KitGuru Games: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is just as broken on consoles

Last week, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched in pretty rough shape across all platforms but so far, most coverage has focused on the PC version. Even Respawn's public apology only addresses PC performance, completely ignoring the fact that the console version is broken too. 

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has a number of issues right now. On PC, the game's DRM is extremely restrictive, to the point where you can only install the game on two PCs before getting locked out – which will slow down performance testing and benchmarking for places like Digital Foundry. It also likely means you won't see Jedi Survivor amongst benchmarked games for new graphics card reviews on sites like ours.

Beyond the heavy-handed DRM, CPU performance has been a big issue, especially if you have a ‘weaker' CPU paired with a more modern and powerful GPU.

A note from the Jedi Team on the PC version of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor pic.twitter.com/C3bp78VICr

— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) April 28, 2023

Respawn's newly posted apology only addresses the PC issues, completely ignoring the fact that the game is also busted on consoles. I've played roughly 20 hours of the game on PS5 so far and the situation has only gotten worse as I have made my way through the story.

I pointed out some of these issues in some early impressions last week. On PS5, the game struggles, especially in performance mode. If you don't have a Variable Refresh Rate display you are going to see constant screen tearing. The game's performance mode also regularly slows down to a crawl, rarely ever sticking to the 60FPS target and often fluctuating. As we can see in some early benchmarks from Digital Foundry, the PS5 can drop to as low as 17FPS on the game's second planet, Koboh. This is in line with my experience but I must say there are equally troublesome performance fluctuations throughout the game, no matter which level you are on.

These drops happen while exploring and in combat, which leads to plenty of frustration points during gameplay. On a number of occasions, I have died during platforming sections due to a button press not registering, or Cal not dashing through the laser gate, or not grabbing onto a climbable wall, instead choosing to just slam into the obstacle and fall into the abyss.

I've encountered freezes when trying to move between areas, particularly in the Saloon on Koboh, where trying to walk through the back entrance and then through to the main bar can take ages as the game tries to load the area behind the automatic door.

The game has crashed on my PS5 three times so far, albeit during lengthy play sessions. The issues go far beyond the PC platform and it would only be right for EA and Respawn to acknowledge the glaring and major issues with the console versions too. In its current state, it is extremely difficult to recommend Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, especially in ‘performance' mode. You get more consistent results from Quality mode, but the issue then is that you are capped to 30FPS, which can feel sluggish – something you don't want in an action game that requires quick parries and well-timed combat moves.

I haven't mentioned bugs yet either. I haven't encountered anything that directly hinders my progress, but often I have noticed graphical pop-in and flickering. Some audio bugs lead to bad lip-syncing, or enemies continuing to make sounds long after being killed off. At first, you'll be wowed by these big new areas and the graphical improvement over the first game, but then the game actively struggles and breaks right in front of your eyes on a consistent basis, which really takes the sheen off the whole visual presentation.

The worst part about this is that through all of its problems, I actually really love this game. The story took me by surprise by going in a direction that I never would have predicted and ultimately, this could end up being my favourite ‘Star Wars' story in years. I love the new lightsaber stances and combat moves. Being able to explore and having quicker access to moves that help you get from A to B is also a big plus over the previous game.

However, in its current state, I don't think the game is going to get the full due it deserves. This needed more than an extra six weeks of development – for all platforms, not just one.

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KitGuru Says: Have many of you played Star Wars Jedi: Survivor much since its release? Have you encountered issues with the game or has it been running fine for you? 

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