Train Like a Jedi: Vader Immortal Lightsaber Dojo
A Texas Immersive Sandbox Demo.
Have you ever wanted to feel like a Jedi, harness the powers of the Force, and engage in lightsaber duels with the best of them? While many games and experiences have attempted to bring fans closer to the Star Wars universe, Vader Immortal aims to take you inside it.
Specifically, the Lightsaber Dojo training simulator, a mode within Vader Immortal, offers the quintessential Jedi experience. The main campaign immerses you in a brief yet thrilling Star Wars story, featuring laser battles, Force powers, and some lightsaber combat. In contrast, the Dojo is pure combat. While other Star Wars offerings can give you a taste of Jedi powers, nothing unleashes the Force quite like the Lightsaber Dojo.
A Recipe for Greatness
The Dojo’s objective is simple: provide users with a space to hone their skills against enemy bots. It offers progressively challenging levels, each requiring players to defeat waves of droids and aliens within a set time limit. Players earn stars based on their performance against three benchmarks, unlocking new levels as they accumulate more stars.
That’s how it functions. Now, let’s explore why it stands out. At Texas Immersive, we recognize five key attributes of greatness: beautiful, authentic, unique, inspirational, and welcoming.
- Beautiful: This game transports players into visually stunning and iconic environments, capturing the beauty of distant galaxies, Sith temples, and epic lightsaber battles.
- Authentic: It faithfully recreates the look, feel, and sounds of the Star Wars universe, allowing players to interact with iconic settings in a way that feels true to the franchise.
- Unique: Unlike that other VR saber game, this one is focused on combat. And it goes beyond that by incorporating Force powers, intricate choreography, and deep lore that places you at the center of the Star Wars universe.
- Inspirational: It’s the closest thing to feeling like a Jedi, which might be pretty inspiring if you’re human.
- Welcoming: The levels start off easy enough that anyone can try. The user-friendly interface gradually introduces players to the mechanics, making it accessible and enjoyable for all.
By most measures, Vader Immortal’s Dojo mode has all the ingredients for greatness. However, as with any experience, there is room for improvement.
So Close, but Far Far Away
Undoubtedly, this game is fun and engaging, a must-try for gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts alike. For gamers and experiencers, the Star Wars IP offers unparalleled immersion. For Star Wars fans, VR technology brings them closer than ever to the franchise.
But there’s still a long way to go for it to feel like a real Jedi experience.
Some critiques:
- Lightsaber combat: The mechanics are simple and lack depth compared to dedicated melee combat games.
- Force grab imprecision: You’ll inevitably grab something you didn’t mean to.
- Limited enemy variety: There’s only a handful of different enemy types which can lead to predictability.
- Limited tactical depth: Combat relies more on physical movements and reflexes than strategic considerations.
- Blocking mechanics: Blocking incoming attacks with the lightsaber can sometimes feel imprecise or inconsistent, making it challenging to execute successful blocks.
Overall, while Vader Immortal Lightsaber Dojo provides an enjoyable combat experience, the elementary mechanics might leave some players craving more. And perhaps that was the point.
Access vs Immersion
Published by Disney Interactive Studios, Vader Immortal aims to bring as many people as possible into the VR Star Wars universe. They chose to keep combat straightforward to broaden the player base, prioritizing accessibility over complexity.
In contrast, Disney pursued immersion over accessibility with the Star Wars Galactic Cruiseship, which ultimately faced challenges, like the high price tag that made it a luxury for many fans. What’s more, the fully immersive role-playing environment, while appealing to some, seemed overwhelming for others.
“How many people who are superfans want to put in the time and the emotional expenditure of spending two days in a fully immersive experience? It gets tiring.” -Scott Lukas, cultural anthropologist.
This raises questions about the balance between access and immersion, depth and practicality. The Galactic Cruiseship could’ve been one of the most deeply immersive experiences ever made, but it proved to be inaccessible for even the biggest fans. On the other hand, maybe Vader Immortal works because it is meeting its audience where they are.
For the Jedi Apprentice, Not Yet the Master
The audience for Vader Immortal is clear: fans wanting to delve deeper and immerse themselves in the Star Wars universe. Those motivated by entertainment have an ever-growing library of content to chew on. Those motivated by connection have conventions and endless subreddits to engage with. But for those who want to be transported to a galaxy far, far away, this game provides one of the more accessible ways to do so.
For those like me, motivated by challenge and mastery, consider this game a beta test for what’s possible in games to come. Imagine all the ways that we could improve the next iteration of lightsaber combat:
- AI Integration: bots that learn from player moves to continuously improve mechanics
- ‘VS’ Mode: online multiplayer for the most realistic combat experience
- Combat Choreographers: partner with professional combat choreographers in Hollywood or viral amateurs on TikTok to come up with clever combos, moves, or sequences
- AR Play: take lightsaber combat anywhere out in the world
- Haptic Body Feedback: physical sensations that let you feel the hits you take
A hyper-realistic lightsaber experience would get us that much closer to becoming Jedi. Until then, Vader Immortal’s Lightsaber Dojo is the closest thing to training like one.
