“I’m reliable… mostly.”
Growing up during the 80s, as a fan of Star Wars, I only had the original three films, the Holiday Special and that awful Ewoks movie. However, I also had the toys. The adventures that would play out as I bashed those action figures together, or piloted the Millennium Falcon down my hallway, blasting make-believe tie-fighters or other scoundrels looking for their next big payday. Nowadays, you can’t glance in a single direction and not see new films, a wealth of TV shows, comic books, video games, and amusement parks. Star Wars, for better or worse, is more popular than ever before.
However, when it comes to video games, Star Wars has had a great deal of misfires, titles that are likely to be entirely forgotten across several console generations and handhelds. For every Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, there is a Star Wars: Obiwan. For every Kinect: Star Wars, there is a Jedi: Fallen Order. While we know the painful experiences that have come before, and the few that truly stand out to be impressive additions to the Star Wars universe, few have truly captured the world of Star Wars like Star Wars: Outlaws, the latest title from Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment. Not only is it an impressive Star Wars videogame, it is without question the definitive game set within the Star Wars universe, even with a few notable issues.
If you look back on several Star Wars games, you’ll notice an underlying theme; The Jedi. While there does exist the likes of Shadow of the Empire, Dark Forces, and Episode One: Racer, the bulk of games based on the license are largely centered around the Jedi. I mean, why wouldn’t they be? They have cool powers that translate to video games extremely well and they often take to being a protagonist rather easily, especially when it comes to fleshing out some sort of good versus evil narrative. That, and we often get some incredible Sith antagonists to take on when we don’t get stuck with Darth Vader showing up as if on cue. However, when you remove the Jedi from the story and focus on those not gifted in the ways of the force, you often find that your story is more deeply rooted in the more personal lives of its cast, human or alien alike. It allows the story to feel more ground, more personal, and more emotional. Thankfully, Outlaws has that in spades.
Star Wars: Outlaws is built around Kay Vess, a scoundrel and outlaw from the Canto Bight Worker’s District. Kay would pull small jobs to essentially pay the bills as she rents a small space above a local bar. On her own from a young age, Kay would come to rely on her best friend, Nix, a Merqaal, a small creature from an unknown world. Both alone, and with the odds stacked against them, they would form an unshakable bond, having each other’s backs, especially after a big score goes south and Kay finds herself with a Death Mark and a bounty hunter on her trail. As far as protagonists go, Kay is a solid addition, as is Nix, who is really endearing and gives Kay someone to bounce off of.
While hunted down for her participation in that botched mission is certainly on her mind, Kay’s escape came with the procurement of the Trailblazer, a decommissioned ship from an era long ago. And after escaping Catonica and escaping to the windswept savanna that is Toshara, Kay is presented with a proposal from a man named Jaylen Vrax. This well-connected outlaw has a plan to not only make Kay very rich but to also remove the bounty on her head in the process. Jaylen’s proposition also brings a battle droid to watch over Kay, a modified BX Commando Droid named ND-5. Wearing a long green coat and sporting a pistol belt loosely draped around their hips, ND-5 works with Kay to assemble a team. Jaylen’s proposition isn’t just a payday of thousands of credits, it’s 157 million, to be exact. This sum of money attracts several specialists to join up for one big heist. It’s a solid idea that is met with several hurdles before the big job goes down.
More or less, that is the basic premise of Star Wars: Outlaws as you look to rob a well-connected man named Sliro, who just happens to be the leader of the Zerek Besh, a syndicate involved in all the deepest corners of the criminal underworld. There are twists and turns to be sure and moments that truly feel very Star Wars in their approach. You’ll visit familiar locales, see a few recognizable faces, and take to the action both on ground and in the vast reaches of space. You’ll prepare for this by upgrading your ship, speeder, and pistol, to make short work of those who oppose you.
While you will construct a team to take on the heist, the major focus of the story is on Kay, Nix, and ND-5. There are a few others that play around in the narrative sandbox but they work mostly in the background to a set degree. What works well in a heist story is the involvement of all the key players having their moment. While they do play their parts when the story needs them, I sort of wish there were character-specific missions to get to know them more, apart from the missions where you’ll recruit them. I feel that those moments only scratch the surface as to who they are, making me simply want more moments to have with them. Will the upcoming story DLC’s grant this? I am not sure.
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Outlaws has been noted as being the first open-world Star Wars game. While that is essentially true, much of that is a minor technicality. While previous Star Wars games have flirted with large open spaces, I do count Koboh from Jedi: Survivor as being an open-world environment. That said, Koboh doesn’t have a lot going on despite its size, with Toshara, Tatoonie, and Akiva, the three main planets featured here, having considerably more depth to them with countless settlements, cities, and more, to explore. While you do also visit Kijimi and Cantonica, you only get to explore their main city.
While the galaxy never seems to run out of side quests or the ability to earn a quick credit by securing some form of intel, nearly everything you do in Outlaws finds its way back to one of the four syndicates; the Pykes, Crimson Dawn, the Hutts, and the Ashiga clan, the latter of which was created solely for this adventure. These factions are always looking to pull one over the other, often having you play the pawn of doing the right thing and choosing them when the time is right.
Several missions will have you choosing who you’ll side with, with dialogue choices, earning reputation with your ally, and then losing it should you turn against them. That said, it is very easy to get back into their good graces with a few contracts or two. And to be honest, you’ll want to play all sides as each faction comes with cosmetic rewards such as a new gun skin, and outfits for both you and Nix. And should you take in a bit of commerce at the shops, each shop that is faction-controlled will charge less or more depending on your standing with said faction.
As mentioned, as you complete quests or max out the reputation of any of the four factions, Kay and Nix will earn cosmetic rewards. Some of these outfits can be purchased in shops or given freely by one particular vendor in Tatoonie. These range from jackets, pants, boots, and your gun holster, to various designs for Nix, such as a scarf, goggles, or a splattering of paint. You also will equip charms that boost certain stats for Kay. While you’ll only be able to equip one or two at the start, you’ll slowly build that up over time.
Each of the open-world locations is very different in their terrain. Toshara is a massive savanna that has a decent amount of variety in what it offers while still having a cohesive design to give it its own personality. It has a major city called Mirogana that is ruled by the Pykes, but smaller sections of the map of which are under Imperial control, which causing chaos in these areas can lead to a manhunt should you cause your wanted level to skyrocket; think Grand Theft Auto but replace the police and the army with Death Troopers. The use of a speeder is essential here to get around, as is the case with the barren wasteland that is Tatoonie, covered in rock and sand and a view that goes on for miles. Akiva; however, is a maze of jungle paths and roads that reach into a very thick jungle paradise, making it easy to get lost and stumble upon some new discovery.
Navigating each world is done via a compass at the top of the screen. While I would have preferred a mini-map, I often had to bring up the detailed world map that also has its own smaller maps of each of the major settlements and cities. Thankfully, you can plunk down objective markers to aid in moving around the map, especially in Akiva, given the forks in the road leading to wildly different places. Each location has large Imperial bases to explore and these are not just small encampments, but massive underground facilities that can stretch on for miles. Every time I assumed I had seen everything the game had to offer, it would continue to grow in size and scale and almost become overwhelming, especially when it comes to your quests, intel gathering, and more. While you can likely stick to the golden path and complete the adventure in about 25-30 hours, I’ve spent nearly 50 hours and have several side quests, vault keys to track down, and over a dozen pieces of intel left to discover. That, and whatever else the game has for me afterward.
As you move around these big spaces and take in the culture and its people, you’ll listen to various conversations about some secret job that went down, an intel cache on the outskirts, to some bit of information that each of the factions would pay you handsomely for. From leaning against a wall to having an active ear while sitting at the bar, these missions come at you fast and furious. Each planet also has its own special vault that can only be opened by a series of three keys, scattered around the galaxy and, in most cases, often has something decent to reward your efforts with. The addition of several side quests then begins to fill up your journal significantly, with a few that stood out as some of my favorite Star War moments of all time, especially a quest on Akiva called “The Veteran.”
The bulk of your time away from the main story will be through a series of side quests, intel missions, and just exploring the world that has been crafted here. Thankfully, while Ubisoft is known for filling their maps up with hundreds of icons, that same design philosophy isn’t present here. There is lots to do, but it is compartmentalized rather well, making it easy enough to know what is a mission, side quest, piece of intel, or the various treasure locations around the map that hide a chest or two. This same design is present in space as you’ll track down cargo containers that are floating in space to scouting out destroyed vessels that are in pieces, or even aid in defending a ship from pirates. While you won’t be boarding any ships, which feels like a missed opportunity, each of the planets and their respective orbits give you plenty to do apart from just taking in some dogfighting or wiping out one Imperial base after another. Frankly, this is Ubisoft showing the most restraint it has in an open world and it is so much better for it.
Kay herself has a variety of options as well when it comes to gameplay. While taking in some epic gunfights or stealthing around is her bread and butter, the titular Outlaw has a lot up her sleeve, especially as you begin to track down experts that can teach her a thing or two. Like the Trailblazer, her speeder, and her pistol, Kay can be upgraded. While you’ll start the game with something basic like her grappling hook already, Kay has a series of skills that are unlocked as you encounter mentor-like figures called Experts.
Once you have unlocked them, they have a series of skill cards that are shaped like the cards found in Sabacc. These skills range from lockpicking, increasing your health, and improving your speeder, to adding to your tool-kit with smoke bombs, and electro-shock prods, to getting the most out of your scavenging. These skills are earned by completing certain tasks, collecting resources, and more. It is very possible to complete the game without meeting at least four or five of them, so make sure to take in the sights and talk to everyone you meet. In fact, one of them is only revealed through a particular side-quest that is pretty easy to miss.
Combat is largely focused on the pistol that Kay wields, a heavily customizable gun that can handle multiple fire modes to adapt to the situation. While you can pick up and use any gun that you find, their finite ammo reserves will always bring you back to your pistol. As you upgrade and customize the gun, your engagement in combat can change. Kay can also knock anyone unconscious with a few slugs of her fists, as coming out of stealth to drop a body or two can work to your advantage. Now, while stealth is a good way to navigate the various set pieces, I don’t feel it has been implemented here as detailed or original as it could have been. Stealth has been a staple in countless third-person action games, and how you dispose of various enemies has seen leaps in design from even ten years ago. However, much of the stealth here feels dated in so much of its design.
Take grabbing enemies for example. If you are behind cover, you can’t grab the clueless bandit or stormtrooper on the other side. You can’t even grab them from a ledge, unless the contextual button wasn’t working for me. You can only grab them from the edge of a corner or piece of cover and even then, while crouched, Kay will still stand up to beat down her victim, often revealing yourself to nearby threats. Should you climb up a wall, Kay will stand up after mantling over the edge, revealing herself. There are moments where Kay will pull their adversary to the side, away from a doorway, but these are random. Since there is a huge focus on stealth here, it is a shame that gameplay ideas from even ten years ago are not present here to flesh out and deepen the repertoire of moves that Kay could have used to make stealth a far more viable option. Star Wars: Outlaws may be a game released in 2024, but its stealth systems feel ripped out of 2004.
Part of what aids in stealth, combat, and exploration, is through the use of Nix, your little critter who has a wealth of fashion choices to change up their look. They can also benefit from a cooked meal that grants them additional benefits, such as Duradan Soup allowing Nix to distract multiple enemies at a time, albeit with reduced range. Nix can be directed to attack enemies, leaving them open to be punched or shot at. You can use Nix to distract enemies or cameras, playing dead to catch their attention. Nix can also be used to open up panels to destroy the power conduit within or told to fetch an item that you may require, even if it is in battle. While cute and adorable, Nix is a solid gameplay element to use with Kay that feels missed during the brief moments you are separated for story reasons. Nix also allows the player to see through walls, such as where certain items are, enemies, and so on. Similar to detective vision, this feature can be upgraded as well.
Being a scoundrel, Kay has additional skills that help with her way of life. From lock-picking to slicing, these skills come in handy. Lock-picking works around a rhythm-based mini-game where you adjust the lock to the beat. And should you want, you can disable this to just bypass the mini-game. While I enjoyed the first few times, once I realized I would be doing that hundreds of times, I disabled it. It’s a neat gimmick, but not one I was interested in playing out that much. Slicing will grant you anything from credits to disabling cameras, shutting down energy fields, and more. This is done through a pattern sequencer where you determine a series of three to five nodes. Blue means the icon is in the correct node, yellow is present but in the wrong spot, and red means that icon is not present. And should you want, you can alter how this mini-game is played out as well, given the robust accessibility systems present in the menu.
With the Trailblazer, you’ll be able to fight in space, shooting down various factions, Imperials, and pirates. At first, I didn’t care for the gunplay as the slippery movement of your targets made them hard to hit, causing me to spin the camera around to attempt to line up a shot, often having my blasters overheat. While Kay’s pistol can also overheat, it at least has a Gears of War reload system to keep things interesting, not to mention seeing upgrades to better it. Thankfully, I started to really enjoy space combat thanks to the rapid-fire cannons. These allowed me to hold up my charge then release and it would auto-seek enemies if they were just near the reticle. These made a huge difference, as did the swap to the proton torpedoes. While it took a while to warm up to the space combat as I have played better in Everspace 2 and Chorus, what Massive Entertainment has done here is enjoyable, but can lack the depth I think people may have wanted after the likes of Starfield.
Visually, Star Wars: Outlaws on Xbox Series X is anywhere from stunning to, in one particular instance, flat-out bad. While that is a damning breadth of criticism, hear me out. Nearly everything present in the game is visually impressive. The ships, the cities, the way the markets and settlements are lit, all impress. Characters like Jabba the Hutt or the Ashiga are a treat for the eyes. Each planet is gorgeous, down to the tiniest of details. The way Nix is animated or the whole design of ND-5, it’s all breathtaking and downright incredible. Kay Vess; however, in gameplay, when you are just walking around a town is not only blurry, but her hair is a smeared texture that stands out when you even just glance at it. This is likely an optimization issue on consoles to maintain performance, but it’s one of the worst in-game character models for a protagonist I have ever seen from a AAA studio over the past few years. Kay looks great in cutscenes or the pre-rendered moments, which don’t reflect your outfit I’ll add, but in-game, Kay is simply disappointing.
Star Wars: Outlaws was a game that I was really looking forward to, so much so that apart from the initial trailer, I avoided every last bit of gameplay footage or trailer leading up to its release. While I have small issues with the game from its lack of innovation in stealth to its fairly basic space combat, the story Massive Entertainment has told within the Star Wars universe was really fantastic and gave me a small group of characters to really root for. Personally, I wish the extended cast of the team had more to do, but they shine in their moments and allow this narrative to be incredibly engaging. Humberly González is fantastic as Kay and Jay Rincon is a standout with ND-5. What Massive Entertainment has done here is breathtaking and is something that only could have been done in a video game. This take on Star Wars is frankly the best we’ve seen in a video game, and all without a Jedi in sight.
Note: The review build I had access to had a series of bugs, from cutscenes not playing, to a single crash and the occasional floating asset. I was made aware of numerous bugs that could be present, and are meant to be addressed by launch, but overall, I was able to experience the entire game apart from one single cutscene that caused the game to crash.
Developer - Massive Entertainment. Publisher - Ubisoft. Released - August 30th, 2024. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC. Rated - (T) - Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.