‘Star Wars Outlaws’ game review

Star Wars Outlaws
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After the cancellation of EA’s Star Wars 1313, a void was left in the Star Wars gaming universe — a void now filled by Star Wars Outlaws. With Jedi: Survivor setting a high standard and series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka raising expectations even further, Ubisoft has a tall order to meet. Although Outlaws carries some of Ubisoft’s familiar gameplay tropes and minor issues, it still stands out as an excellent game, marking a strong comeback for the publisher. Let us dive into the details.

Set in a galaxy far, far away, somewhere between Luke Skywalker discovering his father is a villain in The Empire Strikes Back and redeeming him in Return of the Jedi, you step into the shoes of Kay Vess, a self-proclaimed thief for hire who, despite her intentions, is terrible at both thieving and scoundrel-ing. This lands her in trouble with the notorious crime boss Siliro. Alongside her ultra-cute companion Nix, Kay must navigate a series of planets, clearing her name while dodging crime syndicates across the galaxy.

While the story keeps you hooked, the characters, unfortunately, do not. It is difficult to invest in them, with Kay coming across as inconsistent and trying too hard to be likable. Siliro feels like a patchwork of typical villains, never truly becoming a formidable threat. The writing is uneven, leaving the side characters to pick up the slack. Despite these flaws, there is still enough narrative, performance, and character development to keep you grounded in the universe and motivated to tackle one more mission.

The game is not truly open-world but offers large planetary sandboxes with diverse terrains to explore and settlements teeming with the usual alien and robot denizens. You can also hop between planets on your ship, the Trailblazer. It is an engaging formula, and as you balance your relationships with various syndicates, you will find a variety of missions to keep you busy. For Star Wars fans, roaming around iconic locations like Tatooine or exploring Kijimi is worth the price tag alone. However, it is puzzling that you cannot jump onto other speeders — a feature that would be a welcome addition in a future patch.

The gunplay is solid, but Kay’s weaponry lacks variety, with only a few shooting modes on her blaster. While you can pick up other weapons, they are temporary, dropping during intense action. Stealth is often the best approach to quickly dispatch enemies. Nix, however, shines as the most useful companion in the game — capable of stealing from enemies, opening switches, distracting foes, and even triggering explosions.

Lockpicking in Outlaws is a standout feature, offering one of the best mini-games in recent memory. You unlock doors by tapping to a beat, and some of the tunes are so catchy that you might find yourself caught off guard. It is the only time I found myself genuinely excited in Outlaws — seeing a lock to pick meant getting my groove on.

The platforming takes cues from Uncharted and is mostly generic, except for some frustrating grappling hook sequences. You need to be at just the right angle to swing across gaps, or you will fall and have to start over from a distant checkpoint.

Massive’s engine holds up well, with impressive voice acting and facial animations. As expected in open-world games, there are a few launch bugs, some of which are amusing — like calling your speeder only to watch it shudder away like a shy lover in a Bollywood movie.

Star Wars Outlaws is the game you have been waiting for to jump-start your Star Wars joy. While it has its shortcomings, it excels where it matters most. Come for the best rhythmic lockpicking mini-games in the galaxy, and stay for Nix, the adorable companion, in this open-world action adventure set in the Star Wars universe.