‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ Writer Cheyenne Pualani Morrin on Balancing Light and Dark in the Game’s Story
British publication Gaming Bible interviewed senior writer Cheyenne Pualani Morrin to discuss the process behind crafting Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s narrative and characters. Morrin discussed how the team balanced light and dark moments to tell a story central to Cal Kestis’ development.
Cheyenne Pualani Morrin was recently nominated for the BAFTA Breakthrough 2023 program (a talent initiative recognizing “extraordinary people … on the cusp or in the midst of a breakthrough moment or year.”) Her work has not gone unnoticed as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was also nominated for “Best Action/Adventure Game” at this year’s The Game Awards.
Story spoilers for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor below …
One of the central topics of the interview centered on how the writers and programmers worked to balance dark, serious tones with lighter, more humorous moments. Morrin said that the hub world on Koboh played a huge part in that, alongside its many side-characters:
“The trials that Cal has to go through in Survivor are harrowing, and yet also bearable. We used systems to ground the player and give them that pacing break, like the [saloon], and I’m proud of how many types of experience we served the player depending on what you’re in the mood for. You can pop in [Pyloon’s Saloon] and have a really strange conversation with someone like Turgle, or you can spend your time on optional content trying to immerse yourself in the broader environment and world.”
In a similar vein, Morrin also explained how Cal’s relationship with Merrin also serves a similar purpose. She went on to explain how the two’s relationship helps Cal come back from the Dark Side after experimenting with its power.
“Survivor is a rather dark chapter in many regards, but our development team knew that we needed to give the player opportunities to change the pace and ground themselves in something that feels a little lighter, maybe a little bit more human. The Merrin relationship became one that would recentre Cal and help him prioritize the relationships that keep him fighting this war.”
On the flip, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor also has many somber and saddening moments including Cere’s last stand on Jedha. Morrin explained how this scene and the change in character perspective required close collaboration between the writers and the game designers:
“We really wanted to make sure that we landed Cere’s mission — the way she was trying to bring her fight and carry her legacy. To show her standing up for what she believed in.
It’s something we decided on pretty early on. We’d been working on that moment for quite some time to really honor that legacy and make for a fantastic send-off.
In terms of the Cere sequence, both its level design and writing, we were working [together] from day one.”
Finally, when discussing the possibilities of a sequel, Morrin avoids sharing any details about it, but rather, ensures players about the team’s desire to first create a solid, individual game most of all:
“We always try to deliver the best standalone experience. We want to make sure that whatever we deliver in something like a sequel can stand by itself and has its own unique message,”
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is nominated for two categories at The Game Awards: “Best Performance” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.” And while not officially confirmed, actor Cameron Monaghan has stated publicly that a third Star Wars: Jedi game is in the works.
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.
