STAR WARS Outlaws – Preview
“Powerful in this, the Force is,” Master Yoda would have said something like that if he’d played Star Wars: Outlaws.
You’d say that’s a pretty bold statement for a Ubisoft game released in recent years, wouldn’t you? That’s right, I wouldn’t have believed I’d say it either, but the time has come for a title that proudly bears the name of the universe created by Master George Lucas. Sure, it’s not like we don’t already have excellent Star Wars games – I’m thinking now of the KOTOR series, Jedi Knight, or Battlefront (the classic ones, of course) – but I felt the need for a fresh, modern title that I could play with joy and interest in 2024. Is Outlaws “the chosen one”? Maybe it’s still too early to be definitive, but I can tell you it has huge potential to be a good game, perhaps even my favourite in the Star Wars series, at least among recent titles.
”A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”
Well, I wouldn’t say a long time ago, it was only two weeks ago, and not even in a galaxy far, far away, but rather in my gaming room, that I had the pleasure of being invited by Ubisoft to another remote playtest (thanks Manab!), this time for a game that’s part of a universe very, very dear to me – Star Wars. Just like in the previous playtest, where I played an hour of The Rogue: Prince of Persia, everything went very smoothly, and the folks at Ubisoft made sure everything was as well-prepared as possible and that there were no “disturbances in the Force” during the 4 hours of gameplay in Star Wars: Outlaws. Yes, you read that right, I was glued to my chair, monitor, and controller for 4 hours, but believe me, it felt like 4 minutes. From the first second to the last, I was captivated by the gameplay and graphics of the new title. Aside from the reveal trailer, I admit I didn’t follow the promotional materials, not because I didn’t care, but intentionally, so as not to get spoilers or form a wrong opinion about the game. I chose to do this (there was no other way) because any media content with Star Wars in the title is almost sacred to me, as I care deeply about Lucas’s universe.
Just a quick digression: the first film I ever saw when I was probably 4 or 5 years old was Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), watched on a VHS tape my parents brought home, on a VHS player borrowed from the neighbours. Well, many scenes from the film are still etched in my mind, and automatically Star Wars became my nostalgic sweet spot, reminding me of some great, much simpler and more authentic times, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would have said: “…for a more civilized age.”
As I write these lines, I realise it’s no coincidence that I liked Outlaws so much; the game’s action takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, my favourite period in the universe. Initially, I was slightly disappointed when I saw in the first trailer published by Ubisoft that the protagonist wasn’t a Jedi, so we wouldn’t be playing with lightsabers, but hey, we already have two recent titles that do that, Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor. Obviously, my so-called initial disappointment evaporated like raindrops on a hot lightsaber, because Kay – the main character in Outlaws – is very fun to play, and her skills make up for the lack of a coloured laser. Much has been written about Kay on our beloved internet, but I’m not bothered by how the character looks; instead, I have other demands that relate more to gameplay and utility. I know that games like Stellar Blade or The Witcher have set a certain standard for how a female character should look, but we’re talking about a Star Wars title, aren’t we? Don’t jump down my throat, but Leia isn’t exactly a great beauty either… I tend to believe that sometimes cleverness and charisma should take precedence over aesthetics. But let’s leave that aside and let me tell you more about my 4-hour playtest experience.
“The first open-world Star Wars game…”
Oh, how long I’ve waited for this. The folks at Ubisoft, and especially Massive Entertainment, are skilled when it comes to developing a game where we can roam free and untroubled, exploring every corner of the map. Sure, there are some risks; when you make a map too big, it can become boring, or it might seem quite empty and lacking interesting places where you actually want to spend those 5-10 minutes riding a camel, running, or even piloting a helicopter (I’m alluding here to the Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy titles in the Ubisoft library). There’s also the flip side: if the map is too small, you risk the player getting bored and not having enough content to motivate them to keep playing that title. Outlaws, however, does a good job, and from what I explored in those hours of playtesting, I didn’t get bored. Even riding a speeder bike, I traversed large portions of the map and spotted enough points of interest to keep me active for hours on just one planet. Don’t imagine that a planet’s map is immense, but it’s not suffocating either; you have plenty of interesting objectives, such as small farms or towns where you can meet NPCs who offer side missions, secrets to discover in various caves or harder-to-reach locations, and all sorts of collectables and chests, even more than in pirate stories.
The first map looked excellent, and by that, I mean all the content you can access. The main cities are intricate enough to make you feel claustrophobic sometimes, but I say that in a good way. Even if there were moments when I had to open the map 10 times in a minute to figure out how to get to a specific mission objective, it wasn’t necessarily annoying, nor did I feel the need for a mini-map or guides to direct me to that objective. It has that old-school charm where no one holds your hand to get to a certain point; instead, you have the freedom to discover your own path. Of course, we have all sorts of markers that help us, but they are subtle enough to let you discover the way yourself.
Returning to Kay Vess, the main character in Outlaws, she’s fun to play and doesn’t feel overpowered. If in other Star Wars titles, you were a proud Jedi who could obliterate anything in your path with the Force or your trusty lightsaber(s), Kay is a scoundrel who prefers to stay in the shadows and only use her laser pistol when necessary. Plus, just like in Jedi: Fallen Order, we have a companion named Nix, who this time isn’t a droid but a Merquaal pet. Nix is very cute and helpful when someone annoys you and you send them to jump on their face, while you approach and serve them the “perversa de pe Târgul Ocna” (a Romanian slang phrase for a dirty trick/surprise attack), or when you need to deactivate an alarm, or activate a lever that opens a door. I’m sure there are other mechanics where Nix can be useful, but I’ve only mentioned a few that I experienced during my gameplay hours.
”Laser, mate!?”
How’s the combat, you ask? There isn’t much… I’m kidding, I mean it’s not really necessary in most cases. Of course, the game lets you choose your own playstyle, whether to go down the path of violence or stealth. I’d say the stealth method is the most advisable because the missions I played became quite difficult when you simply started pew-pewing every enemy around you. The AI is quite overpowered sometimes, and it’s enough for them to hit you two or three times to take you down. Life can be easily regenerated with those “health” vials we already know from Jedi: Fallen Order, but be careful because they are limited! Don’t get me wrong, Outlaws isn’t a souls-like, or a difficult game, but it’s better to play it as stealthily as possible and only resort to weapons when truly necessary. There are enough ways to make a stealth mission fun, from certain gadgets that can be activated on the map to your companion Nix, who is exactly on the “small, small, but lifts/bites hard” system.
Also, in the “fighting” category, I’d like to mention a few lines about space combat. After about 2 hours spent on the first planet, I had the opportunity to fly and experience the space combat in Outlaws, which I was most curious about. It’s a Star Wars game, of course I want to fly and feel like Han Solo, right? Even though I didn’t pilot the famous Millennium Falcon, the 15-20 minutes of flying Kay’s ship were really cool. I’d say the space gameplay is somewhat similar to Starfield’s, but it’s much more responsive and enjoyable. Even the way you land on a planet is better executed than in Bethesda’s title. It’s still a loading screen in the end, but that little cutscene showing the ship passing through the planet’s atmosphere creates a different experience compared to a simple picture.
There’s certainly more to say about both the ground and space combat in the game, but I was so swept away by the scenery that I didn’t really care about the shooting; I was caught up in that Star Wars atmosphere which, accompanied by a good soundtrack, was incredible. From what the folks at Ubisoft told me, what I played was an older build, and what they’ll print on the Blu-ray released on 30 August will be much more polished and packaged.
”I have a bad good feeling about this.”
Even though I’ve been brainwashed since childhood with the Star Wars universe, and I’m willing to consume almost anything with the yellow logo on it, I still have a dose of pragmatism. For example, I struggled badly, really badly, to watch a few episodes of The Acolyte, and I still regret it. I adore this universe, but I can’t overlook the ignorance and stupidity of some when they simply mock the fans and everything that laid the foundations of this gigantic brand. I don’t want to end my preview on a negative note, because Outlaws is the complete opposite of the Acolyte effect, being a product made with passion, common sense, and responsibility towards Star Wars fans and beyond. Maybe it’s not the perfect game, and it didn’t set out to be, but Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment have shown maturity and quality, developing a game with good potential.
Obviously, everything I’ve written above is strictly my opinion, and I have a soft spot for Star Wars, but I have a good feeling about the game, and without trying to convince you, I’m telling you that I really enjoyed what I played in those 4 hours of Outlaws. Regardless of how it will be received by gamers, I will do my best to get my hands on a PS5 or Xbox Series X copy of the game on 30 August and play it for dozens of good hours. To avoid seeming biased, I promise I’ll come back with a more extensive review when I finish Outlaws. I’m genuinely curious if the final game will change my current opinion about this title, whether positively or negatively. I can’t wait for the end of the month, not just because I’ll have 2 weeks of leave, but especially because of this little game. I’m curious to see what Star Wars: Outlaws can offer in its definitive form and if this will be the beginning of a new wave of open-world games in the Star Wars universe. May the Force be with you, brothers and sisters!
Played on: PC (Cloud) and XBOX Series S/X controller
Release date: 30 August 2024
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Ubisoft
