The new 'Star Wars' game is a must-buy for any fan - and it's one of the most fun and addicting adventures I've played in a long time

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"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is one of the most addictive games I've played this year.

• Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment on Friday launched their newest game, "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."
• It's a third-person action-adventure game that introduces you to new characters and a new adventure set in the "Star Wars" universe.
• The game captures the essence of "Star Wars": It rewards exploration, looks and sounds polished, and offers great thrills and story. You'll be playing this one late into the night.
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I've played about five hours of the newest "Star Wars" game, and I can already tell you: This is the best "Star Wars" game ever made, and it's already one of my favorite games of the year.

Thanks to Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment, which provided me with an early review copy of the game, I've been able to dig into the first few chapters of "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" before its launch on Friday.

It has everything "Star Wars" fans love and want: Epic, incredible set pieces, memorable and funny alien characters, and tons of lore about the "Star Wars" universe. But it also excels as a video game, with polished visuals and exciting gameplay that really makes you feel like a Jedi swinging around a lightsaber.

Oh, and the music. It wouldn't be "Star Wars" without some gorgeous tunes in the background, and "Jedi: Fallen Order" delivers. I routinely feel like I was dropped into a "Star Wars" movie that just so happens to be a video game.

What it feels like to play, spoiler-free

In this game, you're a guy named Cal, who's been hiding out on an alien planet for years because he wants no one to know he's a Jedi. But once the secret gets out, Cal embarks on a journey to help rebuild the broken-up Jedi Order.

I'm not going to give away any plot spoilers, but just know that this has all of the makings of "Star Wars": You'll get your own ship, alien friends and crew members, and the ability to jump to different planets to upgrade your character through exploration and combat.

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"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is filled with interesting lore about the universe.

Speaking of exploration and combat, much of the gameplay here is heavily inspired by some of the greatest video games of the past decade. While "Jedi: Fallen Order" doesn't reinvent the wheel, it seamlessly blends all of these mechanics together in a game that feels fluid and easy to pick up. It has:

• The exploration of "Tomb Raider"
• The traversal and climbing mechanics of "Uncharted"
• The map system of "Metroid Prime"
• The wall-running mechanics of "Prince of Persia"
• The save and respawn system of "Dark Souls"

It also has great writing and plenty of wit, too. I don't feel like I'm playing some generic "Star Wars" title. You can tell a lot of effort was put into this game to make it stand out, and in this way, EA and Respawn were successful.

My recommendation: Go buy it

If you like "Star Wars," at all, you should definitely buy this game. I've only just scratched the surface of the game, but it already has everything I love about the franchise and then some.

If you don't like "Star Wars," or are unfamiliar with that particular universe, you'll still probably enjoy this game. It has a fun rhythm to it. It doesn't feel like too much exploration, or too much combat, but an excellent balance of both. It does a great job showcasing what's possible in a 2019 video game in terms of style, visuals, and gameplay, but it also feels highly addictive through systems that continually upgrade your character and his abilities.

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.