Respawn Highlights Some of Their Favorite Moments From ‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’
With Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picking up several accolades, StarWars.com interviewed some members of Respawn Entertainment to talk about some of their favorite moments. The creators also talked about how they made certain sound effects, the community’s response, and the game’s post-credits content.
This article will cover and discuss various important key moments throughout the entirety of the game. Beware of spoilers below.
One scene in particular captured the hearts of many fans, and it’s the scene where Cal and Merrin first kiss. This scene also captured the hearts of some of its developers. When discussing this moment, senior writer Cheyenne Pualani Morrin and lead writer Danny Homan noted the humor of the scene. But they also discussed how the moment fits with the progression of the characters and their relationship:
Morrin: “Merrin is about to pull some pretty wild Nightsister magic that we haven’t seen on screen yet, but [this moment is] also the culmination of their relationship and how they have been learning to trust each other after these years apart. And to trust the ways that they’ve grown, and to lean into each other.”
Homan: “It’s so telling that Cal asks, was that [kiss] for luck? And Merrin says, no, that was for me. That’s such a Merrin line. Merrin is so wonderfully independent, and she knows what she wants.”
After Cal and Merrin kiss, the pair attack an Imperial ship that resembles a Trident Drill Assault Craft that the Separatists used in the Clone Wars. Developer Oscar Coen, who worked as the game’s principal sound designer, stated that the noise the machine makes was created using a combination of animal noises and some heavily augmented motorized sounds:
“I used heavily processed sounds of horses to make metal-screeching types of sounds that resembled harsh roars, then blended in low-pitched sounds of an RX-7 sports car for a low rumble. [I] would modulate the pitch and volume to resemble growls.
For the spinning up and winding down of the drill, I mainly used the sound of balloon friction pitched down — it had this nice whiny kind of quality that reminded me of howling apes. Usually before or after any kind of major movement, I’d use a big air release pneumatic-type sounds to act as a sort of ‘inhale’ and ‘exhale’ that still felt like a machine.”
Senior game writer Peter Stewart also pitched in on the conversation, citing the chase with Bode Akuna as another personal highlight. Stewart pointed out the contrast between frustration and exhilaration felt by the player as Bode’s betrayal is placed in an action-packed moment:
“The speeder chase is a really weird mix of emotions. I remember watching one of my favorite streamers doing it … They were like, ‘I’m so upset.’ And then they’re like, ‘This is great, though!’ The combination of really high emotion, where the player is bewildered and upset, but also driven — you’re right inside Cal’s head at that minute. You’re all over the place. I think that’s why that feels so good to me when I play it.”
Lastly, Danny Homan pointed to the end of the game after the credits had rolled. Once the main story is complete, players can continue exploring the world, interact with characters, and complete quests they may have not yet finished. Homan details how the team ensured there was more stuff to do after the game’s main quest and why they did so in the first place:
“We love these characters like our fans love these characters … Knowing that the player might be looking for a little catharsis, we wrote tons and tons of conversations where you can talk to your friends back at the cantina and you can kind of process what Cal has gone through … We wanted to go the extra mile and make sure that fans had some time after the game has ended to go back to explore, or talk to their favorite character in Pyloon’s. Which, of course, is Turgle — but might also be Skoova.
I think that [effort] speaks to what we hold most valuable, which is our fans and our community.”
While Respawn hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, many clues suggest that a third Star Wars Jedi game is in development. In addition, Cameron Monaghan has recently stated that they are working on it. However, it’s still likely in its early stages, and fans shouldn’t expect to hear too much about it anytime soon. In the meantime, feel free to check out our editorial on changes we’d like to see in a Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
