The promise of an open-world game in the Star Wars universe developed by Ubisoft brought its share of fears, the French publisher being known for its beautiful and well-built worlds, but often empty and repetitive. Without reinventing the wheel, Star Wars Outlaws still manages to pull off a masterstroke by almost perfectly executing the fantasy of being an outlaw in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars Outlaws puts players in the shoes of Kay Vess, an outlaw with a heart of gold who, from the very beginning, finds herself embroiled in the heist of Sliro’s mansion, a rising star in the criminal underworld. One plan gone wrong and a bounty on her head later, Kay finds herself in Sliro’s bad graces and must assemble a crew to pull off another heist.
The narrative is relatively simple and is composed of often predictable plot twists. The stereotypical characters and Kay, who, although charismatic and well played by Humberly Gonzalez, is ultimately a rather rudimentary protagonist, certainly don’t help. In short, the main story is satisfactory, nothing more, and serves mainly as an excuse to visit the five planets that make up the open world – each member to recruit is on a different planet.
Whether it’s the well-known Tatooine, with its seas of dunes, or the newcomer Akiva, with its humid jungles, each planet offers a unique topography and atmosphere. Special mention to the lighting, which is particularly successful. The neon-lit cities and the pair of suns on Tatooine, which create a real heat effect, are breathtaking examples of a good use of technology from the ray tracing.
To travel between these planets, Kay is equipped with the Trailblazer, his ship and his main base for the adventure. The only downside: instead of being able to land freely, it is rather loading screens camouflaged behind cutscenes that allow movement between the orbit of each planet – where it is possible to pilot – and the mainland. A tedious process, because moving from one planet to another requires no less than three loading screens of about twenty seconds each.
A repetitive concept
If we compare the galaxy of Star Wars Outlaws to other Ubisoft game worlds like the recent Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Or Far Cry 6, Outlaws is drastically smaller, and that’s for the better. The environments are fuller, seem more alive, and the feeling of a huge map with no direction is gone.
The game shines most when you venture off the beaten path of the main storyline. Side quests, abilities, upgrades, and information about loot are all scattered throughout the galaxy and discovered by eavesdropping on conversations or finding hidden clues. It’s an organic result that avoids the checklist feeling that’s too often present in Ubisoft’s games.
Besides the citizens and the empire — which acts as a police force with a search system at the Grand Theft Auto —, these are the four different criminal syndicates that inhabit the world. Here is also one of the main mechanics of Star Wars Outlaws : the reputation system. Through his actions Kay gains — or loses — the good graces of these unions, which opens or closes doors for him.
A system that seems well-designed at first glance: actions have direct consequences — both on the world and in the story — and there is never a right decision, but always a gray area. For example, if the Hutt Cartel likes Kay, they will offer her better contracts. But if she has just betrayed them, the members will attack her when she is on their territory.
But it’s so easy to raise or lower your reputation that in about thirty minutes of play a union can go from hating Kay to loving him. A little saving grace: being in the good graces of one union also generally means falling in the esteem of another.
The reputation system is just the first symptom of the weaknesses of Star Wars Outlaws. By exploring the corners of the galaxy, we understand that each mission follows the same loop: infiltrate a place to end with a blaster combat sequence. Especially since certain elements – like the numerous climbing sequences – seem extended without any real purpose to artificially increase the lifespan.
With its rich and well-crafted universe, Star Wars Outlaws begs to be explored, but unfortunately ends up promising a better version of itself. Fans of the saga will love to dive into the game when it releases on August 30, but the great lack of variety in its design remains difficult to hide.