Star Wars games have been around for longer than many gamers have been alive at this point. You have played as clone troopers, Jedi, fighter pilots, and now in Star Wars Outlaws, you will be playing as a scoundrel. This is a slightly more grounded story than the ones many players have experienced before and that is not a terrible thing. With fewer weapons and no super powered abilities, you will be approaching each encounter in a unique way.
Story and Styling
Star Wars Outlaws take place between the empire strikes back and the return of the Jedi. You play as Kate Vess, and you are thrown into a world that will be familiar to any Star Wars fan or anyone who has any familiarity with the world. Massive Entertainment did an excellent job creating a world that feels alive and true to the lore. Their experience with games like ‘The Division’ and most recently, ‘Avatar: Pandora Tomorrow’ really shows here. This game is far from perfect, but I had a ton of fun with it and I’m sure many will find something to like here.
Outlaws has the classic Star Wars 70s themed styling. The game has the option to toggle between a film grain setting that adds to that retro feel. This paired with the cinematic mode really makes it feel like you are watching a movie at times. Depending on what screen/monitor I am playing on, I turn off the cinematic mode so that the game fills the entire screen. I am playing on the Xbox Series X, and I have the option to play in a 60 fps performance mode and a 30 fps quality mode. If I am not mistaken, there is an additional mode if you are connected to a 120 hertz capable display. So far, I have not had any issues when it comes to gameplay smoothness or the way the game displays.
While playing Star Wars Outlaws, I felt like I was playing a mix of Uncharted and a Han Solo Story, but Kay Vess is not just a Solo clone. Kay is an up-and-coming scoundrel that is no stranger when it comes to doing what it takes to survive. After a job gone wrong, she must make her way off planet to start a new life. She is not on this journey alone. As you make your way through the game, you will meet new friends, enemies, and companions. I will say that I wish that some characters played a bigger part when it comes to gameplay, but it does not detract from my experience too much.
Gameplay
Right away we get a look at the game’s combat and sneaking mechanics. Melee combat is simple but feels solid. In a pinch, you can also utilize your companion, Nix, to assist you in battle. While pinned down, Nix can distract enemies allowing you to jump from cover and attack. Also, while approaching a stealth situation, Nix can also distract enemies and interact with various environmental objects like exploding canisters. You are not getting an Assassin’s Creed or Splinter Cell level of stealth, but it feels sufficient for the situation. I really enjoyed how Massive approached learning and upgrading new abilities. The Expert system requires you to meet different people throughout your playthrough that grant you access to various abilities. Finding different items or completing different activities grants you access to the next level of an ability. Most of these experts you meet as a part of the story but there are others that you can miss so definitely take your time and explore the world.
The Game World
As stated previously, Massive Entertainment did a great job when it comes to building dense and lively environments. When entering the different cities there are a ton of spaces to explore and items to find. One of my favorite parts of exploring the cities and open worlds are finding random missions on tablets or from a conversation that I overheard in a bar.
During my playthrough of Star Wars Outlaws, I had a wonderful time exploring the world and meeting new characters but not everything was perfect. The checkpoint system is not very forgiving. There are various missions where the goal is to not get caught. If you make a mistake, you are often taken back to the beginning of that mission. Also, when riding around on the speeder bike, making contact with the wrong piece of geometry will send you flying across the map. In the grand scheme of things, these are small inconveniences when it comes to your game crashing halfway through a mission. I am playing on Xbox and from what I have been hearing, I am not having as many crashing issues as some on other platforms.
Conclusion
While Outlaws has some flaws, it is a fun and accurate depiction of the Star Wars universe. Kay Vess is a great addition to the world, and I enjoyed watching her grow throughout her many adventures. As a casual fan of Star Wars, I think that this is a great entry for those that are only familiar with Jedis and light saber combat. I believe that many issues that gamers may run into can be addressed by an update but I wouldn’t let small kinks in the armor scare you away from this experience. Like many Ubisoft titles, there will be some significant story updates coming in the future so this game will be supported for a while. Jump in and give Star Wars Outlaws a try
You can grab Star Wars Outlaws on August 30th for PC, Xbox Series Consoles, and PS5
