With Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releasing soon, the game has a big opportunity to resolve one of major complaints regarding its predecessor - series protagonist Cal Kestis. Following the events at the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Survivor picks up the story after a lengthy five-year time skip, putting Cal and the crew of the Stinger Mantis in unfamiliar territory at the start of the sequel's story. Intended to expand on Fallen Order's story and gameplay, Survivor promises to introduce new characters, locations, and gameplay additions.
While Fallen Order was mostly well-received upon its release in 2019, with a story exploring the aftermath of the end of the Star Wars prequel series and a well-realized Jedi power fantasy using gameplay reminiscent of Sekiro, some aspects of the game were less liked than others. Namely, Star Wars Jedi protagonist Cal Kestis can, to some players, come off as a rather generic and boring main character, lacking in personality compared to some of the game's other characters. But while the character may not have had the chance to be too interesting in the original game, the sequel represents an opportunity for Cal to get a chance to shine.
Jedi: Survivor Can Expand On Cal's Character
With Star Wars Jedi: Survivor bringing some fairly large story shakeups to bear, Cal's character seems like it may get more a chance to grow than in the first game. Courtesy of the five-year time skip between games, most of Jedi: Survivor's characters have drastically changed from their Fallen Order selves, with Cal in particular seeming to have matured between games, showing a somewhat different side to his character. With Fallen Order having explored Cal's backstory and origins, Survivor has more room to flesh out his character in new ways and give his story more interesting nuances.
Cal Kestis Can Be A More Interesting Protagonist
Main characters can, however, tend to be less interesting than the characters surrounding them for a reason - as the focal point of a story, and one that people will presumably be spending the most time with, there can be a certain pressure to make main protagonists as broadly appealing and inoffensive as possible. This leaves side characters to take on traits that are potentially more interesting, but may also be more abrasive. As Survivor introduces new villains and companions for Cal to play off, however, it leaves plenty of room for his story and character to develop in more interesting ways.
With the prerelease material for Survivor promising a game that builds upon its predecessor, expanding on its gameplay, story, and setting, the game could also do with addressing some of Fallen Order's flaws. Cal, while perfectly serviceable as a main character, could be given more interesting development in the sequel, especially with his origin story already having been told. With Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releasing soon on April 28, fans won't have to wait long to see how the story turns out.
Source: EA Star Wars/YouTube