Can you survive this wretched hive of scum and villainy?

Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.

Star Wars Outlaws is a very different Star Wars game than we are used to. It’s open world, you aren’t a Jedi, Sith or even part of the Resistance or Empire. You play as Kay Vess, a wannabe-thief that becomes the most wanted by the biggest crime family in the galaxy. You are joined by creature companion Nix who can help distract enemies, steal, as well as activate switches for you at critical moments to name a few of their helpful abilities.

Instead of duelling lightsabers, Kay will have to contend with her blaster, but she can also use imperial weapons until they run out of ammo. The game does give sometimes give you the option of going in guns blazing, but sometimes will force stealth on you in certain areas. You’ll also be equipped with a grappling hook to climb or swing from specific places.

Kay can get around each planet on her speeder and travel between planets in her stolen ship, both of which are upgradeable. The speeder is a joy to drive, though I wish you didn’t have to wait for a meter to charge before you can target bandits with your blaster.

The game’s formula doesn’t divert much from a typical Ubisoft open world one, which isn’t the worst crime out there. You’ll find plenty of side-quests to do, outposts to explore and tons of items to collect. You’ll also have to contend with pleasing different factions, making choices that will possibly give you a bad reputation with some, making certain areas tougher to get through. On the flip side, if you have a  good reputation with one, you’ll get free access to their areas (with the exception of their restricted areas)

Besides the main game and side-quests, there are a good number of other things to keep you occupied. You can gamble on races, play arcade games, compete in card tournaments and so on. I did feel overwhelmed at first with the scale of the planets and the content on each, but it soon became second nature to travel and explore as much as possible. There are certain areas you can’t get through without specific upgrades, so it’s probably best to wait until you have them before trying to nab every collectible you can spot.

I was impressed with the story and while I didn’t like the forced stealth sections, I can understand why they are there. Climbing and traversing can be a bit fiddly at times, but I’ve come across far worse over the years. The game gives you choices on performance with framerate options, I chose the better framerate one as I always do. But while the 30/40 FPS ones do look good, I was still amazed by how good the 60 FPS looked.

The visuals are impressive in either of the 3 modes. Character models are nicely animated and detailed. Each planet looks incredible and are each unique in their design. Voice-acting feels authentic enough for a Star Wars game, as is the soundtrack, which too is very well done.

The Verdict

While it can feel a bit janky in places, Star Wars Outlaws is a superb open-world adventure from beginning to end. It may not deviate too much from the Ubisoft open-world formula, but it works surprisingly well here. The Force is definitely strong with this one…

Score: 8.5