It seems impossible that Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world Star Wars game, but it is. With the first comes a lot of anticipation, but also a lot of excitement – especially since the studio behind the project is Massive Entertainment, the talented creators of The Division. Speaking personally, I’ll admit that I rarely get too excited about open-world games outside of those made by Rockstar – because you can count on them to raise the bar every time – but I was excited about Outlaws. After all, it’s set after The Empire Strikes Back, you play as a Han Solo-caliber thug instead of another Jedi, and you have an awesome alien pet named Nix at your side who promises to have an impact on the gameplay, rather than just following our heroine Kay Vess around and being cute. In other words, on paper, it has a lot to offer.
And while Outlaws doesn’t look like it’ll raise the bar to Rockstar’s standards, after four hours of playing a near-final version of the game across two different gameplay segments, I can say it’s still one of my most anticipated games coming in the busy second half of 2024. And it’s a Star Wars staple in every way.
Ubisoft has a reputation for making “checklist” open-world games; vast spaces where you’re given a list of side quests and activities to do off the gold track. That’s generally not a compliment. But one of the things that impressed me about Star Wars Outlaws was that I didn’t feel like I was just checking off boxes to get closer to 100% completion. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot to do in Outlaws, but those side quests and activities feel much more organic than in the publisher’s other games. For example, while wandering around the city of Mirogan on the planet Toshara, I came across a sort of arcade mini-game. I walked over and played a round. I also came across a betting shop where I could place bets on holographic horse races. I managed to get the right one by pure luck, which amused me later when I discovered a datapad lying around somewhere that gave me a solid clue as to who to bet my money on. I also met an unlucky gambler who begged me for money. I granted his request, allowing him to indulge in his vices and leaving with the promise to share the winnings if he got back on Lady Luck’s good side. Of course there is a cantina there too and I even saw a Sabacc table, but at that point I lacked sufficient funds to buy a ticket and play.
All of these optional activities feel very natural on the planets and towns of Outlaws, and that’s thanks in part to the excellent art direction that makes each location exude Star Wars authenticity. From the lighting to the architecture to the NPCs milling about, Massive has done an excellent job, from what I’ve seen so far, of creating an genuine Star Wars scene.
I would be remiss if I didn’t add that the story of Star Wars Outlaws merely supports and reinforces this. Kay just wants to find her way in an unforgiving galaxy, lying or betraying as she must to keep an eye out for Number One. This is done in occasional dialogue choices that appear during cutscenes, adding a bit more player agency to what would otherwise be the game’s mini-Star Wars movie. Will these choices affect how the story ultimately plays out? I wouldn’t bet on it, but there is a commendable faction reputation system that tracks how much (or how little) each of the game’s syndicates likes you. Betray the Hutts twice and you’ll damage your reputation with them, but escalate your standing with the Crimson Dawn. Piss off a faction enough and they won’t let you into their territory (which means you’ll have to sneak in and remain undetected if you want to gain entry).
But you’re probably wondering, what about the moment-to-moment gameplay? In that case, Star Wars Outlaws was a joy to me. It’s a stealth game if you want it to be one. And if you screw up, honestly, I like that you don’t have a lightsaber to save you. You have to exploit Kay’s blaster—which, yes, is upgradable—to get out of trouble, and that adds to the sense of danger because you’re not a laser-saber-wielding demigod. As such, the battles with blasters felt like they had significant stakes, and the stealth gameplay had a bit of weight to it because I knew I’d have to deal with her if I screwed up.
Of course, there’s also lockpicking in the form of data spikes, and I quite like the way Outlaws handles this. Each lock has a specific sound signature, and it’s up to you to match that pattern by pressing the appropriate trigger in time with the beeps. The longer you do this, the more likely you are to be spotted. Likewise, the hacking mini-game is also really fun. Here, you have to line up the right symbols in the right order, which usually takes a lot of tries. If you fail too often, you’ll fail the hack altogether. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but once I did, I really enjoyed the hacking experience.
The core stealth gameplay is aided by Outlaws star Nix. Yes, Nix is the game’s BD-1, but compared to Cal Kestis’ droid companion, Kay’s organic pal can do a lot more for you. He can distract an enemy – by catching the bad guy’s attention and adorably playing dead – or just attack them. He can also press buttons or switches and retrieve items. This is useful when you’re pinned down in a firefight and there’s a more powerful A300 blaster rifle across the room. Nix can bring it over and drop it at your feet without coming out of hiding. I even like the way Outlaws handles these larger weapons: they can’t be reloaded, meaning that once you’ve fired all your bullets, you simply drop the empty pistol and return to your trusty blasters. This is likely a design decision intended to ensure Kay never feels overly powerful, keeping the player always on their toes in combat.
Finally, you can’t have an open-world Star Wars game without ways to get around that space, and in Outlaws Kay has a motorcycle, which, as you might guess, can also be upgraded. You can earn credits by taking part in races, or just stop off at some interesting-looking pit stops along the way to your destination. The bike handles well – in the Waverace 64 it feels like you’re driving a boat, because it’s quite speedy and agile, but it doesn’t handle like it’s on rails.
Kay’s ship, the Trailblazer, is a complement (and yes, it can be upgraded). I got to do some ship-to-ship space combat and had a lot of fun! I’ll need a lot more time in the pilot’s seat to really solidify my opinion, but flying the Trailblazer made a good first impression.
If there’s one thing that bothered me during my gameplay, it was the bugs. Outlaws went Gold well before the preview event, meaning that if I wasn’t playing a certification version, it was something very close. And while yes, there will inevitably be a day one patch, like with most games these days, it was still disappointing to see so many annoying little – admittedly mostly visual and harmless – glitches that I saw. Hopefully, the day one update will iron out most of them.
Ultimately, though, I had a great time with Star Wars Outlaws. Open-world games tend to be jacks of all trades, masters of none, and while I’m not sure Outlaws masters any of its gameplay elements, it not only does them all very well, but does them all with a convincing Star Wars sheen. And since there’s never been a Star Wars open-world game before, it feels novel, fresh, and very welcome. I’m glad that this is probably the first big-name game to come out this fall, on August 30th, because I can’t wait to play more of it.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Editor-in-Chief of Previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox Show, Podcast unlockedand our long interview program, IGN without filters. He’s a guy from North Jersey, so it’s a “Taylor ham,” not a “pork roll.” Talk to him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
