Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Ubisoft
Available on: PC (Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Review system: Reviewed on PC with the following specs:
ASUS TUF Dash F15
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-12650H - 2.30 GHz processor
32.0 GB RAM (31.6 GB usable)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
Never tell Star Wars: Outlaws the odds.
Before I get started in this review, I feel that I owe Massive Entertainment an apology. I, like many current Star Wars fans, have mixed feelings when we see another entry in our beloved IP. When Star Wars: Outlaws was first announced and debuted to the world, my groans echoed along with the chorus of other doubters. It looked to me like they took the formula of the hit Star Wars: Jedi games and slapped on a coat of “grimy scoundrel” even right down to the adorable sidekick. I didn’t follow the trailers or the development and it sort of fell into the back of my mind. It wasn’t until I got my hands on the game and realized how much of a “stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder” I had been. Outlaws took every preconceived notion I had and shot first.
Outlaws puts you into the boots of Kay Vess, a hustler and scoundrel from Canto Bight, the shady planet featured in The Last Jedi. Through some harrowing circumstances of bad (or good) luck, Kay and her adorable pal Nix find themselves tasked with putting together a crew in order to pull off a massive heist so they can kick back and live a life of ease. The theme alone was already a breath of fresh air in the Star Wars universe. Most games put you in the robes of a Jedi, using the force to save the day. Outlaws takes the exact opposite approach. Kay isn’t a Jedi. She isn’t a “chosen one.” She’s a thief, a scoundrel. Sometimes, she isn’t even a good person, opting to take the money and run as opposed to doing the right thing. Initially, I had my skepticism of the character and wasn’t sure if I was going to like her or relate to her but she actually grew on me and I was excited to keep playing to see how her character would develop. The main supporting characters were also very enjoyable to interact with, convincing me to dig into their sidequests and learn more about them and their motivations.
Speaking about quests, this is not a short game. Sure, if you mainlined the story without exploring or doing side quests, you could probably wrap it up in 15-27 hours. But I couldn’t see that as being nearly as enjoyable or satisfying as diving into all the other activities there are to do. For example, I was probably along 10 hours into the game before I left Toshara, the first planet you travel to after the introduction quest. I constantly got distracted by exploring caves, racing speeders, completing side quests, and hustling some Pyke gangsters at the Sabaac tables.
The game FEELS like Star Wars. You get the sense that the art team looked very closely at the source materials as they helped mold the visual look of the game. It made me smile ear-to-ear to be able to trace the steps of iconic scenes through the streets of Tattooine. Seeing familiar alien races inhabiting the different planets and cities in Outlaws also made me grin and really helped solidify the game as a part of the Star Wars Universe.
Kay completes her jobs with a wide variety of tools and abilities that you obtain by progressing the story then upgrade by completing side tasks. As your arsenal expands, it opens up so many new opportunities to complete objectives and infiltrate places. Early on, I was tasked with sneaking into an Imperial Base. I tried my best to be stealthy but I only barely survived the encounter and had to fight my way out. Later on, I had a similar objective, but this time I was much more prepared. I scoped out the facility from a nearby cliff, planning my perfect infiltration route. I was able to slice my way through some of their security measures, fool some guards with a disguise I obtained, steal what I came for, and then slip out before anyone had any idea what I was up to.
Another major part of the game is space travel and combat. Kay’s ship, like most of her other tools, comes pretty bare bones. Through trading resources, looting ships, and completing jobs, you can modify her starship enough to where she would probably even give the Millennium Falcon a run for her money. The space combat is fun and helps break up the terrestrial gameplay. I loved swooping in during a dogfight between the Imperials and one of the syndicates. Blasting away the TIE fighters and saving the hide of my fellow criminal scum nets you some pretty good reputation with the syndicate and maybe some salvaged parts from the vanquished Imperials which can always be handy for upgrading the ship or gear.
“I thought they smelled bad on the outside.”
As fun as the game is, there are definitely some aspects that prevent me from singing unequivocal praises. There are plenty of bugs to be found as you're padding your pockets throughout the galaxy. During my playthrough, I experienced textures not loading, speeders flying in circles, and enemies clipping into the terrain. While I didn’t find any bugs that completely broke the game for me, there were enough to leave me frustrated at times and my immersion ruined.
The combat in Outlaws also began to grow stale as the game progressed. You are limited to a blaster pistol which fires in 3 different modes, grenades, and the occasional gun you can scavenge off a fallen enemy. The shootouts can feel fun and chaotic, but after a few hours of the same weapon, it got tedious and I could feel my eyes glazing over.
It took me a while to really enjoy the space combat in Outlaws. The basic version of Kay’s ship handles like a bathtub and its shielding and armor felt like it was made out of wet tissue paper. After grinding away resources and time I managed to make the ship a formidable craft, helping me enjoy it more.
Verdict/Conclusion
Star Wars: Outlaws is one of the best Star Wars games I have ever played. The open world, the fun characters, and the unique story really set this game apart from the rest. I desperately hope that the recent controversy with Ubisoft doesn’t hurt the gaming communities’ impression of the game. Star Wars: Outlaws deserves to succeed and I for one, am incredibly excited for future DLCs and hopefully a sequel!
If you’re a fan of;
-Open-world games
-Adventure Games
-Immersive Games
-Star Wars
Then:
For someone not singing praises for the game, you sure did a lot of singing praises for the game.
Where was the talk of the stealth being laughably bad? How you can hide directly in front of stormtroopers so long as youre within a bush? Or how no one can take you out of a vent?
Where was the talk about takedown animations being slow, sluggish and unrealistic for Kay, to knockout a stormtrooper in full Armour with one punch of her hand?
Where was the talk of lacking criminal style actions in this "outlaw" game?
You can't shoot in cities. You cant shoot or run over animals with a speeder. In fact, they stop your movement entirely. But don't…