Massive Entertainment takes a crack at Star Wars Outlaws, providing a playable scoundrel’s perspective on the Star Wars universe. Players take on the role of new character Kay Vess as she navigates the Star Wars underworld, which is full of deceit, danger, and more. The title has players working for various syndicates, trying to make a name and credits for themselves. Spanning five iconic planets from the series, Kay’s scoundrel activities have her looking for ways to survive in a cutthroat universe.
Published by Ubisoft, Star Wars Outlaws gives players a new gameplay experience regarding the sci-fi franchise. Rather than lightsabers and the force, players rely on blasters and their wits to get by. The game provides some fantastic immersion and gameplay features, giving a fun, refreshing Star Wars experience. A story to keep players on their toes and detailed locations have you feeling like you’re in the game. However, a few hiccups with the game are not to be overlooked. Tweaking these could lead to a top-notch game among Star Wars predecessors.
A Narrative Chock-full of Decisions & Betrayal
Star Wars Outlaws has players take on the role of Canto Bight scoundrel, Kay Vess. Enamored with the life of the underworld, Kay dreams of making a name for herself. After a big job goes wrong and she is betrayed, Kay and her trusty companion Nix must traverse various worlds, working for various crime syndicates. Additionally, the duo must also keep their heads down as they contend with the Empire itself. Honestly, the story and the writing feel striking to me and fit in with the universe of the series. While exploring and working jobs as Kay, you get the feeling of loss that she has, being thrown into a world she is new to. It feels refreshing, as she feels like an average character trying to make her way in the world. Furthermore, when presented with the customs of the underworld, she doesn’t understand them and that is great.
Moreover, the story of the syndicates is a great addition to the game. Players get to see the underbelly of crime in Star Wars, only been seen previously in expanded universe books. Rather than knowing right away, Kay learns the ropes of the crime syndicates and the underworld overall. Whether it’s the Hutts, the Pyke Syndicates, or even Crimson Dawn, the player, and Kay get to see the deceit and two-faced basis that causes rifts between the crime groups. Humberly González does an incredible job as Kay Vess, creating a memorable protagonist in the universe. As a bonus, having Nix as her chosen companion is just a little addition that goes a long way in terms of adding charm to the story and the game itself.
All-in-all, the story of Star Wars Outlaws is one of its strong points without question. While the story of deceit may be familiar, it works well for the game. Additionally, thrusting players and Kay into the midst of the syndicates feels like a setting that has been in need for a while for the series.
Fun & Immersive Scoundrel Gameplay
When it comes to the gameplay, players experience it all in the third-person perspective – whether shooting, climbing or maneuvering. Players complete different missions for various characters, from stealing plans and intel to destroying designated targets. Many of the missions feel in a similar vein to previous titles from Ubisoft, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but rather a safe option. One of the most notable points is that of the syndicate reputation system. When completing jobs as Kay, many of your actions will have consequences. Those being, that syndicates will be affected and will either favor you or not, the latter causing them to be hostile or even charge you more for items at their vendors. This gameplay mechanic is incredible, as it gives weight to what choices you make in the game.
Additionally, various side missions are available through “intel chains” which require players to investigate clues and areas. Upon doing so, they will advance the chain and at the end is not only some story but rewards. These also were a great addition, as they can give a nice break from the main story while also creating fantastic lore-building.
Furthermore, the game doesn’t only take place on land. Players can venture out into space and travel to various planets to continue their adventures. Moreover, while in your ship, called the Trailblazer, you can contend with foes such as space pirates and even the Empire if they are hunting you down. The space flight controls and shooting mechanics are great, feeling very close to both the Battlefront series and Star Wars Squadrons. The prime example of this is the indication of where to shoot, that way you can lead your shots. However, the force is not so strong with some of the gameplay.
Rough Around the Edges, The Gameplay Can Be
Star Wars Outlaws, while plentiful in stuff to do, has some work that needs to be done in more simplistic ways. The most glaring issue I noticed right away was the melee system. As the gameplay revolves around stealth in many parts, melee is essential. However, seeing the repeated animations gets very tiresome, very quickly. It feels like I could count on one hand, just how many variations of melee takedowns there actually are in the game.
Furthermore, the ability to melee Stormtroopers, while not a big negative takeaway, breaks you out of the immersion a bit. Punching helmets and instantly taking down a trooper just doesn’t feel right. More so, the mandatory stealth portions of the game. while not hard, have very unforgiving checkpoints. Players need to sneak into certain syndicate bases to loot intel or items, and if you get caught, you get sent back to the beginning with the progress reset.
Another big letdown is the Wanted system. While boasting the concept of being a scoundrel, the way of dealing with bounty and pursuers is very disappointing. When players cause a ruckus in the game, they can be chased by the Empire. Each level of notoriety increases the threat, whether in space or on a planet. The highest level is that players deal with the iconic Death Troopers. However, to rid your Wanted level, players simply need to go to a Death Trooper camp and erase their bounty or delete their details from a satellite (in space). That’s all there is to it. While I wasn’t expecting a big process of losing your bounty, simply heading to Empire areas and clicking an input was less than desirable.
Visuals to Be Desired
When it comes to how Star Wars Outlaws looks, it needs some work. As a current-generation-only title, the graphics feel like past-generation. I tested out each of the various graphics modes and while the balanced does indeed up the graphics and offer a better framerate, I chose to stick with performance which offers 50-60 fps. The scenery and environments of the game’s planets can be stunning, from the iconic cities on Tattooine to the open fields of Toshara. Furthermore, the lighting and tone of the locales more than easily can pull you in. Many instances had me struck by how well the different set pieces look.
However, the design of the characters is not as fine-tuned. While venturing out in the world, there were times when Kay’s face would not render properly for a few seconds, looking almost like a mask. In cutscenes, it is a whole different story, with the design’ looking spot-on and almost lifelike. However, with those being pre-rendered scenes, it is obvious as to why they can look good. Players looking to see the game in all of its graphic glory may have to dial into the quality setting, as long as they are willing to experience the frame drop to do so.
A True Star Wars Auditory Ride
Audibly, the game is impressive. Using many of the iconic blaster noises and similar voice work for Stormtroopers feels as though Massive Entertainment did their homework. Even the sounds of the speeder and Trailblazer fit right at home in the large archive of vehicle noises in Star Wars. Shockingly, the music is not done by John Williams, but by Wilbert Roget, II. However, Roget does a knockout job, with each track giving off true symphonic feelings of what Star Wars is, grand. Previously, Roget worked on games such as Call of Duty: WW2 and Pacific Drive. His work on this game truly shines and had me believing it was Williams himself at times.
As previously stated above, the voicework is well done by the cast, especially that of Humberly González portraying Kay. Even the different languages that are spoken by NPCs including Huttese, are all authentic. Fans of the series will be able to spot the different dialects while they explore throughout the game. Furthermore, the noise from the way the characters interact with each other, especially in cities, provides the perfect immersion that you are on the streets beside Kay. The dialogue and quality of the audio are incredible. Massive Entertainment did well with ensuring that all the sounds players hear, are unique to the franchise.
An Array of Accessibility Options
The accessibility options that Massive Entertainment provides for Star Wars Outlaws are truly incredible. There is a vast array of options ranging from gameplay to audio, visual, and more. Settings such as subtitles, audio cues, and visual cues are available. Furthermore, players can change the colors in the game, to assist those who have any sort of color blindness. However, the options can go even more in-depth for players.
While the game has difficulty settings, players can fine-tune the experience. If you wish to give yourself more chances at the computer hacking or lockpicking mini-games, that are provided. Moreover, players can even turn off the minigames, essentially skipping the process if they prove to be a challenge. Players can even change the font on various mechanics from the in-game language to regular numerical values. That way it is easier to understand and decipher puzzles or win at games. Many of the options assist players in making the gameplay more enjoyable. In turn, this can aim to bring the game to a wider audience and this is always a win for developers. Furthermore, the game provides presets for players, helping to alleviate the burden of what options to enable and disable.
A Fun Game With Some Issues to Fix
Overall, Star Wars Outlaws is a fun title with some problems that shouldn’t be overlooked. It provides players with a new gameplay experience of seeing the scoundrel side of things in a galaxy far, far away. The game offers a gripping story, with the introduction of a fantastic protagonist and fun sidekicks. The gameplay in many areas is good, with the syndicate reputation being an incredible implementation as well as showing a non-Jedi experience. However, factors such as the stealth sections, wanted level system, and visuals tend to put a damper on things.
The depth of content, audio implementation and accessibility offer a variety of positives to make the game enjoyable. It goes to show that even simple designs for gameplay can work. Whether you are a fan or looking for a new story title, the latest game entry is a good option. However, players need to be aware of some very bland or basic gameplay implementations that feel lackluster or outdated when playing through Kay Vess’ story.
This review was based on the PS5 version of the game. No game code was provided by the publisher.
