# Verdict
Era context: Respawn studio used Unreal engine to revive the Star Wars game IP
When Electronic Arts acquired Respawn studio in 2017, the Star Wars game IP was at a commercial low — Electronic Arts' prior Battlefront II (2017) faced strong player backlash over microtransactions. The "Star Wars Battlefront II microtransaction event" was one of 2017's most controversial gaming industry events. Electronic Arts decided to let Respawn studio develop a "no microtransaction, pure single-player narrative-focused" Star Wars game to "reactivate the IP" — this became 2019's Fallen Order.
Seven years later, Fallen Order has cumulative sales above 10 million copies, Metacritic aggregate score 81, OpenCritic Mighty rating with 89% recommendation, Steam reviews above 147,000 with "Very Positive" (91% positive). IGN gave 9 high, China's 3DM gave 8.9 (with the headline "Mysterious Force from the East" precisely pointing out the game's borrowed Sekiro parry system). The unifying takeaway: Respawn studio used Sekiro's parry system plus Metroidvania level design plus Star Wars IP immersion to give Electronic Arts back player trust on the Star Wars IP.
The historical significance runs deeper through Fallen Order's revival of the Star Wars game IP — the April 2023 sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (600,000 copies first month) and the anticipated 2026-2027 "Cal trilogy" third entry build a stable product line for Electronic Arts and Respawn on the Star Wars IP. This "rebuilding IP trust" success is one of 2010s-2020s AAA's most influential "IP revival" cases.
Who should buy it
Group one — Star Wars IP fans. If you've watched all Star Wars films and TV series from 1977 to 2025, love Jedi, Force, lightsabers, Clone Wars and other core elements, Fallen Order is Respawn studio's most concrete recreation of the Star Wars IP. 5 planets plus various Force abilities plus BD-1 droid companion plus post-Order 66 Jedi Padawan evading Empire narrative excite fans.
Group two — soulslike action lovers. If you've played Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne, Elden Ring and concluded that "difficulty filters players is the real gaming pleasure," Fallen Order is the AAA scene's most concrete borrowing of soulslike combat. Lightsaber parry rhythm directly borrows Sekiro, 4 difficulty modes let hardcore players chase the extreme challenge of Jedi Grandmaster.
Group three — Metroidvania level design enthusiasts. If you've played Hollow Knight, Metroid Dread, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and other Metroidvania masterworks and concluded "ability equals unlock" is the highest level design pursuit, Fallen Order is the AAA 3D third-person view's most concrete attempt at the Metroidvania path. 5 planets plus multiple revisits plus Force ability unlocks give players genuine "Aha moments."
Group four — 25-30 hour short-and-tight main story AAA players. Fallen Order's main story length (25-30 hours) sits between Uncharted-class linear AAA (10-15 hours) and open-world AAA (50-100 hours) — one of 2019 AAA's most working-week-friendly main story lengths.
Who should not buy it
Group one — casual players who hate soulslike pacing. Fallen Order's combat system heavily borrows from Sekiro — dying 10-20 times per boss fight is normal. If your purchase motivation is "play the story and move on," choose Story difficulty (enemy damage reduced 50%), but even then some hardcore boss fights still need repeated practice.
Group two — optimization-sensitive players who refuse patches. Fallen Order's PC version had serious technical issues at 2019 launch (stuttering, texture pop-in, intermittent crashes). Respawn studio released multiple patches between December 2019 and March 2020 to gradually fix them — but Metacritic user scores still reflect launch-period player dissatisfaction. Just install the post-November 2020 patched version.
Group three — multiplayer-only players. Fallen Order is entirely single-player narrative-focused — no multiplayer or co-op modes. If your purchase motivation is "play online with friends," skip it directly and pick Star Wars Battlefront II or Apex Legends (Respawn studio's multiplayer masterpiece).
Group four — players with zero interest in the Star Wars IP. Fallen Order's narrative depends entirely on Star Wars IP immersion — Order 66, Jedi, Sith, Force, lightsabers and other core elements require basic understanding of the Star Wars universe. If you've never watched any Star Wars films or TV, you may lose much cultural resonance in the story.
Recommended editions and discount thresholds
First choice — Steam PC version plus all graphics mods. China region original price 199 yuan, seasonal discount 50 yuan (75% off). With graphics enhancement and frame-rate unlock mods, performance approaches modern AAA standards. This is the most complete 2026 Fallen Order experience path — only PC supports mods and graphics enhancement.
Second choice — EA Play subscription. $5.99 monthly subscription auto-includes Fallen Order and other Electronic Arts AAA titles (Apex Legends, Titanfall 2, Need for Speed series). If you already have EA Play subscription, Fallen Order plays "free" — among the highest-value-for-money non-PC onboarding paths.
Third choice — PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X via November 2020 next-gen compatibility patch. Native 4K 60 fps plus SSD loading time below 3 seconds — the most comfortable modern-console onboarding path for non-PC players. PlayStation 5 supports Tempest 3D spatial audio with DualSense haptic feedback — letting players "feel the force feedback of lightsaber collisions."
Fourth choice — Steam Deck (Verified). 1280x800 at 30 fps stable, battery life 2.5-3 hours (AAA action-adventure power draw is higher). Stable to play after the March 2024 patch, but Steam Deck's small screen is not ideal for Fallen Order's "epic Star Wars" open exploration.
The version to drift away from is the 2019-launch original PlayStation 4 and Xbox One — serious launch-period technical issues (stuttering, texture pop-in, intermittent crashes). Pick the PS5 / Xbox Series X next-gen compatibility version directly.
Overall, the 2026 best Fallen Order experience path is Steam plus PC plus graphics enhancement mods plus seasonal sale plus headphones — under 50 yuan to grab Respawn studio's most concrete Star Wars IP revival work. The sequel Survivor (2023) and Cal trilogy third entry (2026-2027) are all in Electronic Arts' product line — a representative case of pre-indie-era AAA's sustained Star Wars IP investment.
