Star Wars Outlaws published by Ubisoft and developed by Massive is available now on PC, Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5. Star Wars Outlaws at the moment seems to be quite a mixed bag in reviews from critics and players. Some folk like what is there but feel it is a little too basic in the areas it dives into, while some outright dislike it. Let’s dive into my review.
Star Wars Outlaws puts you in the shoes of Kay Vess. Kay is just another person trying to make her way into the galaxy to escape a life she has grown tired of, after being abandoned by her mother Kay had to learn how to survive in the Star Wars Galaxies Outer Rim where most of the criminal gangs reside. For Kay, unfortunately, this has ended up getting her into quite some trouble she receives a death marker from a powerful syndicate crime family boss. After stealing this boss’s most cherished ship, Kay ends up being hunted by a bounty hunter, facing what seems to be the end of her life a droid ND-5 steps in and saves the day offering her a chance to get out of this life once and for all, but it requires her to do another heist attempt on Sliro the crime boss. The hiest seems like a crazy idea but Kay is left with no choice Kay will travel across four different planets trying to bring together a team of misfits to pull off the perfect heist and earn her freedom.
The story for me is quite good I thought it was interesting to coast around these planets and meet all the different characters however, I wouldn’t say the story is on the level of Red Dead Redemption or Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor, but it is still enjoyable making you want to progress further to find out what happens in the end. Some of the characters are interesting and I wanted to know more. ND-5 was a fantastic character and I wanted to know more of his history, he’s a BX-series droid commando in a trench coat it’s pretty badass.
I found the world of Star Wars Outlaws to be quite interesting each world felt very lived in and there was always something going on, from characters talking about certain rumours to little events happening it felt like a very lived-in universe and one I took joy in exploring. I do think that perhaps my love of exploring this Universe was aided by my love of Star Wars games. Unfortunately, though I hate to say it, Star Wars Outlaws while I enjoyed many aspects of the story and the open-world exploration it reaks a lot of the old Ubisoft formula, which while it was good years ago, needs to be redone or evolved into something more, I feel Star Wars Outlaws could be so much better if it just dropped some of the old traits of a Ubisoft game. I think at first I was mesmerized by what was created, I truly fell into it heavily, but as you progress the cracks do start to appear it’s enjoyable but it starts to grate a little at times.
The most interesting feature is its reputation system there are four syndicate crime families and every time you do a job you can raise your reputation which in the end gives you a ton of benefits from exclusive contracts, outfits with bonuses, access to their territory, and more, but in Outlaws you have to play the families against each other a little bit. Usually doing contracts always ends with one of the families being upset and eventually you might anger one so much that they send death squads after you. The only gripe I have about the reputation system is its lack of realism if you betray one family, it makes your reputation go down however, even if you’ve killed 40 of their best soldiers, you can still get a good reputation with them again there are no ramifications. The whole time it felt like you were the biggest backstabber in the galaxy and it never mattered The Crimson Dawn still loved me despite me murdering 100 of their people in the last mission and I’m still trusted to take on missions, it’s so odd it felt like there was never a true consequence because, in reality, you would not hire Kay Vess if she has just betrayed you, but no you get a free-pass every single time.
Star Wars Outlaws finally puts us in the shoes of someone who isn’t a Jedi and while I absolutely love being a powerful Jedi or Sith, it’s nice to be someone who isn’t necessarily expected to be a hero, I felt it let you really get into the nitty-gritty of the Star Wars Universe to see its deeper routes, away from the Clone Wars, away from the Galactic War between the Empire and Rebels despite it making little appearances here and there. The gameplay feels like a classic third-person shooter open-world RPG I don’t think it does anything groundbreaking however it is quite fun, I like the stealth vs all guns blazing option, though when I played the game some sections would end the mission if you got caught but they have recently patched that to make it less punishing. The sections in which you are offered a choice are a lot of fun and exploring an empire outpost is really fun and rewarding. In the open world of Star Wars Outlaws, there are a bunch of activities to do you can take on contracts from shady characters to earn reputation and items, play mini-games, and go on treasure hunts There is a lot to do and I quite liked it but some start to feel like bloat when you’ve done quite a lot however, I had a great time in exploring it all.
Star Wars Outlaws isn’t necessarily the prettiest-looking game out there, but it still does look good. Each of the cities looks lived in and feels alive, the details on each area you explore are fantastic and you can’t fault it. Exploring the Star Wars Universe like this is rewarding in the way it looks, feels and sounds. From exploring the underworld with the empire looming around every corner to the forests with many unique animals to look at, it does feel like a lot of effort went into the design and it was a joy exploring it all. I do feel like this is more exciting to a Star Wars fan. There is so much variety in all the species you come across especially the ones that have been so well-established in all the films and TV shows, it really brings the game to life.
Verdict
Overall Star Wars Outlaws has been enjoyable if you look past the typical Ubisoft formula and bugs. It never felt like anything unique or special I don’t think Star Wars Outlaws created anything inspiring for other games to take from and the game is sadly quite full of bloat in some areas but overall it still has it’s fun moments. Some issues need looking at there are quite a few bugs and I would love more content to be added I hope we do see more from the developers. If you’re looking for a Star Wars universe to explore, this is decent enough I just wish they had pushed the bar a little more in some of the gameplay elements.
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