"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" Review

These are boom times for "Star Wars" fans, with wildly exciting projects sketching out new areas of the universe in movies, TV and video games. "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is among the most thrilling of the offerings.

On the polar opposite of the spectrum of the hit-and-miss, multiplayer-focused "Star Wars Battlefront" series, EA's new game sticks with tight, linear single-player tale. Filled with sweeping action, engaging combat and poignant emotion, it's a tale that touches on the strongest aspects of the franchise's legacy.

Set after "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," you play as a Jedi on the run as the Galactic Empire's minions seek out and destroy every Jedi to fulfill the dreaded Order 66. The single-player, linear narrative has you band with a small, loosely-knit group of fleeing Force-users who strive to re-establish the Jedi order.

You play as a knight with only partial training and plenty of room to grow and develop. Light RPG elements coax you to pursue various unlockable powers and upgrades via a skill tree.

Branching off from their efforts in the multiplayer arena, developer Respawn Entertainment returns to its Infinity Ward, "Call of Duty IV: Modern Warfare" storytelling roots, spinning an entrancing tale that pushes the narrative forward at a breakneck pace.

There is plenty of influence from the likes of "Uncharted" at play as well, with cliff-climbing and jumping, traversal across the tops of speeding ships and intricate combat coming into play. Juggling a spectrum of Force abilities, including lightsaber combat and telekinesis, you feel like a powerful, yet always vulnerable mystical warrior.

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" opens up new possibilities of what fans can expect from an EA "Star Wars" effort. With this type of care, reverence and bold willingness to forge new paths, the prospects for interactive storytelling stretch as far and wide as galaxies unknown.

Publisher provided review code.