Star Wars Outlaws isn't a game to play if you're looking for the most innovative open world experience. It's not packed with genre-shattering ideas, and the structure and gameplay can be pretty repetitive. In many ways, it's standard fare. But for a certain kind of player, that won't matter, because it's the Star Wars part that sets Outlaws apart. It's your average open world game, but it's a great Star Wars simulator.
The game is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and puts you in the role of a low-level criminal named Cay Vess. Cay has a smooth-talking, Han Solo-like personality and a loveable companion, Nix, who is half puppy, half axolotl. The premise is a run-of-the-mill crime adventure story. Cay plans to retire safely with some stolen cash and joins a gang of get-rich-quick schemers. But things go awry and not only does Cay end up penniless, he also angers a very wealthy and powerful member of the criminal underworld. Yikes!
The story takes an interesting turn from there, with the remainder of the game spent preparing to snatch the loot again – meaning Kay must take on jobs to build up his underworld credibility, find allies to help pull off the heist, and overall improve his skills and equipment for a better chance. It's a fun premise that pairs well with the open-world structure, and everything you do in the game is built to lead to a bigger reward at the end.
Perhaps the most unique thing about the game is how factions work. There are four crime organisations you deal with, and as you progress through the game, your relationships with them will change depending on your actions. For example, taking on a mission to appease the Crimson Dawn could end up angering your rivals, and dealing with them all can feel like spinning plates. Gaining favour from gangs opens up new mission paths and other opportunities, but angering them can mean certain areas are off-limits, and if things get bad, they can attack you on sight. It doesn't fundamentally change the game, but the structure forces you to make some interesting and sometimes difficult decisions about which side to take.
About Nix
It would be remiss of us not to talk about Nix. No new Star Wars movie would be complete without some cute animals and droids. Kay's adorable sidekick is arguably the most memorable part of Outlaws. He's not only cute, he's helpful too. This little guy can distract enemies and the camera, flip hard-to-reach switches, and help you in combat. Plus, you can go to certain food vendors and dine with Nix, which includes the cutest, most indulgent mini-game ever. (The animals are the highlight of the game, letting you pet all kinds of galactic creatures.)
Similar to the Star Wars Jedi series, Outlaws is a great option if you just want to be transported to a galaxy far, far away. There's nothing more fun than racing through the deserts of Tatooine on a speeder bike or landing on a new planet and asking around at a local tavern. Every detail, from the visuals to the sounds to the storyline, feels just like Star Wars itself. It's like you're in one of the movies and can walk around and soak in the details.
I love market scenes in fantasy and sci-fi. They're a great way to quickly understand the culture of a place at a glance, and I spent way too much time in Outlaws wandering around taking photos of street food and observing the tavern patrons. Not only is it a way to immerse yourself in Star Wars in a way that's not possible in other mediums, but it's often worth lingering. More than once, I've overheard details of intriguing side quests while leaning against a wall on a crowded street.
One of the reasons the game works so well is how dense Outlaws is. As opposed to, say, sci-fi games like Starfield or No Man's Sky, which have huge but mostly empty planets to explore, Outlaws is realistic in scale. There are several worlds, each with large spaces you can drive through, but most of your time is spent in spaces bustling with cities, settlements, outposts, and other details. It's not that Outlaws feels small, but rather that it feels human in scale. You don't have to spend hours exploring the middle of nowhere to feel like you've seen what the game has to offer.
The problem is that what you're doing moment to moment is pretty much the same as any other open-world game from the last few years. Missions revolve around either sneaking into an enemy base to steal something, or going somewhere and collecting items to return. Too often you'll be crawling through vents, disabling cameras and alarms, or getting into a gunfight with some very goofy stormtroopers or criminals. Sometimes you get to choose how you approach a mission, like sneaking in through the back door or charging in guns blazing. But for the most part, your moment-to-moment action follows a familiar pattern.
While games like Tears of the Kingdom give you the tools to approach missions in creative ways, Outlaws primarily forces you to follow one of several pre-determined paths. To make matters worse, the game often forces you into certain modes, especially stealth sequences that can be incredibly tedious. It's a structure found in many games in the genre, from Assassin's Creed to Horizon to Ghost of Tsushima. I had Starfield flashbacks many times while playing.
How much fun you'll have in Outlaws will depend on how much you want to live out this fantasy. The Star Wars underworld has always featured some of the most interesting stories and characters in the universe, and here you'll have the chance to experience it all firsthand. This involves some tedious missions and traditional gameplay, which can be hard to accept if you're already tired of open-world games. But you'll be able to forget all that and blissfully forget about it when you're infiltrating Jabba's Palace and enjoying the sights and sounds of bustling Kanto Bight.
Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30th for PC, Xbox, and PS5.
