After a weekend devoted solely to welding lightsabers and fighting the Galactic Empire, it is safe to say that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is both an amazing entry into the series history.

As a longtime fan of Star Wars, it has always been difficult to find good video games based on the beloved series. The franchise has been plagued with many mediocre and downright bad video games with only a few exceptional ones standing out from the rest, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is one of those few.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order tells the story of Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan that survived the Order 66 Jedi purge. Players begin the game about five years after Kestis’ master and much of the Jedi in the galaxy were slayed. While Kestis is working as a ship scraper on a remote planet, he saves a friend from an accident. Due to his public use of the Force when saving his friend, the Empire is soon on his trail to hunt him down.

Kestis is then tracked down by the Empire’s Inquisitor, an elite group of force-welding assassins that hunt down remaining Jedi and force-sensitive children. The main villain of the game, the Second Sister, gives chase to Kestis, but he is saved by a traveling duo: pilot Greez Dritus and former Jedi master Cere Junda.

Kestis then joins the duo in their mission to find remaining Jedi and recreate the Jedi Order destroyed by the Empire. The player is then tossed into an intergalactic adventure that will both challenge and excite Star Wars fans and non-fans alike.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes elements from many recent popular games, such as God of War, Tomb Raider, and Dark Souls with aspects of these games practically graphed into the Star Wars one. This isn’t a bag thing, however, as this game pulls from popular existing mechanics to create a familiar, engaging experience for players.

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The engaging experience can also be quite a challenge. With Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order pulling combat mechanics from games such as the Dark Souls series, players will definitely not easily rush through the game on any difficulty past its easiest level.

But, this game is not up to the standard of controller breaking frustration that Dark Souls can bring out of players. I would best describe the combat as resembling a fun Diet Coke version of Dark Souls.

The game uses a limited open world style of exploration that lets players roam around a limited area in a total of six vastly different and beautiful planets.

The game offers a plethora of Easter eggs for both laymen and nerds of the series (myself included). An aspect I really loved about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is how it uses aspects from the Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy in ways fans have never seen before outside of the extended universe.  I quietly let out many nerdy giggles while playing the game.

After playing through Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, I am left with the bittersweet feeling of now having to wait years for the next chapter in this new Star Wars story.