Star WarsJedi:Fallen Orderreleased back in November 2019 as the first single-player and story-drivenStar Warsgame in quite a long time, and the game was met largely with positive feedback from fans and critics. The story of escapedJedi Cal Kestisand his quest to recover a repository of Force-sensitive children throughout the galaxy before it could be put to nefarious use by the Empire featured many elements ofStar Warsprequel, sequel, and original trilogy lore. One character who joined Cal late into his journey has big implications for the story and will likely take on a more prominent role in the sequel.
Merrin is one of the Night Sisters, a coven of witches that live on Dathomir. Fans of theClone Warsanimated series were familiar with the Night Sisters and conversely the Night Brothers, the male denizens of Dathomir from which Darth Maul was plucked to be trained as a Sith. Their relationship was adversarial at first, with Merrin working to hamper Cal’s exploration of the planet. Later on in the story, Merrin actually joins the crew. DespiteEA losing its exclusivity dealwithStar Wars,a sequel to the game is reportedly in the works, as the company will still continue using the poperty, and Merrin is likely to feature much more heavily in the events of a sequel toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
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Merrin’s Role in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2
Merrin’s joining of Cal’s crew means that she would likely still be a part of the group at the outset of a potential sequel. There are many thingsfans might want to see inFallen Order 2, and Merrin can facilitate many new changes to the plot and theoretically even the gameplay. Her inclusion as a main character could have big implications if implemented correctly, while her relationship with the Night Sisters brings some interesting possibilities in the continuation of Cal Kestis’s story.
The Night Sisters are an interesting facet of theStar Warsuniverse. Their unique exploration of the Force manifests as seemingly black magic that has been used for combat, mind control, and metamorphosis as seen in theClone Warssaga with Darth Maul and his “brother” Savage Opress. Their ties to dark side opens the doors to some “grey” morality explorations of in a stylesimilar toKnights of the Old Republic, arguably the most well-known single-playerStar Warsgame.
Merrin’s attachment to the Night Sisters could be well implemented to test Cal’s dedication to the Jedi way, as is often a theme in theStar Warsuniverse. There could very well be moments where Merrin may suggest solutions to a problem that exist beyond what may be acceptable to a traditional Jedi like Cal Kestis. In turn, this could introduce both moral conflict in a potentially budding relationship and within the dynamic of the crew as a whole. This isn’t an unrealistic hypothesis for aseries titledFallen Order, and it seems that the franchise as a whole is simultaneously exploring both ends of the spectrum for the Jedi.
Diving into the possible dilemmas presented by the presence of a Night Sister could go far in helping with potential problems incharacter development for Cal Kestis. By the end ofFallen Order, Cal is a much more grounded and confident Jedi, which is a good thing for the overarching story of his grappling with survivors' guilt and finding his own way. But in continuing that story, the juxtaposition of his ideals against Merrin’s could make for interesting plot points.
The Night Sisters' near extinction by the Jedi in colors Merrin’s thoughts, and she only joins the crew after seeing the difference between the now Dark Jedi Taron Malicos and Cal Kestis. But presuming that some amount of time will have passed between the beginning of a sequel and the ending ofFallen Order, there would have been time for some of these feelings to fester. Exploring these relationships more deeply could help the sequel take anew direction inFallen Order 2and help further cement the story of Cal Kestis as an important part of theStar Warscanon.
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Merrin Could Mean New Gameplay In Fallen Order 2
Outside of the plot, Merrin’s inclusion in the core cast ofFallen Ordercould mean new gameplay options in the sequel. As the only other member of the Mantis with an active tie to the Force (Cere Junda admits to having severed her tie to the Force despite a show of power near the game’s finale), Merrin presents a unique opportunity for gameplay. The gameplay andblistering difficulty settings like Grandmasterwould lend themselves well to the myriad of powers available to a Night Sister like Merrin. While Cal Kestis will most likely remain the bulk of the game’s focus, playing as Merrin could provide fun breaks in the standard gameplay, something many fans may enjoy.
The illusory capabilities of the magic utilized by the Night Sisters could translate well to a more stealth-focused approach to gameplay,taking notes from games likeLast of Us 2. Her abilities to created illusions and affect the minds of enemies could provide a fun foil to the combat-centric gameplay ofFallen Order.
On the more speculative side, Merrin also opens the door to potential multiplayer like a co-op mode allowing players to adventure across the galaxy with a friend online. The almost Metroid-style exploration inFallen Orderencourages retreading planets already visited after obtaining more powers and abilities to uncover secret items, bosses, and the like. The inclusion of another playable character could add interesting possibilities for puzzle design and combat encounters, specifically if one character played so differently from another as Merrin would from Cal. This would be a break from what many fans considered a plus forFallen Order,as its single-player focus helped deliver a more cohesive story than most multiplayer games could. But if well executed could be a great inclusion to the series. The possibilities for the sequel are as open asFallen Order’sending wasand Merrin’s inclusion would likely be a boon.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis available for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. The sequel is reportedly in development.
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