Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws brings us to the grittier side of the galaxy far, far away with some familiar mechanics and tons to explore.
Star Wars Outlaws
Developed By: Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (reviewed on), Xbox Series S|X, PCs
Release Date: August 30, 2024
Billed as the “first open-world Star Wars game”—though LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga would contend with that claim—Star Wars Outlaws is, understandably, rather large. Considering when Ubisoft was kind enough to send us a code, and my own general slowness in gaming (to be fair, I also just moved), I haven’t really come close to finishing up my adventures with Kay Vess.
I’ve gotten far enough to provide some solid impressions, however, and comment on the overall state of the game. As such, we’ll consider this a review in progress and veer away from the story elements (not that I would talk spoilers anyway).
Open Worlds
Let’s kick things off with by talking about the overall open-world—galaxy?—players can explore. There are a total of five planets you’ll end up venturing to, each with their own ecosystem, quest lines, and secrets to uncover. And that’s not to mention all the stuff you can do once you’re in space!
Understandably, the game holds your hand a bit at the beginning, walking you through the gameplay elements while Kay’s story begins. It’s really not long, however, before you’re given practically free reign (alongside a speeder) to travel all over and into places you’re woefully under-prepared for!
From talking with a few of my peers about their experience with the game as well as my own time within the game, it’s clear Outlaws isn’t designed to be some sort of “infinite” open world game. It’s more on the scale of Spider-Man 2 than something like a Rockstar joint. You’re given an expansive open world(s) to explore and find plenty to do, but the main story is closer to the 20 hour mark.
Personally speaking, I love this approach to open world games. It gives me the chance to enjoy the main story in the time that I have to game (especially as a parent), while giving me the same options to explore and poke around like other open-world games. For me, that balance helps with making me feel immersed in the setting overall, without feeling daunted at the abundance of things to do.
This might not be for everyone, but don’t panic, there’s still a whole lot of hours of playtime for fans to get lost in. Even putting in a solid week’s worth of play time, it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of the side-quests and extra things to do within the game. Between avoiding pirates, tangling with Bounty Hunters, and even jumping in to help locals being harassed by Imperials, you definitely feel immersed within Star Wars in ways we haven’t really gotten before.
I’ve said it a number of times over the years, but big open-world games aren’t always my thing. Even as much as I love the Horizon stories, I largely ignored Forbidden West‘s exploration and mainlined the story. Much like I’ve done in the recent Spider-Man games, however, I’ve found myself just…existing within these various worlds and cities. I don’t feel the urge to just follow the main quest, and find myself okay with the slower approach; like how I felt in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (which also ruled a great deal).
There’s something neat about just leaning against the cantina countertop and listening to the local music/random chatter of the patrons. Then hopping on my suped up speeder and zooming around the wilderness to uncover ghost “towns” and settlers trying to eek out an existence away from Imperial eyes. Only to find myself stumbling across a pirate/marauder encampment and having to fight my way out.
Getting Stealthy with Familiar Mechanics
Much has been said around the gaming community about the “Ubisoft formula” when it comes to their more recent games. The reality is, there is something almost instantly familiar when you fire up Outlaws. Sure, the control schemes are a bit different and take getting used to, but the experience definitely rings some bells.
THIS IS NOT A BAD THING. Especially when that formula is largely great/refined and allows for an experience that’s easy to get into. Honestly, there’s something appealing about coming into a massive game and not feeling like a complete noob from the outset.
What did surprise me, however, is how much more stealth focused the overall game is. I expected it to be a bit more akin to Frontiers of Pandora. Sure, stealth is a factor in those games (especially when you’re taking on massive outposts), but you’re given enough tools/abilities that going with a pure action playthrough is entirely feasible.
That’s not the case with Outlaws. Instead, running and gunning is a last—desperate—resort. When you’re sneaking into bases (or even secured zones of crime syndicates you’re friendly with), anything other than the stealth approach will end your mission. Kay Vess as a character isn’t meant to be the all around badass character. She’s a loner in the big galaxy and frequently the underdog. As such, the game isn’t ‘Grand Theft Star Wars’ as some were thinking initially, but rather ‘Assassin’s Creed Star Wars.’
I love it. As someone who grew up with the stealth genre (Metal Gear Solid has long been my favorite gaming franchise) in gaming, I was thrilled to see how integral that aspect is throughout the experience. More importantly, it’s good stealth gameplay mechanics. Some of the initial missions feel a bit rough as you’re limited with tools and still getting the hang of things. As the game progresses and you unlock some new abilities/tools, you’ll be feeling like Solid Snake as you traverse even the most heavily guarded facilities.
That’s not to say there isn’t any action. There are still plenty of times when Kay must rely on her blaster in order to win the day. When it happens, the shooting mechanics feel sleek and engaging. Being able to pick up dropped weapons from enemies, and use items (e.g. grenades, stun blasts, etc), helps level the playing field, though you’ll still have to play it smart to survive.
Tidbits
Some general thoughts/impressions on various aspects of the game so far:
Accessibility – There are a metric ton of accessibility features you can adjust within the game. From color blind help, to a plethora of subtitle options, and even UI/HUD configuration. Even more, there are loads of options for adjusting the difficulty. Not just talking about overall stuff here, you can tweak individual settings for certain minigames and other aspects of the game. So if you’re having trouble with one aspect of the gameplay, but love the others, you can lower the settings on that one, without impacting the others!
Nix – Nix is so much more than an adorable buddy companion that follows you around. He’s a vital gameplay component. Think of all the stuff you’ve come to expect from these kind of games at this point. Some sort of “sense” that allows you to know when enemies are nearby (who you couldn’t otherwise see), and point out objects to grab/interact with. On the stealth side of things, you’d expect something you can throw to distract enemies and get them looking elsewhere.
Nix fulfills all of those roles for Kay. It’s a clever way to conceal those gameplay elements and make it all fit within the Star Wars mythos. Unlike Cal Kestis in the Jedi games, you don’t have the Force to call upon to do these things. You’re just a normal person in the galaxy. As such, having Nix allows you to utilize these familiar gameplay aspects without feeling out of place. It’s a neat compromise and allows for some fun character moments along the way.
Pick-Up Items – As I mentioned, there are a few weapons you’ll be able to pick up along the way. You’ll have everything from a repeating blaster (quicker and more damaging than your standard blaster), to rocket launchers, and even a Phase-Pulse Rifle as seen in The Mandalorian. These are fun to play around with and can turn a situation from dire to victory if used properly.
The only issue I have, however, is that they’re all limited. Once you’re out of “ammo” on any particular weapon, you drop it and revert back to your blaster (the only weapon you retain at all times). Nothing really gets added to your inventory throughout the game, and they’re limited to whichever area/enemies you’re dealing with in the moment.
Yes, you can upgrade your blaster to do different things as you progress, but you’d think a scappy outlaw trying to survive would be sure to hold onto some of weapons she finds along the way.
Mini-games – As with all open world titles, there are a number of mini-games you can find on every planet/city to waste your time on. Getting able to actually sit down to play Sabacc with other players is ridiculously neat, as is betting on the fathier races (sometimes you find clues in hideouts that give you a hint as to which one to bet on). Personally, I loved all of the arcades you can find. There are a handful of them, which can be found in nearly any vendor area of the game, and they’re just fun to play.
Adrenaline – Kay has a fun ability when her adrenaline reaches a certain level during combat. You can click both the joysticks and see time slow down as you mark up to three targets and blast away with one-shot kills. If you’ve played Red Dead, you’re already familiar with the concept. It’s about as fun as it sounds and makes you feel like a Star Wars badass.
Wanted/Reputation Systems – Two major gameplay systems you’ll have to think about are Wanted and Reputation. Wanted is pretty much like it sounds, from the GTA/Assassin’s Creed games. When you’re wanted, Imperial forces will actively try and capture you, and the more trouble you cause, the more resources they send out. Getting out of Wanted status involves a few factors (simply leaving a specific area is enough to call it off), but is largely situational.
The Reputation system, however, is more involved and expansive. Basically, you can build up, or lose, rep with all the crime syndicates you come across. Having a better reputation means you can enter their safe zones without having to use stealth. It literally opens doors for you. But working jobs for other syndicates can impact your reputation with rivals, adding a layer of strategy to the jobs you take and decisions you make.
Smooth Talker – Another tool at your disposal is being able to talk your way out of situations. The more you do in the game, the more “street-wise” you become, making you less susceptible to scam artists and more able to smooth talk your way around guards or other bad situations. It’s a fun element that made me really think about the dialog options and unlocked some alternate pathways when I wasn’t even looking for them.
Glitches – Joking about glitches in Ubisoft games is kind of cliche at this point. By and large, however, my experience with Outlaws was pretty damn smooth. There have been some hiccups I’ve seen (a few of which they told me about ahead of time and are working on already), but nothing egregious.
I haven’t been kicked out of gameplay at any point, nor dealt with anything that completely took me out of the moment. Most of what I’ve seen are certain assets not behaving properly; like doors not swinging open when bumped into, or being able to—sometimes—shoot through whatever object I’m hiding behind.
All in all, my time with Star Wars Outlaws so far has been pretty amazing. The immersion has been spot on, and even when I feel like I’m “killing time,” I’m having a blast doing it. Kay Vess is a fun character who’s easy to relate to, and the people she meets along the way are similarly engaging.
With a big focus on stealth gameplay and cinematic visuals/set pieces to keep you invested, it’s been tough for me to put the controller down. While it has the familiar feel of other Ubisoft games, it’s hard to complain when things feel as refined as they are. As someone who normally struggled with open world titles and being daunted, Outlaws felt welcoming in all the right ways.
While there are a few minor gripes in my journey so far, I think fans are in for something special with this one.
