Ubisoft takes players to the dark side of the Star Wars universe in their new open-world adventure Star Wars: Outlaws. Set between episodes five and six; the game centers around Kay Vess; a hard-nosed survivor who ekes out of existence on Canto Bight along with her pet and companion Nix.
When a score places Kay on the bad side of a dangerous criminal faction, she escapes to a nearby system in a beat-up ship known as the Trailblazer with danger close behind.
Needing parts for her ship as well as money; Kay must navigate various criminal factions for work which affects her reputation with each faction since they are frequently at odds with one another.
Doing a job for the Pyke Syndicate may increase your status with them but could also anger Crimson Dawn or the Hutts in the process.
A bad reputation not only increases hostility but limits your access to areas and requires players to take creative steps such as vents and grappling to access areas.
While clothing, weapons, and vehicles can be upgraded, players can use better weaponry for a limited time by disposing of enemies. The game also has a heavy stealth element which at times is very tricky for me as I tend to be a more run and gun-oriented player. Knowing when to be quiet and when to go loud was at times tricky as some missions required absolute stealth but would feature areas where gunplay was required before switching back to stealth.
Nix is an extremely useful companion as he can distract and attack enemies allowing Kay to sneak by, or dispatch foes with a well-placed series of punches at times requires patience as a Checkpoint Save System means that a rushed mistake can lead to frequent replays which allows for some trial and error along the way with your strategies.
Kay also needs to deploy mini-games to gain entry to areas and hack computers. While the scale can be set; it can at times require patience to open necessary doors; especially after a prolonged battle or stealth mission.
The worlds are so vast and filled with multiple quests for players to choose from and countless options as to where to place their allegiance and spend their hard-earned credits. Players can also buy and sell items from vendors and looting during missions is all part of the fun as is gambling to increase your finances should the need arise as well as numerous NPC characters to interact with.
You could spend hours simply exploring the cities and planets and riding your speeder bike is certainly an interesting way to travel when fast travel is not an option and lets players see the highly-detailed areas.
The game is filled with side missions and opportunities to explore, upgrade your gear, vehicles, and appearance and while some missions may be a bit drawn-out due and the stealth aspects at times can be frustrating; it delivers a solid Star Wars gaming experience.
Flying the ship is pleasant enough and dispatching enemies with your weaponry certainly adds to the immersive nature of the game and underscores how big and dangerous the galaxy can be and the designers have filled the game with plenty of Easter Eggs and details that add to the immersive nature of the game.
The graphics and sounds of the game are engaging and creative options to solve puzzles such as finding alternative routes or using Nix to squeeze into an area and open the door or disable an alarm and to the fun.
I can easily see Star Wars: Outlaws being a game that I will be playing for a long time as it is an immersive Star Wars game that is highly detailed and engaging and offers a very nonlinear gameplay system for players to enjoy. Players are often given choices in mission to chose a path of action such as double-crossing a faction in favor of another but as always; there can be consequences is a galaxy of divided and changing loyalties.
Star Wars: Outlaws has surpassed my expectations and has provided me with hours of great Star Wars content and new characters to enjoy.
4 stars out of 5
