Star Wars Outlaws captures the thrilling unrest of the criminal underworld players rarely get to see in a Star Wars game. Shepherded by the charming Kay Vess, the game has many open-world hallmarks but carves out an identity by allowing players to shape the action.
Being sandwiched between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi could have been Star Wars Outlaws‘ greatest failing.
Instead, it is the game’s greatest strength.
Shadows of the Empire was similarly set between those two films and, I would argue, became a relatively beloved slice of Star Wars canon before much of the Extended Universe was annihilated. I played Shadows of the Empire on my Nintendo 64 for months. It was the first time I had touched a fully-realized Star Wars game in 3D. And while Dash Rendar’s tale was kind of a Forrest Gump-ing through the events of Empire Strikes Back and up to Return of the Jedi, we lived in a world not saturated with all things Star Wars.
Yeah, I’ve been tuned out since the end of the new trilogy and the first season of The Mandalorian. And it’s not for any particular point of disdain, just that it’s harder for me to follow TV shows anymore and I don’t really want to pay for a Disney+ subscription.
But there seems to be an inability for Star Wars to remember that it isn’t all about the Jedi and Luke Skywalker and cameos. We don’t need to know every single minute detail of what was happening at that specific point in time across the galaxy right? Aren’t there stories to tell outside the fight between the Empire and Rebel Alliance?
While a few familiar faces do make an appearance, Star Wars Outlaws manages to be about more than just the films it exists between. It breathes life into the criminal underworld that other properties have worked to explore but no game has yet to express. In my 40 hours with Outlaws, I didn’t have to be constantly reminded that this was a Star Wars game because its worlds felt lived-in, whole, and fun to engage with. Those familiar sights and sounds are certainly packed into every seedy cantina but transform entirely with the ability to break into blaster fights, make shady deals with the Hutts, and hyperjump to the next big score.
Kay Vess is a wannabe scoundrel. She gets by doing odd jobs and contracts for whoever will pay. But she lacks experience. She has charm, sure, but what good does that do you when you get flustered? Throughout Outlaws, developer Massive Entertainment asks players to see Kay as the anchor to its world. At first blush, one may ascribe any number of Han Solo tropes to Kay but her personality shines through in minutes.
Kay’s lack of experience makes her somewhat of a blank slate in terms of criminality. It’s obvious from the start she’s okay skirting the law in order to avoid being under the thumb of the Empire. But early on, Kay’s bad luck finds her in a deadly amount of trouble as she decides to steal from the leader of a powerful crime syndicate. What follows is a world-hopping adventure as Kay works to remove the bounty from her head and score enough credits to live the life she wants with her longtime companion and pet, Nix.
Last year, Ubisoft of Massive Entertainment released Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which allowed players a densely rich playground for players to literally become Na’vi and exist in the world. As another attempt at intricate, licensed world-building, Massive yet again proves more than capable at translating a beloved property into the medium of games.
After escaping her homeworld of Cantonica, Kay crash lands on Toshara, a moon where heavy winds have literally carved structures into the surface. Players are thrust into Toshara’s main city to reach out to contacts and find a way to get her stolen ship capable of flight again. After parking the speeder, players will become awash with a flood of familiarity as the beeping of droids, crackle of Stormtrooper voices, and wild alien races pack the screen
Outlaws is rife with detail, especially in its cities and towns. Characters have those chunky names that you’d only see in this property. Spaceports and rest stops are cobbled together with whatever parts can be scavenged. There may be an inclination to deem these settlements as “empty” because they are not packed with events and NPCs that can be engaged with. But Outlaws is not attempting to mimic Red Dead Redemption 2 levels of simulation. Rather, these markets and bars that are packed with countless humanoid forms and impractical robots give the game an unprecedented level of grimy life and density that players will appreciate the chance to revel in.
Often I would become lost in the snowy streets of Kijimi, listening for any potential intel that may lead to a new quest or discovery out in space or a nearby locked storeroom. Toshara’s bustling city gave way to long stretches of grassland and rivers that were a breeze to speed through, as long as I avoided crashing into jutting rocks or being chased down by bandits. There’s a personality here that a longtime Star Wars fan like me welcomed. It felt like going back to the theaters and seeing the Special Editions, except I was at home with a controller in my hand and the ability to navigate through the spaces myself.
The endearing nature of Kay strikes a surprising balance in a universe as familiar as the one George Lucas has created. She’s lived in this galaxy all her life but is still very green when it comes to her experience in the underworld and the machinations of the many crime syndicates that are thriving during the chaos of the Empire’s reign. She cracks bad jokes, asks more experienced criminals for advice, questions her own judgement, yet still fights for those she cares about. While she may be considered a scoundrel, that moniker implies a warmth and a moral compass that doesn’t go too far into corruption.
Much of Outlaws‘ core plot revolves around Kay desperately working to rid herself of the bounty on her head, while trying to make money so her and Nix can live a better life. To do this, Kay becomes embroiled in a plot to pull off a significant heist and spends sections of the game trying to collect the crew to do so. Of course, because she’s dealing with fellow criminals, Kay often gets wrapped up in their nefarious activities as well.
Dealing with crime syndicates is a major part of Outlaws‘ narrative and gameplay loop and one that promises continued engagement over the length of the game. Four gangs: the Pykes, Hutts, Crimson Dawn, and the Ashiga run operations in the Outer Rim worlds players will traverse during the course of the game. Players can build or ruin their reputation with each syndicate, where good relations mean perks and poor relations make life more dangerous for Kay.
Getting in good with a crime syndicate means that players are allowed to freely roam areas specifically designated to those syndicates, except for restricted areas, naturally. Additionally, better relations with a syndicate means they will offer Kay more jobs and merchants affiliated with those syndicates provide discounts for their wares. Having a poor reputation with a syndicate means they will kick Kay out if she is caught wandering around their territory, often offer less jobs, and provide no discounts. Increasingly sour relations with a syndicate means they will become actively hostile towards Kay, potentially sending out contract killers to hunt her down.
While the reputation system in Outlaws may initially feel a bit binary, it begins to grow in complexity as the game continues. Fundamentally, players can attempt to game the system by working to achieve max satisfaction with each syndicate but that task is easier said than done.
Most of the side jobs Kay can take are doled out by independent brokers or ones affiliated with a specific syndicate. Completing these tasks usually results in a reward of credits and a boost of reputation for a syndicate. Jobs can range from the very simple such as infiltrating a part of the map and planting a device somewhere or delivering contraband without fast traveling. Different conditions arise as the game progresses. Players also have the ability to swindle one syndicate for the other during or after the completion of a contract, sometimes altering the end activity or the reward.
But the interesting twist is how the game funnels reputation into the larger choice-based narrative of Outlaws. Because the four crime syndicates are so entwined with the state of the worlds that Kay’s journey and goals become wrapped up in their dealings. Players will often make a choice that may not be a particularly moral one but still a choice that doesn’t have an obvious good or bad outcome. While the game usually highlights what syndicate a choice leans towards, it’s helpful to know that mechanically and narratively, Kay’s actions have an impact on the world.
On Kijimi, a major decision I was forced to make to recruit a bombmaker for my heist crew caused me to lose a massive amount of favor with Crimson Dawn, the syndicate I had been helping out the most. While I didn’t want to lose that favor, the other decision felt worse. It was interesting to see how the characters adjusted to Kay’s actions and how my gameplay had to adjust as well. Now with a reduced standing in Crimson Dawn, it would be harder to get missions to build back that trust and a number of contracts would be harder to complete because I couldn’t simply walk into their territory to complete them.
At its core, Outlaws is an open-world game sprawling with opportunities for players to become engrossed with exploration. Those opening moments on Toshara with the freedom of a speeder can give way to treasures and random activities like Empire assaults and speeder races.
Being a Ubisoft game, many may expect Outlaws to be drenched in the trappings of something like Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed and while the game does share similarities, it has its own identity. There are no towers to uncover the map and most of the points of interest will be pinged on the map by reading datapads, eavesdropping on conversations, and scouring for intel.
Players will find materials to upgrade their speeder, ship, blaster, and Kay. Kay has the ability to equip boots, a holster, and a jacket come with unique perks that can offer a nice wrinkle to help players out in combat or stealth. But to upgrade Kay’s core abilities, players will have to meet a series of specialists who unlock permanent buffs. It’s here that Kay can improve her max health, unlock new skills, and more. Many of these abilities are unlocked through collecting specialized materials that can either be purchased for a high price, stolen, or found tucked away on the map. But players also have to perform certain actions a few times to unlock better versions of skills. For example, Fast Talk allows Kay to temporarily distract someone who has caught her, leaving them open for a stun shot. Pull off that stun shot enough times and the ability to Fast Talk multiple enemies is available.
Players don’t have to actively engage with all of the specialists but doing so will vastly improve their abilities in combat. And while combat is relatively basic, its blaster-based execution is brisk enough in shootouts. Players unlock multiple forms of Kay’s blaster. The basic plasma mode deals most damage, the ion mode is great to disable shields and take down robots, while the power mode can create small explosions. The blaster can overheat but upgrades open a window that acts as a kind of active reload.
For the most part, gunfights have Kay tackle humanoids. As the game goes on, robots and tougher races are introduced to spice things up. Kay has a few tools like grenades and smoke bombs to help her out but the real thrill is grabbing a temporary use gun and unloading it on some guys until the ammo runs out.
Don’t expect intense boss fights akin to Jedi Fallen Order or Survivor in Outlaws. The game is closer in spirit to something like Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Kay will encounter a number of setpieces that result in climbing and swinging to safety, watching the camera pan to capture a spectacular view. Moments where Kay takes her speeder hurtling across the dunes of Tatooine or over the lush jungles of Akiva often result in exciting discoveries and likely a few Easter eggs for fans.
Many of the missions and contracts can be approached quietly or loudly but a there are a number of times where stealth is the only option. Surprisingly–but understandably–Outlaws has missions where the players will instantly fail if they are caught. Early on this happens when Kay is tasked with infiltrating a Pyke stronghold and a lack of checkpointing may wipe away several minutes of progress. In certain parts, Kay cannot wield a blaster, requiring the player to use fisticuffs and Nix to get by.
Nix is an incredibly charming and mechanically interesting spin on a companion. Part dog, part lizard, 100% cute and helpful, Nix stays by Kay’s side throughout Outlaws. By holding down the L1 button, players can cause the screen to go greyscale and things Nix can interact with will be highlighted. At the most basic, Nix can fetch items and bring them to Kay. Whether that be a gun during combat or an out of reach Bacta vial for health, Nix’s extremely simple yet helpful functionality adds a lot of flavor to all elements of gameplay.
More importantly, however, is Nix’s ability to enhance Kay’s ability to stealth through complex sections of the game. Players can send Nix near an enemy to distract them or full on attack someone, allowing Kay to rush in and stealthily punch them out or deliver a stun shot and another knockout blow. There’s some interesting ways to have enemies break the line of sight with Nix. He’s also great at literally pulling switches or grabbing items needed to complete missions, sometimes making a job exponentially easier than it would have been otherwise.
However, this seems to be by design. Like many games Massive and Ubisoft have released, scenarios can be approached a number of ways. Usually by force through the front gates, around the back through a vent, or over top by swinging from a branch near a cliff. A number of possibilities exist and it isn’t uncommon for a viable stealth approach to go awry when you miss seeing a security camera and alert every Imperial guard in the base.
When players finally set off into space on the Trailblazer, there’s a bit to do but not as enriching as the surface of planets. There are space stations that can be visited, smaller destinations for bespoke missions, and some friendly craft in need of assistance but the space between these locations can feel vast, even with fully upgraded speed. I enjoyed dogfighting but it never grew to any sort of complexity that made me think too hard. Players can equip different missiles and laser cannons but those are down to comfort rather than sheer effectiveness. I only died a couple times in space and I played most of the game on the hardest difficulty.
Massive’s ability to include relatively seamless planetary and space travel is a testament to the studio’s ability to craft detailed worlds. Just by looking at any settlement in the game, you could tell this is the team that produced The Division. Don’t get me wrong, at launch there are a number of visual hiccups and performance bugs that shifted in and out of my time but many of them are known and likely to be ironed out relatively fast.
What’s more important is that Outlaws is a phenomenal Star Wars experience, one that I think a number of fans have been waiting for. But there’s not a reliance on the familiar. Echoes of John Williams’ score is here but the composers at Massive have worked to incorporate their own themes and motifs. New aliens and worlds exclusive to this game don’t feel out of place and I doubt many people not fully versed in Star Wars would be able to say it wasn’t already a part of the universe. There’s a love and attention to detail here that most will appreciate, one that shines through in the writing, the world-building, and some great freedom to explore. But best of all, Outlaws doesn’t feel tired or that it’s merely spinning the franchise’s wheels over and over again.
Star Wars Outlaws is definitely the kind of treasure that would be coveted by the seedy underbelly of the most notorious in a galaxy far, far away. By placing its narrative in a familiar timeline but making it distinct from much of the tired Skywalker saga, Massive Entertainment has created a rich Star Wars property with plenty of room to build off of. Vibrant worlds full of opportunity, choice-based story beats, and key action setpieces will keep players engaged throughout and hopefully find a new scoundrel to admire with Kay Vess.
