Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast Review (Nintendo Switch)

At long last, there’s finally a Star Wars game on the Nintendo Switch. Alongside Star Wars Pinball, fans of the 2002 action game, Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, can now enjoy this title in a modern way. Aspyr Media has been able to port this classic release for the Switch and it feels so much better here. It also helps that the game holds up surprisingly well, albeit only a few clunky mechanics. With this game’s enjoyable story, atmosphere, and performance, fans of a galaxy far, far away are sure to want to look into this release.

Fantastic Atmosphere

First things first, this game is incredible in immersing the player into the world of Star Wars. Running around the first level and blasting storm troopers while the series’ signature music plays is sure to make you come back for more. Locations are very detailed, especially considering this game launched back in 2002. Areas are big and have plenty to discover which can be both good and bad. It’s good in that there are hidden areas and a lot of exploring to be done. The bad part of it is that it’s extremely easy to get lost as there’s no minimap. If you forget where you’re at, then get ready to try and backtrack as best as possible.

Certain familiar faces make their appearances to tie this into a larger universe but it’s not done in a pandering way. Rather, they serve primarily for helping carry along with the story that makes sense and isn’t shoe-horned in. The main plot follows Kyle Katarn after he’s almost fallen to the Dark Side and is now a mercenary for the New Republic. However, he’ll soon be brought back into the world of a Jedi as a new foe arises in the galaxy. It’s a fun tale in the universe and can take quite a bit of time, as well. With over 20 missions, the game can span upwards of 15 hours to complete. This sometimes can feel like a bit of a slog though, yet certain aspects of the gameplay make up for it.

Fun Yet Dated Mechanics

As this is a title from the early 2000s, it’s no secret that the game can feel a bit outdated. For instance, shooting isn’t very tight and quick as more modern titles which takes some getting used to. There is an auto-aim feature but it offers little to no help most of the time. Enemies also take way too many hits to kill, so be ready to stuff them full of bullets. Another instance of this is found within the platforming areas of the game. Certain sections of the game can task the player with jumping to various objects or crawling along paths to get to the next section. However, this game is not well equipped to do so as the controls feel a bit slippery and not very precise. This title would fare far better if these sections had been removed entirely.

This isn’t to say that it isn’t a fun title to play through. Mowing down hordes of enemies is very satisfying to accomplish. There’s also a bit of skill required to do so as health does not regenerate nor is the ammo infinite. Planning certain strategies to get past tough sections can come to fruition quite often so make sure to save often. In addition, there’s a variety of weapons available for the player to use. Automatic rifles, pistols, bow casters, and, of course, a lightsaber is all usable within the game. The lightsaber, in particular, is one of the high points and are easily the most memorable sections to be found.

Performance on the Switch

The main question for ports like this is always, “How well does it hold up on the Switch?” Well, the answer here is a good one in that it runs very well. The graphics look much crisper in HD but still hold that nostalgic feel found from the original PC version. Certain areas and sections are a bit darker than they should be but that was the only issue found on the graphical side of things. John Williams’ score for the series remains flawless and is able to sound just as great. Rarely were there performance issues or graphical stutters, yet if there were they only happened during a loading screen and quickly disappeared.

By far the biggest issue with this port is its saving mechanic. Rarely are there any checkpoints that can be found throughout various areas. Levels can last upwards of an hour yet there are only one or two checkpoints. Not only this, there isn’t even an autosave feature. Unless you’re able to dodge death easily, you’ll be forced to utilize the manual save. This is fine until you realize that it can only hold five saves, which means you’ll be constantly deleting old saves to free up new slots. Be careful with deleting them all at once because sometimes the save can glitch up and a new save has to be loaded.

Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast is a good game that is held back by a few outdated features. It does have some solid gameplay mechanics and an enjoyable story that fans of the universe are sure to want to check out. Another interesting feature of the Nintendo Switch’s version is the ability to use gyro controls during the first-person shooting sections. Anybody who’s a fan of Star Wars will want to try this latest release.

Thank you to Aspyr Media for providing us with a review code!