Star Wars Outlaws was developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. At first glance, it looks like an ambitious attempt to gather a whole bunch of players and take them on a journey across the Star Wars universe like never before.
Have you ever wanted to play in a Star Wars game but not as a Jedi/Sith or a famous bounty hunter? Have you ever had the urge to explore unknown parts of the galaxy without the need to fight enemies over and over again? If you answer yes, then let’s dive into whether Star Wars Outlaws is for you.
The story and protagonist in Star Wars Outlaws is entirely new
The story in Star Wars Outlaws occurs between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It introduces the players to a new protagonist, Kay Vess (voiced by Humberly González). Kay is not a Jedi, Sith, bounty hunter, or even ex-Imperial. She is a rogue living in the poor district of Cantonica and accompanied by her pet Nix who looks like a furry axolotl. Together, they steal things and sell them off for money to make a living. Unfortunately, one day, Kay gets hired to rob a known mob boss. As soon as she enters his vault, she finds out this heist is a hoax.
Kay Vess is betrayed, and a bounty is put on her head. Because of that, she has to escape for her life. Without getting too much into spoilers, I would like to mention that the prologue part of the story immediately shows Kay’s incredible determination and self-sufficiency as they stand out as her defining traits. When Kay escapes, she lands on the planet Toshara, where she finds out about various crime syndicates who rule the Outer Rims.
To survive and pay off the bounty on her head, she has to work for them, but it is not an easy task. She must gain a reputation as a competent and profitable outlaw. Which can be very hard, especially with the Empire being constantly around. But all in all, the narrative of this game takes some time to unfold since it isn’t rushed. The story is refreshingly personal and down-to-earth (which is ironic to say in the Star Wars universe) compared to the previous narratives typical for Star Wars games. For example, in Star Wars: Jedi games, we had to do everything to save the future of the Jedi Order or hide from the Empire in another galaxy. The stakes in Star Wars Outlaws are much smaller with fewer implications against the entirety of the universe.
Star Wars Outlaws, on the other hand, focuses on survival, an immersive story, and the relationships Kay forms along the way. There are cameos from already-established Star Wars characters and locations that are perfect and don’t overshadow Kay or her journey. What stands out to me is that this game makes us feel the weight of Kay’s choices. As I mentioned before, thanks to the narrative with multiple choices, we can manipulate the reputation system. By doing so, we can slightly change the course of our story and make different alliances with various crime syndicates. In the final run, this can make our story progression easier or harder.
Every single mission, heist, and interaction Kay has with these syndicates or random people pushes her further down the path of becoming a rogue and ruthless outlaw. I have a huge tip for you that I want you to remember when it comes to playing throughout the story… Trust no one. Assume that everyone will betray you and you will never be disappointed.
The gameplay is a blend of familiar titles with some surprises
When it comes to unique and full-of-life open-world experiences, Star Wars Outlaws is THE game. It borrows and refines elements from other Ubisoft titles, as well as from previous Star Wars games. And I mean games that were released as well as those that were canceled. It mixes known elements and iconic stylistics from them, to make another great Star Wars game.
The gameplay is a mix of exploration, stealth, combat, and space flight. Each aspect of the gameplay offers you a unique set of challenges and rewards. Some elements are easier to master, and some require your full focus and commitment. The game’s world allows you to visit some known planets and new ones. For example, the planet Kijimi introduced in The Rise of Skywalker, re-introduces us to the frozen tundras and tight city streets straight from the movie. Looking at the new planet; Akiva, we see the the opposite of Kijimi. This planet has dense jungles, a warm climate, and winding rivers.
Showing different environments and climates is an amazing visual diversification that proves the Star Wars world is full of wonderful and iconic planets. They often affect the gameplay by allowing you to create different strategies for faster travel and easier combat. Even though the game provides multiple options for you to complete missions, some of the mechanics, like climbing and stealth mode, feel too simple and repetitive. That made my exploration feel restricted a lot of times. It is frustrating, especially when you compare it to other open-world titles or the recent Star Wars: Jedi games.
Combat, on the other hand, is bigger and offers a more straightforward but satisfying approach. Kay is using a blaster, which you can customize with different types of ammunition. You can quickly switch between plasma and ion shots to make defeating certain enemies easier. The most “broken” addition to the combat is Kay’s “Adrenaline Shot”. It allows us to slow time, target different enemies, and defeat them instantly without taking the damage.
Despite having so many good elements and mechanics, the gameplay feels old and not unique in many situations. Melee combat looks basic and less than impressive, making the hand-to-hand encounters boring and not as engaging at times. As I mentioned before, one of the more innovative gameplay elements is the relationship and reputation system tied to the game’s crime syndicates. It’s my favorite part of the story and the gameplay. To progress through the story we have to finish missions for syndicates. Sometimes, when we do a mission for let’s say a Hutt Syndicate we get a better reputation with them, but we lose it with Crimson Dawn. Thanks to this system, we must carefully balance Kay’s alliances, as favoring one faction over another can lead to consequences such as being hunted by rival syndicates or not gaining access to exclusive resources and missions.
Space travel is something that I’ve always had a problem with admiring. Outlaws still didn’t change my mind about flying a spaceship and dogfights with enemy ships, but I have to say it is not as bad as it seems. The transition from land to atmosphere to endless space is smooth and doesn’t require cut scenes or a loading screen. Unfortunately, while the space segments are visually stunning, and they look spectacular (thanks to the amazing details of the planets and things around them) they are mechanically not engaging. The Trailblazer (Kay’s ship she has stolen in the prologue) feels heavy and slow. This makes space fights with enemy ships more of a chore to get achievements or to unlock something, rather than a fun experience.
Beyond the main storyline, Outlaws offers various side activities. One of the highlights and my favorites are the card game Sabacc and Arcade games. They are now official and playable parts of Star Wars games. Sabacc offers a fun break from the main story missions and side missions. The tutorial helps to understand the mechanics of this game and different tricks, which adds more fun. Arcade games are also very fun. They allow you to play “retro” games from the Star Wars universe, and they are very competitive.
Inconsistencies with technical aspects, keep this Star Wars game from shining brightly
Visually, Star Wars Outlaws is not a bad game. It has a lot of detailed environments and character models, but a lot of them are fully rendered only in cinematic cut scenes. But if you want a different experience, you can change the game’s ratio to a cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio. It is the first game where I decided to try this. It’s not bad and takes time to get used to, but I decided to go back to the full-screen option after a few hours.
However, the game is not without flaws. Unfortunately, I had some texture issues and some characters weren’t rendered properly which threw me out of the immersion, especially during intense actions. What was perfect though was the soundtrack and sound design, something Star Wars is known for.
The soundtrack was inspired by John Williams’ iconic compositions. You can easily hear remixes of known themes during the playthrough. The sound effects, beginning with the sound of blasters or each ship’s unique engine sound, bring back memories from the moment you heard them for the first time.
Overall impressions from Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws feels like a Star Wars game, and there is no doubt about that. It’s unique in terms of offering a new story, different gameplay, and advanced/expanded mechanics. In terms of open-world games, it’s not the best, but it’s also not a bad game. The best part of it is the story. It is complicated, mysterious, and surprising. If you think something will happen, often it may not. Which to me is a strength of this story.
Kay is an interesting protagonist, and going through her journey through the galaxy’s underworld offers a fresh perspective on this world, which is often dominated by tales about Jedi and Sith or Rebel Alliance and Empire. In the end, Star Wars Outlaws is a game that understands its audience, and delivers a fancy and interesting story, but doesn’t offer much in terms of gameplay and long-time exploring. It may not be perfect, but it’s a journey worth taking for anyone who wants to be a part of the Star Wars galaxy once more.
Star Wars Outlaws is now available to play on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Have you played it yet? Let us know what you think on on social media @mycosmiccircus!
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