Star Wars Outlaws Review

Thanks to the information provided at a special event organized by Ubisoft the other day, we had the chance to get a sneak peek at the Star Wars Outlaws game , which will be released on August 30. I am very excited to share what we were told and what we saw. Let me start sharing it quickly without making you wait.

Star Wars Outlaws First Look

Outlaws, the first open-world game set in the Star Wars universe, takes us to a galaxy far, far away. Set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the adventure tells the story of Kay Vess and her awesome sidekick Nix.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Star Wars Outlaws Story

To start with, this is a bit of a departure from the Star Wars stories we know. While we play Kay Vess, a character who tries to be on the good side, we also have to experience her lawlessness and survive among the most ruthless lords of the galaxy.

The rebels have retreated after losing the battle of Hoth. The Empire is gaining more and more power in the galaxy, but this creates space for criminal activities and criminal organizations. Kay, who we can call a bandit, thief or outlaw, has the most suitable environment for his biggest dream: stealing a spaceship.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Star Wars Outlaws introduces Kay Vess, a fugitive trying to survive in the galactic underworld. As Kay attempts to pull off one of the biggest heists in the Outer Rim, she also has a plan to overcome the Empire’s reach, the Syndicate’s grip, and her past. One of her biggest dreams is to start a new life with the proceeds from the heist.

Kay must navigate the underworld and various criminal organizations, making choices that will affect her reputation, experience, and support throughout the game. Depending on the missions you complete, you will gain friends and enemies. Of course, this can also result in bounties being placed on your head. The idea of ​​being pursued by the galaxy’s most notorious criminals sounds exciting enough.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Given the story’s place in the Star Wars universe, I believe Star Wars Outlaws will be a single installment like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That means the narrative needs to be very strong, and from what I’ve seen, it’s proven to be a beautifully crafted story.

Star Wars Outlaws Gameplay

Kay has many tools that he can use during the game, such as a grappling hook, but only his weapon was shown to us in the presentation. The blaster, which has three modules, is first used as a plasma module. Although it is the most preferred module for dealing damage, there are situations where it is useless or less useful. For example, against an enemy using a shield. In such cases, the ion module becomes especially effective against disabling shields or overcharging droids. The third and last module is the stun module. Sometimes there are situations where we need to proceed by simply stunning our enemy without causing trouble. Under such conditions, the most ideal one is the stun module. However, the weapon has a cooldown period after use. For this reason, we need to prefer using it strategically instead of using it at will.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

And of course, there is our companion Nixx. He makes up for our hero’s shortcomings. He has some unique skills that complement the situation perfectly, from helping scout the area to bringing in weapons or items, providing distraction, or even jumping into battle with you, Nixx is always there to support Kay.

Tasks

The Relic

In the section shown to us, we saw three missions. The first of these was to infiltrate the Crimson Dawn area to make allies and retrieve the item stolen from the Yashiga Clan in the rubble.

The Wreck

Part of the second mission reminded me of the famous train scene in Uncharted. You had to escape from a collapsed wreckage that we entered in order to get a tracker navigation device. We were able to reach the result by performing a non-stop, high-excitement run.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

False Flag

In the last mission, we enter the depths of space. Here, we enter a dogfight against the patrolling Imperial Forces, against the Tie Fighters with our own ship, the Trailblazer. But not in an empty space. In the direction we are moving, we have to try to survive while also destroying our enemy while moving among many wrecks from previously blown up ships and battles.

There are some points that we need to pay attention to while performing the missions. For example, no alarms should be triggered. For this reason, the stun feature of the weapon I mentioned above comes in handy. Sometimes our fists. However, we should not forget our close friend Nixx. He often provides us with great advantages in completing our missions. For example, distracting a Stormtrooper.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Star Wars Outlaws also has a reputation and wanted system. The reputation system updates itself based on the decisions we make and the tasks we complete. In the demo I saw, after a completed task, the word “Wanted” suddenly appeared on the screen. The Grand Theft Auto series came to mind for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would say “Busted” when we died.

Interaction with the Environment

Although the game is open world, I found some problems with communication with the environment. Our interaction with the environment does not seem to go beyond shooting and exploding oil barrels around. Of course, this may also be related to the limited demo we saw. However, it seemed a bit strange that an Imperial officer fell on the control panel after being shot and stood there without any effect.

When I think of environments, I also think of planets. When Ubisoft said they were building a massive open-world Star Wars game, they weren’t kidding. While Outlaws prefers closed-in areas for missions, we can hop in our spaceship, the Trailblazer, and travel around the planets.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Graphics

I don’t know if I need to write much about this: After all, it’s a Star Wars game. Whatever I see will make me happy. However, I was very impressed by the huge landscapes in the intertwined story where we can progress both individually and by using vehicles. Also, it seems very enjoyable to sail through the endless void of space with our ship. However, I have to say that all of these are from the third point of view. I don’t think I would prefer a different perspective in a Star Wars game.

The trace left by the bullet when we fire, the reflections of the explosions are quite impressive. The burns in front of our ship as it enters the atmosphere of a planet are not neglected either. Although it looks like the 2010s graphically, I will see the real experience when I load it onto my computer.