Star Wars Outlaws is the game I’ve been waiting to play since I was a kid watching Star Wars. In fact, it’s a game I’ve been wanting for most of my life. Star Wars Outlaws promised to make good on my dreams. And did it deliver? Oh yes, it certainly did.
I usually like to get my TL;DRs out of the way early, so here goes: Star Wars Outlaws is the culmination of all of Ubisoft’s previous open-world lessons. From a technical perspective, it pushes innovation in ways we haven’t seen before. Outlaws feels like a truly next-gen game, with the design on display here being remarkable. For Star Wars fans, it’s a must-buy. And for non-Star Wars fans? You’ll still find a solid sci-fi space-action adventure and have a great time, as the game requires zero prior knowledge of the Star Wars universe. All of my complaints about Outlaws are mostly nitpicks and minor issues. After completing a healthy chunk of side content, I wrapped up Outlaws after 36 hours. As soon as I’m done writing this, I’m diving back in!
Sidenote: I played all 36 hours on Xbox Series X. The game was left on quick resume for over a week, and I never experienced any crashes or glitches that sometimes plague the quick resume feature.
“Oh, the stories I could tell. So many of them true.”
At its core, Star Wars Outlaws is a heist film/game. In Outlaws, your first score goes wrong, and shenanigans ensue. The plot can be simplified as follows: Kay travels across four different planets to recruit a crew, learn new skills, and outfit her blaster, speeder, and ship, all while navigating relationships with various crime syndicates in that part of the galaxy. And if you think that sounds mundane, you’re wrong. I was consistently surprised by how the story kept throwing curveballs and plot twists. Almost every plot thread or quest you undertake usually has two different ways to resolve, which kept me engaged.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot. However, I think they didn’t provide enough time or interactions for you to truly care about or feel engaged with some of your crew. I understand why from a design perspective, depending on which order you recruit them in. However, it felt odd to prepare for the final quest and be expected to share a toast with some of them like old friends—one of whom I had recruited just an hour earlier. Even the early recruits have minimal interaction with you on your ship. Further, after you beat the game, they don’t remain on your ship.
“Good soldiers follow orders.”
Most of your time in Outlaws will be spent exploring, driving/flying through, or shooting at the amazing worlds and characters that Massive Entertainment has created. Overall, I had very few issues with the gameplay. The game design here is especially strong, as most actions or quests flow seamlessly into the gameplay. There are repeatable contracts, random side missions, and expert quests. Expert quests, in particular, are well-developed, containing cutscenes and could be mistaken for main quests. A significant reason the design is so strong is that there are almost zero fetch quests. Most side missions involve overhearing a conversation about hidden gear or receiving a tip to meet someone looking for an item. Once you complete the quest, you never have to travel back to the quest giver. This really cuts down on backtracking. This approach is something Ubisoft experimented with in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and I’m glad to see they nailed it here. As a result, Outlaws isn’t as bloated as other Ubisoft games. It feels like the game respects your time more. You can go directly from main mission to main mission or play in any style you prefer. Your time isn’t spent constantly backtracking or performing menial tasks to fill up a bar before you can proceed with another main mission. It’s a breath of fresh air.
A significant portion of the game revolves around the major crime syndicates in the universe. Managing your reputation with these syndicates can be tricky at first, but by the end, I found the system to be too easy, allowing you to achieve max reputation with every syndicate. You can take on small jobs such as smuggling runs, bounty missions, etc. At the end of each mission, you’re usually given the option to double-cross the original quest giver or honor the contract, with each choice affecting your reputation and credits differently. The reputation system does have a meaningful impact on gameplay, as max reputation with a syndicate allows you to freely walk through most of their bases, while a negative reputation will result in bounty hunters coming after you. Overall, I really enjoyed the syndicate system, even though it is relatively easy to game.
A massive achievement here is the complete lack of loading screens. Sure, there are hidden ones, such as when taking off in your ship and flying through the atmosphere before reaching space. And thankfully, there are only a few “shimmy through a tight crack” loading screens. Playing this game on quick resume and never encountering a loading screen is an incredible feat that I hope Massive Entertainment gets recognized for.
In terms of bugs, I only experienced a single glitch during my playtime: my speeder kept running away from me whenever I tried to hop on it. It was easily fixable in-game and made me laugh.
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.”
As Kay, you’re armed with your trusty blaster and your pet pal, a Merqall named Nix. Nix is a scrappy little guy who can fetch items for you during a firefight, distract enemies for stealth takedowns, and assist in solving puzzles. Nix brings a lot of charm to the game. In every cutscene, Nix is usually in the background doing zoomies or just being a cute critter. He’s your best friend, companion, and another tool in your arsenal.
Do you like Uncharted-style climbing? I hope you do because there is a lot of it. Kay can grapple and climb across many environments in the game. I have to admit that the platforming wasn’t my favorite. But then again, I don’t enjoy constant Uncharted-style climbing in other games, so that’s a personal issue. There were moments when I found myself wondering, “When will this climbing section end?”
With weapons, Kay starts with a basic blaster. While you can configure it with different appearances and upgrade specific modules, the blaster never truly felt like my own. The blaster configurations include basic shot, ion, and power shot, with further customization within those categories. For example, the basic blaster can be changed to resemble a revolver, SMG, or standard pistol. While the shooting feels good, I think this was a missed opportunity to personalize your blaster. Any weapon you pick up off the ground can only be used until it runs out of ammo, after which you discard it. I feel this way partly because Jedi Survivor had an absurd amount of customization for your blaster.
Firefights are usually quick and deadly. Even on normal difficulty, it only takes a few shots to kill. The auto-cover system is fairly streamlined as well. Just crouch behind cover, aim, and you’ll auto-pop out. My biggest complaint about the combat is that once you’ve done one firefight, you’ve probably done them all. Not that they aren’t enjoyable, mind you. For me, it boils down to the fact that you can only keep your single blaster with you. Yes, you can pick up weapons during a fight, but if you climb something like a ladder for a better vantage point, you drop the weapon.
Another big aspect of Outlaws is stealth. I’d classify this more as action-stealth, much like Splinter Cell: Conviction. Kay even has the “mark enemies then press R to headshot them all” skill. If you’re spotted in stealth, Kay has a skill where she can “fast talk” an enemy to delay capture and then quick-draw to fire at them. Many missions have instant fails if enemies raise the alarm. I didn’t mind this too much, as you can use Nix to sabotage alarms from fairly far away. If the alarms are disabled, you can blast away. Additionally, you can send Nix to attack anyone who spots you so you can run up and knock them out. I understand that many will take issue with the instant-fail stealth missions. I didn’t have much problem with them, but if stealth isn’t your thing, you might struggle. Regardless, Ubisoft has already said they will address these missions in an upcoming patch.
Thankfully, this is one Ubisoft game that does not contain leveled enemies or gear scores. What a breath of fresh air. As someone who plays every Ubisoft game, I didn’t realize how much levels and gear scores affected my enjoyment of their previous titles. That’s not to say there’s no progression here. Kay can earn, buy, or steal gear pieces with different effects. For example, a holster might increase your grenade capacity, or a specific pair of pants might make you crouch walk faster.
Progression for Kay is handled in an “interesting” way than typical Ubi games. Kay can meet experts in the game, which unlocks an upgrade path for their specific skills. For example, one expert is a gunslinger. After Kay meets this person and completes a mission for them, they unlock that upgrade path. Upgrades are earned through challenges or obtaining specific gear items. For instance, one upgrade can increase how fast she can reload, but to unlock it, you might need to kill 5 stormtroopers while they’re distracted or fast-talk enemies 3 times. I mostly enjoyed this system, as the unlock criteria are fairly general and involve tasks I regularly perform during combat. However, some requirements are more specific and demand additional effort.
“Another happy landing.”
Your primary modes of travel in Outlaws are your ship, The Trailblazer, and your speeder. Both offer customization options and upgrade paths that you can modify at vendors throughout the world. The speeder is fast and nimble enough that driving it never feels like a chore. My only complaint is that there is only one type of random encounter while on your speeder. Consequently, driving across a planet can sometimes feel lonely or uneventful because nothing happens.
Your ship, however, is a different story. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of flying. The controls are just arcade-like enough to make you feel like a skilled pilot. Much like your blaster, the Trailblazer can be outfitted in different ways. Would you prefer to fire a massive torpedo or multiple fast homing rockets with less damage? Unlike the blaster, your choices here actually affect your playstyle. Being able to freely swap upgrades is also a nice addition.
While exploring space, you’ll encounter space stations where you can dock, pirates to fight, and space wreckage to search for loot. Unlike on the ground, there are more types of random events in space, and they occur much more frequently. As a result, flying through space is much more eventful. My only quibble with flying is that you can’t leave the cockpit to walk around your ship while in space. So if you want to browse contracts available in the area, you’ll need to land and check the terminal for jobs, which is located in your ship. It’s not a huge deal, but it seems like an oversight.
“Buildings are just buildings.”
One aspect of gameplay I’m conflicted about is the interaction within cities. There is very little interactive gameplay within cities. You can’t pull out your blaster, and there are zero random encounters. So navigating cities often feels like a beautiful walking simulator. From a design standpoint, I understand why. Cities are filled with people, assets, and countless small details. However, navigating these cities can be a chore. For instance, Mos Eisley is a well-known location for Star Wars fans. I was thrilled to see it in the game, but I was dismayed by the city’s design. It’s challenging to describe, but moving between points in the city often feels awkward. There are unnecessary dead ends and floors accessible only through very specific hallways. This might be a personal issue, but I ended up fast-traveling in cities because navigating them became tedious. It’s a shame because the cities are otherwise brought to life in a spectacular way.
“Do you ever listen to yourself? Yes, and I happen to be very interesting.”
It’s Star Wars. The audio is guaranteed to be impressive, given the extensive library of sounds that Lucasfilm provides. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the musical score. The main track is particularly fun and unique. The soundtrack includes motifs and styles that we haven’t heard in previous Star Wars properties. Overall, the soundtrack fits right alongside any live-action Star Wars production.
The voice acting is solid throughout. If I had to nitpick, I’d say the characters might be a bit too stoic or calm in high-stakes situations. As a result, the energy of some big moments might not hit the heights intended.
“There’s so much we can talk about here…like the sand.”
In typical Massive Entertainment fashion, the graphics are spectacular. If you played their Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora game, you’ll find the graphics here just as impressive. You can see how lovingly Massive recreated the Star Wars universe. Navigating through the game is consistently a visual feast. I mentioned the cities earlier, but they are truly remarkable. The attention to detail in the random clutter, people, and general goods scattered throughout the cities is impressive.
In terms of environments and general assets, it’s a 10/10. That said, some facial animations look a bit stiff. Kay’s appearance from cutscene to cutscene or conversation is unfortunately inconsistent. Sometimes she looks great in certain lighting, while in other cases, she appears a bit off—especially in direct sunlight during some cutscenes, where her face looks washed out. Additionally, there are moments when her face ventures into uncanny valley territory, similar to some NPCs in Hogwarts Legacy. For example, there’s a cutscene where child Kay looks almost unfinished, and another where her head looks entirely different. However, your companions and major NPCs look great.
“Just like the simulations”
In typical Ubisoft fashion, Outlaws is MASSIVE (pun intended). But as I noted earlier, this one respects your time and isn’t as bloated as other Ubisoft open worlds. I completed almost every significant side mission and finished the main story in under 40 hours. For perspective, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla took me at least 60 hours.
That said, there’s still plenty of content. There are numerous expert missions, side missions, collectibles, repeatable contracts, and puzzles, so there’s still much to do after completing the main game.
Also, there’s Sabaac, Star Wars’ official card game. It’s somewhat like Gwent in The Witcher. You can collect unique cards, face off against renowned high-stakes gamblers, and play cards for hours if you like. On its face, Sabaac is an inverse blackjack, aiming to get as close to zero as possible while being affected by different modifier cards. You can also bet on fathier (horse) racing, which is amusing because The Last Jedi made a point of freeing the fathiers and making a statement about them. Here, it’s relegated to a mini-game, continuing Ubisoft’s tradition of ethically questionable mini-games (looking at you, Far Cry 6 with your cockfighting mini-game).
“I like firsts. Good or bad. They’re always memorable.”
Overall, Star Wars Outlaws is an incredible achievement and a significant step forward for Ubisoft’s open worlds. More than anything, Star Wars Outlaws is the open-world Star Wars game I’ve always wanted.
Reviewed by Harrison Floyd on Xbox Series X
Star Wars Outlaws
$60
Pros
- Spectacular Environments
- Wholly Immersive
- Fluid Quest Structure
- No Loading Screens
Cons
- Some stiff facial animations
- Shallow weapon customization
- Too few random encounters
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