiful. Sometimes BD's animation for health stims would happen but the healing would not register—I'd think it's just part of the souls-like experience lol. Sometimes the cut scenes would bug out and the voice audio would be delayed for 1~2 seconds. It was funny to watch. However, what I did love were Cal's poncho/outfit getting wet after getting out of the water and the way light would reflect against the wet clothes, and the cut scenes before and after boss fights. It got me hooked into learning more about the story, but more on that later.

As I've said in the title (sarcastically), I'm soooo amazing in platforming that it's what killed me more than the combats, and the majority of the areas are focused on that. I'd have to blame the scenery for distracting me and causing me to fall to my demise. Kidding aside, each planet triggered my desire to explore for *in an excited voice* SECRETS. Zeffo was both a dream and a nightmare for completionists because: 1) it was such a huge map; and 2) well, it was such a huge map. It was like going to four different places on one map and no, I have no complaints. The transition from the aesthetics of what I assume to be the Stormtrooper's base to actual tombs, which were two in Zeffo, did not clash at all. Everything, from landscaping to scenery felt perfectly placed and I'm here for all of it! The other maps were just as pleasing to look at. There's a total of six planets (in order of appearance): Bogano, Dathomir, Zeffo, Kashyyyk, Ilum, and Nur (not explorable after the final boss), and me, being the completionist that I am, I looked into every nook and cranny of what I can explore on each map before actually progressing the story, hence me getting all the upgrades and stim canisters before fighting Malicos.

Yeah, Cal may be handsome with all his scars and slipped back hair but we all know who's the real star of this game: BD-1. All the emotions can be seen on its two WALL-E-like eyes and beeping sounds. Dare tell me straight to my face that BD-1 is not adorable, I would curse you with all of Merrin's witchcraft. BD-1's lore made me feel more emotional damage than Cal and Cere's backstory and I don't even know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, the dynamics/personalities of the characters did not feel forced. But what felt forced was Merrin suddenly, or well slowly, becoming Cal's romantic interest, but then again, who am I to complain? I'm definitely shipping it hard.

I can't really say much about the story because my playthrough of this was not continuous. Sometimes I would play every other weekend or once a month and I would have to recall of where I left off. I still have some bits of pieces of lore scattered all over the maps (the echo things that give you expi/skill points) and I'll try to go back to get them all. But, on my playthrough alone, with the backstories of Cere, Trilla, and Cal, I'd say it was okay. Not that great but not sh*t as well. I did like the progression of each act/chapter though, the going back and forth to each planet, making it more satisfying when you explore with better abilities and skills.

There's not much to expect. It's the typical STAR WARS vibe. But I kid you not that sometimes the BGM for fights would creep me out whenever it would cue in but not a single enemy was in sight and it happened while I was at Dathomir with all the undead b*tches.

I'm just so happy that I decided to buy this game a year ago. Even got the Deluxe Edition and I did not regret it a single bit despite it just being additional cosmetics that I never really used lol (oh and the bonus content/artbook that I only looked at once, I think). Sometimes the boss and mini-boss fights would end up being funny because it was so easy to cheese it and some could even be just tossed over to the ledge but nonetheless, I had so much fun, to the point that this game/franchise is making it into my favorite games list. I just hope that the next installment, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™, is just as good, if not better.

I've played tons of games varying from different genres and even have my own personal favorites but this, this game just has a very special place in my heart. I don't even have anything bad to say about this because everything is just so beautiful and carefully done by the developers from animtion to story to level designs. Even the soundtrack is outstanding.

I played this before via the Friend's Pass and finished the game with my boyfriend. This kind of saved our relationship the same way Dr. Hakim saved May and Cody's marriage. From start to end, I find myself falling in love with the story and its characters and falling more in love with my partner as the story progresses.

So what was the best thing to do? Buy the game for myself and play it again with him just so we could experience the adventure once again.

Surprisingly, this game is so beautifully-made. It could be seen that even backdrops/backgrounds were taken into account and effort were put into making them. It wasn't the best that it almost seemed straight from a live action film but it wasn't that bad that it felt uncanny to look at. It was just the right amount, a perfect fit to a game with loads of corny jokes and out of the blue wistful dialogues.

I have to admit that each level/area was just so well-placed and—I don't know—personally felt unique each on their own(?) All of them neither felt tedious nor irrelevant. The puzzles weren't repetitive and each area introduces a whole new mechanic (tools, weapons, etc.) to play around with. Even the pacing of the story fit so perfectly like puzzle pieces. The cute, fun mini-games you have to look (listen) out for, acting as a breather for the players (May and Cody), also adds more to the experience.

Let's be honest, Dr. Hakim was kind of annoying at some point but, ironically, he was one of the best characters in the game. He doesn't seem too far-fetched and, obviously, he would be all about fixing a relationship because he's literally a book about fixing relationships. Regarding May and Cody's character development was never rushed. Yeah, there were subtle hints of them exchanging "thank you"s and acts of courtesy but it didn't feel forced into the game just so there'll be some sort of interaction between them. The game took things slow, the same way how fixing an argument would should be in real life. Aside from the main characters, the boss and secondary characters are equally just as interesting!

Expect a lot of heartfelt cutscenes and, well, a sprinkle of emotional damage. Don't get me started on what they did to Cutie. That was just... you'll know once you play the game. The story of family, divorce, and what seems to be a relationship beyond repair hits way too close to home so, yeah, this game made me cry a lot and that's not a bad thing. That just means the writers knew what they were doing and, yep, they definitely did it right.

Two words: Too much. And no, not in a bad way. It was way too much for my fragile heart to handle and as a person who's greatly affected by music, it is just way too much. It's too beautiful, way too beautiful, it makes me teary-eyed every d*mn time. They had no right to go this hard for the soundtrack.

In general, I think this game really deserved winning GOTY. This was too well-made. With a game length of more than 12 hours (our first playthrough was roughly 17 hours) and only worth $39.99 (PHP 1799)—I got this at 63% off sale while my boyfriend bought it for its full price—this is unexpectedly not a cash grab despite being published under EA. Not to mention the FREE Friend's Pass.

TL;DR Buy it. Play with your loved one, a friend, or just anyone you want to enjoy a wonderful experience with. Definitely a great bang for one's buck.