Star Wars Outlaws Review — It’s The Wild West Out There

Star Wars Outlaws is being touted as the first-ever ‘Open World’ Star Wars title. While many could discredit this claim with the MMOs Star Wars Galaxies and The Old Republic, I think they were really leaning into it being a single-player open-world game and being the first of its kind. Powered by the Snowdrop engine, Ubisoft’s proprietary game engine, Star Wars Outlaws lets you play as Kay Vess and her trusty pet companion Nix, who are thrust into the criminal underworld of the Star Wars universe.

The game begins with a meeting of all the cartels and introduces the world of outlaws. It discusses how the Death Star was blown up, and with the Empire now primarily concerned with the rebellion, this is the perfect time for the cartels to take over under the Empire’s nose. You start on Cantonica, the homeworld to Canto Bight, known from Star Wars Episode VIII. You wake up in a cantina where you live and get work. You are recruited to steal some high-value goods from one of the biggest criminal underworld leaders in the galaxy, Sliro of the Zerek Besh crime syndicate, and this is where your adventure kicks off.

This leads to exploring the town in Star Wars Outlaws and getting acclimated to the controls. The streets are full of life, with plenty of opportunities for theft and interaction with vendors scattered throughout. The atmosphere in these areas is amazing and unlike anything I’ve experienced in a Star Wars game before. The first mission is a heist, serving as a tutorial to teach you how to use Nix to your advantage, whether for distractions or attacking patrols. This is the one last score you need to leave the planet and never look back.

Without spoiling anything, things go south, and you are forced to make a cunning escape. Just as you finish the tutorials on shooting, sneaking, and traversal (Tomb Raider style), you are on a ship making a daring escape. Excitingly, it’s here that the thrilling story of Star Wars Outlaws really begins.

After your daring escape in which you steal Ike’s prized spaceship, the Trailblazer, you end up on the planet of Toshara, where you crash land and need to repair your new ship. Not all is well, as now Ike has put a price on your head and trust is in short supply.

Once introduced to a broker, the three main criminal networks are explained. You learn the perks of having good or bad standing with these networks, such as job opportunities, being welcome in certain territories and districts, or facing kill squads if your standing hits a low point. Rewards include various skins depending on your standing with a cartel, which can include weapons, hardware access, and clothing skins.

Most missions or areas you need to infiltrate offer multiple approaches: gaining fake IDs, sneaking through tunnels, or bribing high-ranking individuals within the organization.

Stealth areas require your absolute concentration because getting caught or attacking someone will require you to start over from the last save point. Some areas will send you back to the start and require you to loot everything again, which can get frustrating. The slicing of the locks can be challenging at first but becomes a fun rhythm-type mini-game once you get the hang of it. However, I wish all lock-picking mini-games were as intuitive as Skyrim’s. Playing on the default difficulty can pose challenges, with some locks taking up to 5 minutes, but perseverance always gets you through. Gameplay options allow you to lower the difficulty of these mini-games or turn them off entirely if needed.

Nix, your trusty companion in Star Wars Outlaws, is a little ball of cuteness as well as a formidable friend when sneaking around or taking down foes while sneaking around bases. Of the main commands you can issue, simply by holding down on the L1 button, you have full control of Nix whether it’s simply distracting guards by looking cute or playing dead to viciously attacking the enemies to allow you to hit the knock-out blow. There are also quick commands that will automatically have Nix protect or attack by pressing the button once, as opposed to holding down.

Side missions can be found on random data pads during missions or while roaming the main towns, providing intel for valuable salvage. They can also be found by eavesdropping on conversations to score intel on locations, along with main missions like Syndicate Quests and Main Storyline quests. The main hub cities are filled with activities, including betting stations, merchants, tailors, mechanics, and more. When you need to leave the towns for missions or explore the outskirts, you can call your speeder at any time by pressing right on the D-pad.

Platforming involves more than just climbing from point A to B. There are variables in traversal, such as fans blowing from behind grates that can knock you off. While the game uses ‘yellow’ markings to indicate navigable areas, there is also a Nix ‘Sense’ that highlights collectible items and accessible paths.

Managing cartel standings can make accessing certain parts of the map and strongholds very difficult. Areas owned by a cartel with which you have poor standing will be difficult to gain access to. You also have to contend with the Empire, which controls some areas. If caught where you shouldn’t be, you will become wanted, and Stormtroopers will hunt you down, even blocking roads to prevent your escape. Getting caught or killed results in a loss of credits, impacting your resources. Eventually, after making contacts and getting your ship back in working order, you leave the planet and open up more space missions. The controls for these missions are simple and feel like an arcade game—fun and full of action.

Kessle Sabbac is a mini-game that takes some time to master but can be a fun distraction once you get the hang of it. The aim is to get pairs of the lowest-numbered cards, with two extra wild cards allowing you to roll a dice at the end of the round to improve your hand. I had an epic 10-round battle where I thought I was going to lose but ended up winning the pot. While it’s no Gwent, it’s a fun game with additional chips that can tax players’ tokens or let you draw without charge. There are also races you can bet on, and through gathered intel, you can determine if a race is fixed, making it easier to earn credits.

Completing Broker Contracts is the best way to increase your standing with each criminal syndicate. These missions reward credits and improve your standing with the criminal networks. However, be aware that if you fail a contract, you lose the contract loot and credits without the ability to restart from an auto-save point.

The opening world of Toshara has many territories controlled by crime syndicates. Your standing with these groups will greatly affect where and how close you can get to each hideout, as well as to Galactic Empire-controlled areas. Throughout your time in each main area, you will gather intel about various happenings on the planets and engage in almost ‘tomb raiding’ old crash sites for materials.

As soon as you are ready to leave Toshara, you are presented with a deal based on the opening mission. They want you to break in and steal the huge fortune amassed by the biggest criminal in the galaxy, who has now placed a bounty on your head. The only way to resolve this is by robbing them blind and buying your freedom. You are then introduced to new crew members and embark across the galaxy to gain the skills and means to pull off the heist of the century.

After leaving Toshara, you are tasked with travelling the galaxy to recruit a team or acquire the skills to execute the job. You can choose from three planets to visit, where you will amass a fortune and interact with the galaxy’s scum and villains. Each new planet offers a new criminal network to engage with, hopefully earning their favour.

As much as there is to do on the planets, there are numerous missions and objectives to pursue in space. Just outside each planet, there are treasures to loot and people to assist from pirates, among other activities. The game offers a lot to do in the galaxy without feeling overwhelming, unlike previous Ubisoft titles like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed. There is also an abundance of extensive customization, from clothing and weapons to dressing up Nix to maximise their cuteness. Some items offer cosmetic changes, while others provide better armour or stealth capabilities.

Combat throughout the game is fun, although it lacks a specific cover system like Gears of War, but there are still many opportunities to hide behind cover and take down enemies. Weapon upgrades increase power, finishing abilities, and cool-down effects. In addition to firefights, there’s a “Red Dead Redemption” Dead Eye skill that allows targeting up to three foes at a time, then taking them down once the meter is full, similar to an adrenaline gauge. This is also the primary defence when on your speeder, referred to as the ‘Adrenaline Rush’. Early on, you also gain access to grenades and smoke bombs, providing multiple ways to survive in the wild

Screen settings in Star Wars Outlaws include options for cinematic 21:9 or full screen and quality settings like 40fps, Performance, and Normal Quality. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t explain what each setting does, but one would assume that Performance offers a 60 fps experience while Normal Quality is 4k. I have played this on both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S, but ended up settling on PlayStation 5’s cinematic 21:9 40 fps mode, as I believe this offered the best image clarity and smoothness of all the options. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this game ran and felt on the Series S, opting for the Full Screen option as this was the only adjustment you could make. I found playing this on my 1440p monitor to look great. Although it couldn’t hold a candle to the extra options on the more powerful hardware.

In terms of controller layouts, I felt they tried to add a lot to gamepads to the point where it was almost too much. R3 acts as your ‘Action’ button, responsible for opening doors and climbing ladders, etc., while the D-pad is overloaded with equipment, Nix’s scanning ability, health, and calling your speeder. This is just a nitpick because as the game progresses, you get used to it.

Overall, Star Wars Outlaws is the Wild West Star Wars game we’ve all been waiting for. As the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, it offers plenty to do without feeling overwhelmed. Although there are many contacts, main quests, and intel to follow up on, all are optional. For those looking to get the most out of the game, there are numerous activities to engage in, credits to earn, people to betray, and exploration to undertake—just not on as grand a scale as other Ubisoft titles. I can see this being as celebrated similarly to EA’s Star Wars Jedi series, but it offers a different and unique perspective on a galaxy far, far away that only Ubisoft can present.