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We had the chance to try Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order when the TrueAchievements team went to X019. It was a lot of fun (although it really felt like taking Cal down in sudden drops for endless sliding sequences) and the full game was just as enjoyable when it launched in 2019. Even then you could tell that while it was a bit rough around the edges and a bit more ambitious than it could possibly pull off, the second game might be able to polish off all those rougher parts to create the kind of experience that the first game just missed the mark for. That turned out to be the case with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which built on the first game, streamlined some of its weirder parts, and gave Cal an excellent new adventure to embark on. So, here’s why, in honor of May 4th, you should play Star Wars Jedi: Survivor while it’s on Game Pass (and free play days)! There’s quite a bit of work to be put into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s achievements, and if you’ve played through the first game or attempted to complete, you may remember the relentless backtracking through subtle areas you’ve already covered many times before. It was often frustrating to say the least, and one big change in Survivor is that shortcuts and fast travel points feel much more generous. This is especially good, as another improvement with the sequel is that its worlds feel much more open to exploration. It’s still more linear than the open world, but everything feels on a larger scale, unlike some of the tighter sections in the first game. There are still story sections where you’re on a strict path, but overall there’s a lot more freedom to explore. Sometimes you come across areas you don’t have access to yet, but choosing to explore off the beaten path often rewards you with better perks or other useful things that give Cal an even better chance of survival in the future.

To make things more manageable, you even have kickstands to carry you around. I’m a big fan of stuff like this, and while there isn’t much behind the mechanics — sort of like Cal just borrowing random beasts for a bit instead of having another companion — there are some pretty punchy colors, and while Cal may insist he’s hiding, it’s great fun sending him around with a giant neon pink ostrich type alien.

One area where Survivor improves is by giving you even more customization options with Cal, the BD-1, and Cal’s lightsaber. Instead of just matching outfits, you can mix and match individual parts of Cal’s clothing as well as colors. You can also change his hairstyle and face. It’s a little weird dying over and over again trying to reach a far point on a strange planet only to open a chest and find a mullet, but it gives more flexibility in creating your own mud. The BD-1 and lightsaber options are even more extensive as you can not only mix and match styles, parts and colors, but also how worn or brand new everything looks.

One of the best things about Survivor, though, is the addition of a central area to return to with the Pyloon Saloon. Besides giving Cal something of an anchor instead of letting him wander off on his own, this central area gradually fills up with more newcomers, giving you rumors to chase, new shops, backstory, and a bit of life for what might be be a fairly isolated galaxy. It’s a great way to see some of the impact of Cal’s actions as the people he saves start showing up there and the locals start to warm to him. In the grand tradition of RPGs, they’ll reward you for saving their lives by showering you with requests and favors, and it’s here that you’ll see examples of some of the more extended dialogue you’ll find in the sequel. What’s more, you can see this base improve as you progress through the game, with the things you do having an actual impact – whether it’s filling the large aquarium or returning seeds to populate the rooftop garden. It also introduces a very cool minigame — I don’t want to spoil it if you’re new to the game, but it makes BD-1’s determination to scan enemies much more useful.

If you were disappointed with the way you had to build up key abilities in the first game, then you might be fine with Survivor allowing Cal to keep his abilities and build upon them. It also has new lightsaber mounts and it all works well with the idea that Cal is now a force to be reckoned with. It’s rougher and darker than before, but it’s also stronger and a little more unforgiving. It’s always fun to pull enemies towards you only to throw them over cliffs, sending them sailing to their doom even as they insist they’ll beat you easily, but Cal has some new ways to fight that open things up even more.

Traversal has also been made much smoother, which is a good thing, as Survivor has just as much—if not more—wall running, ziplining, and climbing as before, as well as some interesting sliding parts thanks to the new ability of Kal to befriend alien beasts. It takes a lot of frustration out of a game that requires you to make so many precise moves when you actually can do the things he asks of you.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor feels like it really builds on what the first game promised. We know that Respawn is “working on a third” game, and while we wait for news on that, you can check out Everything We Know About Star Wars Outlaws for more information on another upcoming Star Wars game!