E3 2019: Jedi Fallen Order's "Thoughtful" Lightsaber Combat Kind Of Looks Like Sekiro

EA Play kicked off with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, providing gameplay gave us our first look at what Respawn means by "thoughtful" combat. As many suspected, it almost looks Souls-like.

Cal has to strafe, dodge, and parry attacks that come his way. Like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there's a posture/poise bar as well. On weaker enemies, one or two strikes of a lightsaber are all Cal needs to cut through the bar and kill his opponent. However, on stronger foes like the black-clad Purge Troopers, Cal has to slowly wear his foe's defensive posture down until he can deliver a final killing blow. Purge Troopers also sport unique weapons that are more of a match for a Jedi than a random, clumsy blaster.

As a Jedi, Cal has access to Force powers to aid him in this regard, including Push and Lightsaber Throw. He can also rely on his fast Jedi reflexes to slow time and more easily deflect attacks and blaster bolts. Nothing in the trailer hints he has anything close to the destructive power seen in The Force Unleashed series, though. You can watch the combat for yourself in the gameplay trailer above.

Besides the core gameplay, we also learned more about Jedi Fallen Order's story and at least one familiar face that will appear: Saw Gerrera. The first look also suggested the appearance of droids at least similar to K2, from Rogue One.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is being developed by Respawn--also responsible for Titanfall, Titanfall 2, and Apex Legends. Fallen Order is entirely single-player, with no microtransactions whatsoever--which is a pretty big surprise considering the publisher. Respawn has another Titanfall project in the works but it's been delayed to 2020 at the earliest so that the focus can remain on Fallen Order and Apex Legends' seasonal updates.

Fallen Order is the story of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan that escaped Revenge of the Sith's Order 66. He hides from the Empire as a salvager, only to be discovered when he's seen using the Force to save his friend. Now on the run, Cal has to rely on his minimal training to escape from the masked Second Sister--one of Darth Vader's Jedi-hunting Inquisitors--and Purge Troopers. He won't be completely alone though, as Cal's journey across the galaxy sees him discovering a surviving Jedi Knight.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on November 15.