Star Wars: Jedi Survivor Review [PS4] : Lighter Yet Stellar

Over a year has passed since the release of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles. The game has proven to be a significant advancement from its predecessor, Fallen Order, with improvements in visuals, story, combat, maps, puzzles, and more. For further details on its initial release, refer to our launch review.

Although the game boasted an impressive presentation, its launch was marred by technical shortcomings, with both PC and console versions suffering from visual and performance issues. The game struggled to maintain a stable 60 frames per second due to the intensive use of dense vegetation and ray-traced shadows and lighting. These problems were addressed in subsequent patches, including removing ray-tracing in the console’s performance mode. Re-Spawn Entertainment went further, successfully adapting this colossal game, which occupies over 150 GB of storage, for previous generation consoles.

Originally released in 2013, the base PlayStation 4 is now over 11 years old. Can it truly support a game of such magnitude? If so, how? Additionally, how does the PS4 version perform on the PS5? Let’s explore these questions.

I seldom use my PS4 Slim nowadays, as I have primarily been playing on my PS5 for the past year. However, when I recently started my PS4 after several months and attempted to download Jedi Survivor, I was pleasantly surprised. Contrary to the PS5 version, the PS4 version occupies only 49 GB of storage, which is less than one-third of the PS5 version’s substantial 151 GB. Consequently, upon launching the game, I anticipated a significantly reduced low-fidelity experience.

To my astonishment, the game’s graphics were comparable to the PS5 launch version with its pre-baked lighting. Moreover, it maintained a stable 30 FPS. As anticipated, the load times are significantly longer, taking 5-6 times more than those on the PS5. The game runs at an internal resolution of 720p, upscaled to 1080p on the PS4 Slim. Despite this, it delivers a sharp image that looks great and is more than playable in my experience.

To accomplish this, the PS4 version undergoes several reductions. For the most part, the game appears similar to the PS5 version, but it’s important to note that they are not identical; they are distinct versions developed separately, akin to how CD Projekt RED adapted The Witcher 3 for the Nintendo Switch. It’s also cheaper than the PS5 version and if you buy the PS4 version, the PS5 upgrade comes at a cost.

From Trees to Shadows

The major cutbacks in the PS4 versions are the majority across shadow maps, lighting, global illumination, environmental textures, and most significantly LOD.

The shadow and lighting seem a bit off in this version; during gameplay, the shadows do not render properly, and in some areas, they fail to render at all. While this is not very noticeable in enclosed areas like Coruscant, it becomes evident in open areas like Koboh, where Cal’s shadow does not render at all. Instead, there is only a faint shimmer across the character.

Additionally, in certain areas, including cutscenes, the shadows on faces fail to render correctly or appear at incorrect angles, and the same issue affects indirect lighting. Due to the slow HDD of the PS4, there’s noticeable texture popping, particularly when transitioning to a new area. Fortunately, most wilderness maps mitigate this problem by featuring sparser vegetation. Comparing the PS5 and PS4 versions side by side, there is a significant decrease in the density of trees, grass, and foliage. Some areas are so barren they almost resemble desert dunes.

Despite these cutbacks, the PS4 offers an experience that exceeds expectations. Given its limited hardware and power, the fact that it can run this title is remarkable, especially as today’s entry-level GPUs face challenges running this title on PC. This underscores the need for the team to enhance the PC port to the level of attention given to the PS4 and PS5 versions.

A Peculiar Suprise

Driven by curiosity, I tested the PS4 version of Jedi Survivor through Backwards Compatibility on the PS5. Like the Red Dead Redemption PS4 port, it operates at a steady 60 fps and outputs a higher resolution. Although there is a native PS5 version, the reasoning behind this choice is unclear. Nevertheless, the fact that the PS4 version fully utilizes the PS5 hardware is quite pleasing.

Issues such as extended load times, sluggish texture streaming, absent shadow maps, and inconsistent lighting persist on the PS5. The complete experience is only available with the native PS5 version, which requires an upgrade. The fact that the PS4 to PS5 upgrade isn’t complimentary is disappointing. However, the upgrade fee is reasonably priced regionally, unlike titles like Marvel’s Spiderman Remastered, which I have yet to upgrade due to its steep cost.

Real Talk

The PS4 port of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is an impressive achievement. It succeeds in preserving most of the outstanding qualities of its PS5 version while occupying less than one-third of the storage size. Despite some technical hiccups, the ability to maintain a good frame rate and crisp imagery on 11-year-old hardware is quite an accomplishment.

Final Rating: 85/100