Star Wars Outlaws Review

Star Wars Outlaws has been quite the mystery, garnering mixed reception from both critics and fans throughout the weeks and months leading up to its upcoming launch on August 30. Developed by Massive Entertainment (The Division), the game presented the premise of living a scoundrel’s life across the seedy locales scattered throughout the galaxy.

From our preview of the game, we noted that while parts of it did seem underwhelming, certain aspects, like the atmosphere it provided and the reputation system, looked promising and enjoyable. It is, after all, the first Star Wars open-world game, and Ubisoft is quite adept at the formula.

Will the game live up to its promise and hype? Or will it fizzle out like a malfunctioning blaster? I’m surprised to say that after spending time with it, I’m reminded so much of the escapades of a certain Han Solo, jumping from job to job, and wheelin’ and dealing with the help of another trusted furry friend. If I haven’t said it yet, it’s a grand time!

In a Galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars Outlaws follows the escapades of Kay Vess, a fledgling scoundrel trying to seek a new life with her trusty sidekick, Nix. After a couple of jobs turning sideways, Kay finds herself on the short end of the scoundrel stick, being hunted by an influential group that wants her head. Now, she’s on the run and finds herself entrenched in the politics and dealings of the underworld.

The events of Star Wars Outlaws take place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. As the Empire tightens its grip, the rebellion is swelling, and while both sides try to find their footing, the underworld is taking advantage of this golden opportunity to profit. The premise is intriguing and is enough to draw in franchise fans and force newbies alike, as it provides a refreshing take from the usual lightsaber-filled stories.

Before anything else, I’ll have to say that, based on our preview, it feels like Ubisoft has made significant updates to the game. Star Wars Outlaws feels snappier and smoother overall, and the enemy AI seems to be improved (a bit), although there are times when they are still easily outsmarted. It’s hard to quantify, but playing this final version on the PS5 definitely feels more pleasant and balanced.

Visually, Star Wars Outlaws looks fantastic. Locales feel lived in with bustling crowds and the chatter of bystanders, and the visual style and art direction ooze Star Wars sans the lightsabers. The savanna moon Toshara features impressive sights shaped by its geological composition and is home to pirates and bandits, while the frigid wasteland of Kijimi feels dark, bleak, and lawless. There are more planets to explore, each with its own distinct visual character, and they all look lovely.

Characters look the part, and despite the criticism that the Kay Vess character model has gotten, she looks like she fits in this world, which is the best compliment I can think of. She’s fierce, gritty, and street-smart, and Humberly Gonzalez’s performance is charming and does the character justice. Her dynamic with Nix is fun and engaging, even if Nix is unable to speak.

Despite this, some character models and facial animations do look a bit off, and one of the culprits seems to be the hair. This is especially evident with Kay, and despite switching to Quality mode to push visuals, her hair is full of jaggies and sticks out like a sore thumb. Minor nitpick, but worth sharing.

One other impressive thing is how much of the world feels active, with so many random events that take you off your quest and lead to some side shenanigans. You’ll hear a lot of side chatter as you go around the world, and if you’re attentive enough, you’ll get to talk to some characters who may provide information on the next activity, help you out, or even trick you out of an opportunity. I loved how, in the first part, I was offered a chance to gain easy access to an area by paying someone off, but then it turned out to be a scam. It is the underworld, after all, and little details like this are greatly appreciated.

As expected from Ubisoft titles, several side activities can be had. Arcade games to play, Sabacc battles here and there, and the usual side quests littered throughout. It’s quite refreshing not to see UI pointers overwhelm the screen, giving the players more breathing room to go about their way and figure out what’s next. In this sense, it doesn’t even look like a Ubisoft game at all, and it feels like a slight departure from their usual formula.

Double Trouble

A scoundrel’s life is never complete without a trusty sidekick, and Kay Vess is taking on all challengers with the help of Nix, her best friend and dependable partner in crime. Nix is integral to how the game and many of its mechanics play out, and at certain points, players may become too reliant on the little beast.

Nix is an extension of Kay, as he can do most things that our heroine can do. To give you a brief idea, Nix can: fetch items from near or far; pickpocket; distract or attack enemies; access small spaces; blow up environmental barrels; and much more. Nix even provides his sense ability, highlighting interactable objects and more. Players will go through the game with almost a second player at their disposal, which can trivialize some encounters in Star Wars Outlaws, especially when the game is overreliant on stealth and vents.

In one stealth section, I commanded Nix to distract a nearby guard while I took down the other. Soon after, I run to the distracted guard and take him out too. Multiple enemies patrolling a sector are no match for the Kay and Nix dynamic, and when you consider that Nix can even do these actions from far away, stealth and combat encounters can feel a bit too easy and underbaked in Star Wars Outlaws.

Speaking of combat, Star Wars Outlaws strays from force shenanigans and grounds the game in melee and blaster-based combat. Kay Vess is not a fighter by trade, and her melee capabilities are not up there, so don’t expect to take on all foes with fists, which feel quite floaty and lack impact. Enemies will block and parry, so players need to get creative with how they approach combat. Kay’s style is defined by being scrappy and resourceful, using environmental objects and tools to great effect.

Thankfully, Kay has her trusty blaster, which can be upgraded with different modules when the situation calls. The basic module is plasma, which is mostly used for damage purposes. Progressing through the game will offer the ion module to take on shields and droids, along with the power module for larger enemies and obstacles. It even has a stun function that fires one blast to incapacitate an enemy, but the cooldown is quite long, so it is best used in a pinch.

There’s a module for every occasion, but this also means that players are stuck with one weapon for the duration of the game, which does get a bit boring. That said, each of the modules has its own upgrades, which modify how the blaster works. The plasma module can go rapid-fire, making it fully automatic, but also go heavy like a hand cannon. This offers a way to change playstyles a bit, but having just the blaster for the duration of Star Wars Outlaws really limits variety.

That said, Kay Vess can pick up various weapons along the way. From sniper rifles to assault rifles and even a percussive cannon, there’s a lot of variety in the weapons you can pick up to augment your firepower, but all of these are disappointingly temporary, as Kay will drop them shortly after and force you to go back to your blaster. This leaves gunplay in Star Wars Outlaws rather basic and unsatisfying but fits into the theme of trusting Nix and being as resourceful as a scoundrel would be. Because you only use one weapon for the most part, everything feels the same, despite the difference in module upgrades.

On the flipside, one thing I did like about Star Wars Outlaws is its Experts system. Think of it as a skill system where Kay Vess will need to seek out these so-called Experts and gain knowledge from them to learn more abilities. Thematically, this system is spot on, as Kay is slowly building up her scoundrel cred and learning the ways of the underworld. As she meets more of these Experts, she’ll gain access to abilities that will directly impact gameplay and make her more competent in her ways.

Finding them is just the first part, and learning their abilities will require Kay to fulfill certain conditions. Some of these conditions will need items, and when completed, will give upgrades like more health. Some will give upgrades to your combat capabilities, enabling Kay to perform better during encounters. It’s great, and a welcome departure from the usual XP and skill point-based systems that are a staple in similar titles.

Your Reputation Precedes You

The main draw of Star Wars Outlaws is its reputation system, which is basically your standing in the underworld with the four ruling syndicates of the game: Crimson Dawn, The Pyke Syndicate, The Hutt Cartel, and the Ashiga Clan. As you go along, you’ll find opportunities and quests that will gain you favor with one syndicate, but consequently drag you further with the other, so you’ll have to keep your wits about.

In one instance early on, I took on a quest that would increase my reputation with Crimson Dawn, but also found evidence of a traitor in the ranks of the Pyke Syndicate. I was then given a choice of whether to give the information to my original client or pull a switch and report the traitor to the Pykes. These are made through dialog choices, and quests are made interesting because they really drive home the theme of Star Wars Outlaws.

Gaining and losing reputation affects how these syndicates approach you throughout Star Wars Outlaws. Favor one syndicate over the other and you’ll gain access to their finest items and gear with solid perks, but anger the other and they’ll start giving you a hard time like blocking access to certain areas they control, making you have to sneak around instead of just waltzing in. This sounds like a small thing, but having to tiptoe around certain parts of cities is quite a chore and can affect ways you can go about exploring the world, and you’ll even fail some stealth sequences if you get caught. Syndicate-affiliated merchants will also raise or lower their prices depending on your alignment!

Despite this, it feels like the reputation system in Star Wars Outlaws could have been so much more. While the theme of opportunity and risk pervades through almost all elements of the game, and it’s great, I wished the reputation offered more than just new gear and access to controlled territory. It’s a good foundation though, and I’m expecting to see this feature used and improved in future titles.

Full Speed Ahead

What’s a Star Wars game without space travel and battles? Well, Star Wars Outlaws has both of them, albeit with average results.

In Star Wars Outlaws, space travel is limited to entering the target planet’s orbit after the hyperdrive sequence, so it’s limited in scope. This is quite understandable, as most of the exploration happens on the ground, although leaving from and landing on a planet features a cleverly hidden loading screen that makes it look like a seamless transition instead of a static loading screen.

While exploring space, you’ll stumble upon undiscovered locations, gather some treasure, and even fend off space pirates and empire troops as you forge your way to the next destination. Controlling your ship is straightforward just like your speeder bike, but you can’t switch up power to shields or firepower similar to other titles.

Space combat in Star Wars Outlaws is average and straightforward, where players can simply upgrade ship parts to increase ship capabilities. It’s not as involved as dedicated flight shooter titles like Star Wars Squadrons, but it is serviceable as you blast enemy fighters with lasers and missiles. I understand that players may not spend enough time here to merit a fully-featured mode, so what’s in the game does the job.

I’m delighted to say that my time with Star Wars Outlaws was rather smooth from start to finish. Bugs experienced were limited to the game freezing after placing the PS5 on rest mode (had this only once) and clipping through a door (had this only once as well). Mileage may vary, of course, but other than that, the game performed up to spec, and even the loading times were minimal. You’d think this wasn’t a Ubisoft game, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Star Wars Outlaws has three graphics modes: Quality, Performance, and Favor Quality. Surprisingly, the game is well-optimized across all three mods, even during busy sections. Quality mode pushes visuals first, but somehow, the game sticks to 30 fps with a few dips here and there during normal gameplay. Players looking for a smooth 60 fps experience would do well to stick to Performance mode, which makes a world of difference, but Favor Quality, which balances both and caps frame rate at 40 fps, is a pleasant experience too.

Verdict: Buy it!

Star Wars Outlaws is a surprisingly good time, and I have to say that I enjoyed the game more than I thought I would after playing it early in previews. The scoundrel’s life is well realized, and playing Kay Vess through her escapades was a pleasure because of her charm and character. Massive Entertainment has delivered the goods, making Star Wars Outlaws the open-world Star Wars game you are looking for.

Much of the conversation surrounding this game is problematic, but from a purely gameplay experience, Star Wars Outlaws delivers a title worth your time despite its lack of innovation, and I’m cautiously optimistic that this might not be the last we see of the dynamic duo of Kay and Nix. The scoundrel life is calling, and if you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity indeed.

*Star Wars Outlaws was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.