Escape to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s ambitious open-world adventure. While initially promising a captivating evocation of the Star Wars universe, the game ultimately delivers a mixed bag, boasting stunning visuals and immersive environments but falling short in crucial areas of gameplay and narrative depth. This detailed review dives into the highs and lows of Outlaws, exploring its strengths and weaknesses to determine whether it truly captures the magic of the beloved franchise.
A Scoundrel’s Journey: Story and Characters
Star Wars Outlaws follows Kay Vess, a charming yet underdeveloped scoundrel striving to escape her humble beginnings in Canto Bight. Accompanied by her loyal merqaal companion, Nix, Kay embarks on a thrilling adventure that throws her into the heart of the galaxy’s criminal underworld. The initial setup is undeniably engaging, promising a tale of heist, betrayal, and self-discovery. Early missions involving navigating the intricate web of four major syndicates – the Pikes, Crimson Dawn, the Hutt Cartel, and the Ashiga Clan – cleverly present players with moral ambiguity and allows for some interesting player agency. The choice-driven nature of these interactions, where betraying one syndicate could uplift another, feels genuinely Star Wars in its chaotic morality. "There is no right or wrong choice – this is not Baldur’s Gate III," as the game cleverly implies. This early promise, however, fades as the narrative progresses.
A Story Lost in the Details
As the game unfolds, Outlaws suffers from a bloated narrative. The main plot, while intriguing in its premise, becomes muddled by an overwhelming cast of largely forgettable supporting characters. These characters are rarely explored deeply, and their impact on Kay’s journey feels minimal. The inclusion of numerous side quests, while offering additional gameplay, ultimately detracts from the overall narrative coherence. The game’s attempt at creating a galaxy-wide scope ends up hindering the personal journey of Kay, leaving her underdeveloped and less impactful than expected. The result is a compelling initial storyline diluted by an excessive and often irrelevant amount of secondary plotlines. This over-saturation of information often overshadows the central story arc, leaving Kay’s personal growth and emotional arc largely incomplete.
Kay Vess: A Han Solo in Name Only
The heart of the story is Kay Vess, intended to be a Han Solo-esque anti-hero. There is a deliberate attempt at an analogy of both Kay and Han Solo’s career trajectory. However, Kay lacks the charm and charisma that defined Han Solo. While she possesses a rebellious spirit, the game fails to fully develop her personality, leaving her feeling somewhat flat and unconvincing. "She feels like a participant in her own journey," and the missed opportunities to flesh this out feel especially damning. Although flashbacks offer glimpses into Kay’s past and her relationship with her mother, they fall short in creating a meaningful emotional connection with the player. This makes her overall arc far less satisfying than it could have been and ultimately less memorable for the player.
Gameplay: A Mixed Bag of Familiar Mechanics
Star Wars Outlaws’ gameplay is a curious blend of familiar mechanics executed with varying degrees of success. While the core loop of taking on contracts for different syndicates, infiltrating bases, and engaging in space combat may seem promising, its repetitive nature and a lack of depth in various systems undermine the overall experience.
Stealth and Combat: A Disappointment
Stealth mechanics feel rudimentary and often uninspired. The over reliance on simple crouch-walking and predictable takedown animations limits player agency and removes much of the tension inherent in stealth-based gameplay. The enemy AI is frustratingly simplistic, failing to react intelligently to player actions. Combat, while functional, lacks the satisfying feedback and strategic depth needed to elevate it beyond the mundane. The lack of weapon variety, relying almost exclusively on a single blaster, further compounds the problem. Even at later stages of the game, the feeling of being under-powered never emerges, regardless of how many enemies you are facing. The limited and uninspired design choices drastically impacts the feeling of agency and reduces the player’s engagement in combat.
Exploration: Worlds of Wonder, Tied Down by Limitations
While exploration presents some visually rewarding experiences, the lack of polished animations and a frequently restrictive design actively hurt the player’s enjoyment. On foot traversal, despite the inclusion of a grappling hook, feels surprisingly clunky and often frustrating. The speeder offers a welcome change of pace when traversing expansive landscapes, although the controls feel overly sensitive and lack finesse. The ship-to-ship combat in space is a highlight, offering dynamic and exhilarating dogfights which successfully evoke the essence of a Star Wars experience. This stands in stark contrast against the issues plaguing ground-based gameplay.
Visuals and Sound: A Feast for the Senses (mostly)
Star Wars Outlaws shines in its visual presentation, particularly concerning its vast and intricately detailed worlds. The environments often create a stunning ambiance, effectively immersing the player in the Star Wars universe. The game’s visual fidelity is impressive, particularly in wide shots of the varied alien landscapes. But this is often juxtaposed by poorly produced facial animations which disrupt the immersion and take away from some genuinely stellar moments. The sound design also complements the visuals, with a soundtrack that captures the signature Star Wars tone and sound effects that enhance the immersive atmosphere. The contrast between the beautiful planetary landscapes and the less-than stellar facial animations brings about an unfortunate feeling of inconsistencies.
A Worthy Evocation, But Not a Perfect One
Star Wars Outlaws strives for authenticity, effectively emulating the look and feel of the Star Wars universe in many aspects. It successfully evokes the spirit and essence of the franchise using carefully curated environments, ship designs, and ambient sounds. However, the game’s repetitive gameplay loop, underdeveloped narrative, and underwhelming game mechanics prevent it from reaching its full potential. Its inconsistent quality creates a jarring discrepancy.
Final Verdict
Star Wars Outlaws shows significant promise but ultimately falls short of becoming a truly great game. Its magnificent visuals, immersive environments, and moments of inspired space combat demonstrate its potential. However, it’s hobbled by dull characters, a repetitive gameplay loop, and deeply unimpressive AI, leaving it far from a classic entry in the Star Wars universe. While it captures glimpses of the franchise’s soul, it struggles to maintain that consistency, making its experience feel noticeably uneven throughout. A valiant effort with brilliant flashes of brilliance, but ultimately, just short of a classic.
