As a seasoned gamer and long-time admirer of the Star Wars universe, I must say that my journey through the galaxy far, far away with Kay, the scrappy scoundrel, has been quite the rollercoaster ride! The narrative progression system, focusing on skill development over ability points, truly resonates with me as it reflects Kay’s gritty backstory and growth throughout her adventure.
To address the matter upfront: Star Wars Outlaws faces an arduous challenge – surpassing decades of fan anticipation. Since the 70s, fans have envisioned themselves in this galaxy, and with this release, they get their first single-player open-world Star Wars game. However, it’s essential to note that fans are divided about what Star Wars should embody, as demonstrated by the harsh reactions to recent franchise releases. It’s important to acknowledge that Outlaws won’t please everyone; it was never meant to do so. Instead of developing a game solely for fan service, Massive Entertainment chose to craft their unique narrative within an epic planet-exploring adventure that immerses players in the Star Wars universe.
Outlaws smartly starts off small. Protagonist Kay Vess is an unassuming rookie thief equipped with little more than a blaster, a scruffy ’70s haircut, and her cute pet sidekick Nix. You’re not filling the shoes of a Jedi-in-training or a renowned bounty hunter; you’re just another human struggling under the boot of the Empire. She’s not Force-sensitive, she doesn’t have a Sith fascist for a dad, and up until she finds herself embroiled in a heist-gone-wrong that places her on the galaxy’s most wanted list, no one really knows who she is.
Transforming her into an ideal embodiment for galactic adventures, this thief, previously struggling in a Canto Bight tavern, is mysteriously whisked away to a succession of peculiar and fascinating planets. Upon acquiring a starship, Kay gains the liberty to move effortlessly among the five worlds that intertwine her narrative. Each world presents a unique character, from the rundown shacks and sandy expanses of Tatooine to the verdant greenery of Akiva, yet all share similar zones for exploration.
Exploring the galaxy far, far away
Every planet hosts its unique urban settlement, offering various entertaining pursuits such as spectating exotic horse-like creatures (aliens from The Last Jedi) races, engaging in games of Sabacc, among others. Surrounding these cities and towns are vast areas that you’ll traverse swiftly on your speeder, where you undertake missions, find yourself entangled in shootouts, or search for valuable treasures. Beyond the planetary boundaries, you’ll navigate through space aboard your starship, engaging in battles against TIE Fighters, capturing cruisers, and dueling pirates.
In this game, Outlaws masterfully combines various aspects seamlessly. During an exciting gaming session, my goal was to enhance my cutting abilities – a mini-puzzle involving aligning symbols to crack computer terminals globally. Yet, to accomplish that, I had to converse with someone in the Crimson Dawn’s hideout.
In this game, called Outlaws, you enhance your standing with different factions by completing tasks assigned to you by each one. This often means decreasing your reputation with another faction. Since Crimson Dawn didn’t appreciate my actions linked to the Hutt Cartel, I could only enter their headquarters either through stealth or by boosting my relationship with them. I chose the second approach, thinking it would be less challenging — unfortunately, I was mistaken.
Over the coming hours, I’ll get caught up in a high-speed chase on Tatooine involving Stormtroopers, manage to sneak into a risky Sabacc game for the rich, be tasked with a perilous rescue operation by someone very familiar, evade a swarm of TIE Fighters and Imperial ships, and end up damaging my previously established ties with the Hutts.
Making your own Star Wars story
In another reality, I secretly entered, found the details I needed, and then exited. It’s not until you delve deeper into Outlaws that you truly realize the vast array of choices available. As gameplay continues, you are presented with opportunities to enhance your spaceship, speed bike, and reliable blaster, to acquire new skills, or to obtain various outfits and gear that boost these abilities.
But you don’t need to do all of that. For most of the game, I considered ship upgrades to be non-essential, until I began embarking on missions in my starship that quickly changed my mind. This would then send me on an interplanetary hunt for materials to provide those upgrades, leading to yet more adventuring and exploration. However, if you’re not interested in those missions, you can breeze right past them and use the game’s plethora of fast travel points to bounce between planets instead.
In this game, the experience is customized to suit the player’s unique playstyle, which is clearly demonstrated by its progression system. Unlike games published by Ubisoft such as Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed, there are no skill trees or conventional leveling systems. Instead, Kay’s abilities evolve based on how you choose to play. For instance, if you prefer a stealthy approach, infiltrating Imperial bases quietly and taking down enemies stealthily will unlock additional abilities that cater to this style. On the other hand, players who enjoy a more aggressive approach can unlock a variety of Gunslinger abilities, such as boosting the number of enemies that can be eliminated with Adrenaline Rush – a feature similar to Red Dead Redemption’s ‘Dead Eye’ mechanism.
To acquire these skills, you’ll need to interact with the individuals who are capable of instructing you, which is accomplished only after encounters with them. The game “Outlaws” features a diverse group of characters, ranging from your combat-ready droid companion ND-5 to the powerful crime boss Sliro. A significant portion of the game involves introducing yourself to new people and discovering their backstories. A gruff sheriff will aid you in honing your blaster skills by having you shoot bottles, while a cunning hacker can be tracked down as she breaches an Imperial stronghold.
Instead of merely investing skill points to acquire a new maneuver, this method is more immersive. It’s also fitting for Kay’s character development. Unlike Skywalkers, Palpatines, or other powerhouse characters, Kay is a struggling scoundrel making her way in the galaxy. In the game’s early stages, she often finds herself hiding and taking down unaware enemies to avoid detection by Imperial eyes, as they typically spell doom for Kay. It isn’t until she journeys across the galaxy and encounters those who aid her on her quest that she begins to hold her own.
1. The advancement system in this game has its flaws too. If you don’t fully invest in Gunslinger skills, shooting becomes feeble and inaccurate. It’s not that enemies are invincible, but continuously firing at them with lasers doesn’t yield much success, which isn’t very enjoyable. The problem is compounded by the fact that gunfights aren’t very diverse. The character, Kay, only carries a blaster and explosives like grenades. Other weapons can be found on the ground, but they are temporary. I would have preferred to have a full arsenal of weapons at my disposal, and the ability to enhance my skills using those weapons as needed. Having just the blaster alone feels restrictive when other weapons are still occasionally usable.
Stealth also feels basic. Kay’s options are mostly limited to walking behind an enemy and taking them down, though sidekick Nix adds a layer of synergy, with her able to send him to distract or attack enemies in her field of vision. Nix can also fetch items with a click of a button, or pull levers and open doors, though he’s usually slower at doing this than just having Kay do it herself. It wouldn’t make sense storywise for Kay to approach Batman Arkham levels of takedown abilities, but considering much of her time is spent quietly maneuvering through buildings, I would have preferred more tools at my disposal than walking behind a guy and hitting him in the head.
During my adventure, I faced a few technical glitches that slightly marred my enjoyment. Some of these problems were acknowledged as known issues expected to be rectified before release, like the oddity of high-resolution textures degrading during prolonged gaming sessions on PC. However, other issues such as an unstable frame rate on a 4060 GPU caused me to spend more time adjusting settings than I would have preferred. Moreover, I encountered several bugs, from characters vanishing mid-mission to a couple of instances where the game crashed straight to the desktop.
But performance issues aside, Outlaws is a gorgeous game, and I’m pleased to report that concerns over its visuals raised due to pre-release gameplay footage are unfounded. Each planet boasts a vastly different biome to the last, and there are a ton of “wow” moments. I don’t care how jaded a Star Wars fan you are, watching the two sunsets on Tattooine dimming the lights across Mos Eisley as sand kicks up across the ground will teleport you back in time like that scene with the food critic from Ratatouille.
Star Wars Outlaws Review: Final Verdict
Star Wars Outlaws encourages discovery and customization in your gameplay journey, granting you freedom to traverse the distant galaxy according to your preferences. Despite certain technical glitches and progression system flaws, it offers an engaging experience that serves as a promising foundation for future open-world Star Wars games.
SCORE: 8/10
According to ComingSoon’s review guidelines, a rating of 8 signifies “Excellent.” Although there are some minor flaws, this grade indicates that the artwork effectively achieves its objective and makes a lasting impression.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital PC copy for our Star Wars Outlaws review.
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2024-08-26 15:40