Star Wars Outlaws
Massive Entertainment
Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi where you’ll explore distinct locations across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.
Star Wars Outlaws isn’t a co-op or multiplayer game like we usually focus on, but its receiving mixed reviews across social media and after playing 20 hours here are my thoughts!
Developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, Star Wars Outlaws isn’t the typical single-player Star Wars game we’ve been waiting for, but it does hit the spot in exploring the world of Star Wars. At its core, Star Wars Outlaws is a third-person, action-adventure game that takes you across the galaxy to visit different open-world environments as the story develops.
You’ll follow Kay Vess, an immediately likeable character with nothing to do with the force or lightsabers. Outlaws takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but this isn’t the main focus of the story. Kay Vess becomes entangled with the criminal underworld’s ongoing Syndicate War and ends up joining a crew that pulls her towards the war.
As expected, Star Wars Outlaws has a heavy narrative that merges with the existing Star Wars lore with a new protagonist and storyline. The story fits well within the Star Wars universe, but the Ubisoft touch makes it feel relatively conventional and safe.
Pros
Non-lethal stealth focus
Incredible open worlds
Kay and Nix are great
Lots of sidequests
Consequences to completing sidequests
Cons
Instant-fail stealth sections
Combat feels weak
Speeder Bike is too fragile to go down cliffs
No ability to shoot while riding Speeder Bike
Lockpicking is frustrating
Kay Vess is a thief, and stealth plays a big role in this game. It’s heavily reliant on stealth and contains some instant-fail sections where being spotted will raise the alarm and immediately fail the mission. In other places, getting caught in enemy zones could get you thrown out of a different entrance from where you entered. The result is a series of frustrated comparisons towards other steal games. Star Wars Outlaws lacks the stealth of Batman Arkham series and completely misses the relentlessly satisfying speed of picking enemies off in Assassin’s Creed.
Combat is a little mixed. Star Wars Outlaws focuses on melee and pistol shooting, which highlights a stun mode to knock out guards but has a cooldown. Star Wars Outlaws stealth gameplay feels closer to Thief than other stealth action games, where you’ll focus on total avoidance or non-lethal methods to take down enemies.
You can customise your character with upgrade along the way by lockpicking, using Speeder Bikes, and environmental objects to use. Kay’s companion, Nix is super cute and loves to help you. Kay can also use a special ability called “Adrenaline,” which triggers a time-slowing effect so that Kay can fire a series of rapid shots at marked targets.
Overall, if you enjoyed any of the TV series on Disney you’ll love exploring more of the Star Wars universe in Outlaws. Its not often I personally enjoy stealth games but Star Wars Outlaws won me over by the characters and authentic Star Wars story. Stalking the markets and cantinas to overhear conversations about loot locations, getting jobs and contracts from brokers which fluctuate depending on your alliances and relationships and for once. This game stands out because you don’t ever feel invincible or overpowered as you often do in Star Wars games. It’s a pure single-player experience that’s well worth playing.
