You can also decapitate humanoid enemies this time but not as brutally as Kratos. This is as far as Disney would allow I guess but the brutal difficulty still remains. You can easily come back to a boss fight after gaining a few new moves and more abilities, and the open world offers a ripe place to hone your skills and level up. Each planet has its unique flora and fauna, and meteroidvania-ish map design. Navigating requires a bit of skill and proper hand-eye coordination. The path ahead is often a jump or a wall run away but you will also need to hitch a ride from horse-sized chicken (a Nekko) or glide across chasms using a feathered local (a Relter). I grew up playing Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider so I enjoy wall running, double jumping, sliding down caves, walking on pipes and climbing walls conveniently covered with vegetation. This has a good amount of mechanics from the old games but is done at an enjoyable scale. One that doesn’t feel overbearing or pushy.
As the story progresses, Survivor also gives you new moves to reach places that were gated by said moves. This motivated us to go back and enter certain sections of the map that were inaccessible before and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor approaches sides missions with a bit more sophistication. It’s done visually. You’ll feel invited to explore the region simply by moving around. Something Breath of the Wild did, and Elden Ring too. If you spend time gossiping in Pyloon’s Saloon, you can get a marker for the side mission area that is either Bounty Hunters or puzzle rooms. Admittedly, these Jedi Meditation Chambers don’t really massage your brain cells like Zelda’s puzzle rooms and it mostly relies on your movement skills.
You either get some cosmetic items for meagre tasks or one full skill point to spend on the upgrade tree and perks. None of the laborious fights will end up in a poncho but opening chests that are littered around the open world will bring a new hairstyle, facial hair options and colour options for your items. So some things can feel unrewarding if you stray off the chartered path.