REVIEW: Star Wars Outlaws (PS5)
August 27, 2024
Written by Jamie Galea
There’s a lot about Star Wars Outlaws that sounds like the most enticing Star Wars game in a very long time. An Ubisoft open world adventure mixed with one of the deepest lores and universes in all of media, developed by Ubisoft Massive (The Division), sounds like an absolute slam dunk in my mind. For the most part, it succeeds in being the Star Wars open world game you’ve probably always wanted, but it’s a game that feels like there could’ve been so much more.
You play as Kay Vess, a thief and hustler living on Canto Bight who sees herself wanting the next big score to earn a way off the planet and become a legend, taking on a big heist, bigger than she’s previously done. The heist predictably goes wrong, earning Kay the wrath and deathmark of Silro, the leader of the Zerek Besh syndicate. After making off with Silro’s prized ship, the Trailblazer, Kay sets off trying to clear her name and get her revenge on Zerek Besh by planning a major heist against the syndicate, becoming the legend she thinks she is.
The story is fine enough, settling on unremarkable at best, but far from the worst Star Wars story in recent memory. Though a lot of my annoyances at the tale the game tells come courtesy of Kay, who I could never really get behind as a protagonist. More often than not she comes across as frustratingly naive about the world she’s ostensibly grown up in. She often defaults to being way in over her head, and not always in a way where you want to root for the character. It feels similar to how Han Solo is portrayed in the maligned Solo prequel movie, but at the very least there’s enough charisma in the character where the false bluster mostly works and feels somewhat endearing.
Thankfully, the supporting cast does a great job complimenting the weaknesses of the protagonist. Chief among them is ND-5, a reprogrammed commando droid that has absolutely zero time for Kay. The way he manages to complement her optimism and naiveté with a level of flatness has to be heard to be believed. I don’t know if I quite agree with the internet finding ND-5 hot, but I get it, and he’s still fantastic to have around.
But while it takes a good while for ND-5 to make their debut into the story, the character you’re going to fall in love with for the longest time is the one that’s with you throughout the entire game, that being Kay’s pet merqaal, Nix. Created specifically for the game, you’re rarely without Nix as he’s an invaluable part of your journey through Star Wars Outlaws. He can open doors, hit switches, even steal from people! You can also pet Nix at any time, because this is a video game released in the modern era and people still demand the ability to pet the animal.
As to what Outlaws actually is, the best way I can describe it would be a mishmash of a bunch of different game types. On the macro level, you’ve got the Ubisoft-style of open world that’s been their bread and butter for nearly two decades, except split across several planets and smaller zones, both on and off world.
Fortunately, the Ubisoft style of piling on loads of things to do isn’t as big a deal here, but there is plenty to do if you wish to dive into it properly. For instance, there’s a detailed intel system where Kay will pick up bits of info surrounding additional credits, new skills or upgrades, new gear or even new jobs. It’s all thankfully optional, you can play a lot of the game without ever really needing to explore, but I think you’re missing out on a big part of the experience.
Each planet does a great job feeling just different enough from one another, and what there is to do in each of them is pretty enjoyable. There’s a real joy in hopping on your speeder and zipping around each environment and exploring what it has to offer, plus futzing around in each city. The fact that it made me excited to go to Tatooine, a planet that has been overrepresented in modern Star Wars, is a testament to how well Massive captured the vibe of these planets.
I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit playing the arcade games littering each city, plus taking a punt on Fathier racing, whether I have info on a rigged race or not. If I felt more confident in my card skills, I’d be diving deep into Sabacc. Of particular highlight was finding stalls selling planet specific street food and the surprisingly lengthy cutscenes of Kay and Nix eating said food. These sequences might be my actual highlight of my time playing the game. Granted, there’s not that much difference in each city, but the layouts and vibes are different enough to spend more than enough time exploring.
Linking all these planets are the presence of the Syndicates, arguably the biggest mechanic in Outlaws. Each planet is home to one or more of the major crime syndicates across the Star Wars galaxy: Crimson Dawn, the Hutt Cartel, the Pyke Syndicate. In addition, there’s also the Ashiga Clan, who are exclusive to this game. Each syndicate claims a sizable area of the planet, often where the story and side missions tend to take you. As you progress throughout the game you maintain constantly fluctuating relationships, with the idea being that you play the syndicates as much as they play you.
In theory it’s a really interesting idea. Being on good terms with a syndicate gives you mostly unfettered access to their area, additional jobs and access to their merchants. There’s some places you’ll only be able to access if you’re on better terms, but otherwise, it’s a good way to pilfer for mats and goods, and not get caught doing so. Having a positive relationship with a Syndicate can be useful, but more often than not it just feels like a convenience than a real positive, unless you’re trying to complete everything the game has to offer. There’s always another way into a syndicate’s area, so if you still want to make bank from their areas and don’t mind being sneaky, it’s worth considering.
In execution though, it leaves a lot to be desired. The main issue I have with the system is that it often feels like the narrative overrides whatever relationship you have with the syndicates. During one set of story missions, I didn’t have the best relationship with Crimson Dawn, enough that they wouldn’t let me into their area and basically wouldn’t have anything to do with me. Immediately afterwards, I met the leader of Crimson Dawn, who got along with me famously. It didn’t change my reputation with the Dawn, creating this weird disconnect – we’re cool, but not cool enough to have an increase in reputation?
It’s also when the narrative intercedes with the reputation system that it doesn’t work at all. Every so often, the game will stop and force you to make a choice that’ll benefit one Syndicate over the other. It’s presented as these massive choices, but I never really feel like any of them matter all that much in the end. It felt like a throwback to an older time in gaming where games would challenge you with these big moral plays, but they never really worked out to be anything worth a damn.
When you’re not exploring across the various planets, the bulk of the game sees you taking part in fairly standard third person action adventuring. You’re sneaking through environments, mantling and jumping across crumbling ruins or structures, and exploring for material drops to earn some credits or craft new items. Outlaws doesn’t really innovate or change much in this regard, but it’s perfectly serviceable in this regard.
When you’re not platforming, being stealthy is the ideal way to play through the game, and not just because of how often the game will fail you out if you get caught or an alarm is raised. The stealth is functional enough, with just a basic set of tools to allow you to get by. It would’ve been nice with some more, but given this is one part of a larger game, I’ll take what I can get. Fortunately, what tools Kay lacks are more than made up for with Nix, who you can send out to distract enemies to either sneak past them or take them out completely. You can even use Nix to distract someone while they’re currently looking for Kay, which is incredibly useful and has saved me more times than I’d like to admit.
It’s recommended to be as stealthy as possible, because it allows you to avoid direct combat, which leaves a lot to be desired. Kay’s sole weapon is her blaster, which has a variety of modes to tackle all sorts of enemies, be they humanoid or robotic in nature. The blaster mostly does the job, but it can be a bit cumbersome to swap modes because a robot or an enemy with a shield decided to rock up for a fight. You’ve got an adrenaline meter which fills up as combat goes along, which allows you to mark and execute enemies instantly, but depending on how you play, it can either be really easy to fill up or fill up right as combat is about to end. It also cools off when not in combat, so more often than not, you can’t keep it going between encounters.
The only way you’re able to change weapons completely is by picking up a downed enemy’s weapon for a small attack buff. Otherwise, Kay’s only other combat option, aside from blowing up explosive containers or using her fists, are grenades, but these take a few more steps to equip than is really necessary. They feel like a better option to start off a fight, rather than something useful in the middle of combat. It all makes for a style of game that should be fun and exciting, but ends up being more frustrating than anything else. Coming from the developers of the Division, which is a game with plenty of combat options and good feeling gunplay, it feels like a real step back, which is a shame.
Though I’ll take the not always great combat over the frustrating and baffling lockpicking minigame. It’s effectively a rhythm game, which in theory I’ve got no real issue with. The problem is that it often feels like the timing never really clicks in a way that makes sense. More often than not it felt like I got lucky unlocking anything, which in theory makes perfect sense! I shouldn’t always be able to successfully pick a lock, especially when I’m deep in syndicate territory, but it comes across as more frustrating than anything else.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of options to make the lockpicking and the game as a whole way more accessible and modifiable. The game opens with menu on menu of settings and toggles, allowing you to change up just about every aspect of the game. Pair this with how much of the game feels genuinely optional, and there’s absolutely no threat of you being unable to finish this game at the very least.
The game prides itself on being this cinematic adventure, to the point where one of the first options you get is to play the game in 21:9 letterboxed, giving you black borders on the top and bottom of your screen. There is a full screen option if you prefer, but I’d recommend against it unless you like everything in the game looking zoomed in. Regardless of how you choose to present the game, there’s no denying it has a great technical look to it, and there’s a joy to seeing the various planets rendered in such fidelity.
Keeping with the cinematic flair, the game features a fairly minimal interface, choosing to put the focus on the world rather than constant signposting and indicators. It works pretty well, and in a lot of ways it’s definitely the right approach, but it comes at a cost: the game can be a bit unreadable as to where you’re supposed to go next, especially when the areas can be fairly linear.
One early example sees you trying to enter Pyke territory, but because they don’t like you, you can’t just walk in. Luckily, you’re told there’s a vent nearby. It’s much more tempting to think that the underground area nearby would hold the vent, but instead, it’s literally right around the corner from the folks guarding the entrance, and I know I’m not the only person who completely missed this vent. Even with the industry standard yellow markings highlighting anything you can maneuver around or interact with, it can be a little frustrating not knowing where to start in a room with only one entrance or exit. You eventually get used to the game’s take on navigation, but it’s an early annoyance.
With all that said, I think there’s a lot to genuinely like about Star Wars Outlaws. If all you’re after is a game that has a fun enough open world to futz around in, with the added flavour of it being sci-fi themed, I think you’ll have a blast with it. It’s when you look closer into the experience that the cracks begin to show. The combat isn’t great, and it’s often better to use the not-great stealth to avoid combat as much as possible. The story is just tolerable enough. The systems that define the experience ultimately don’t add up to all that much.
And yet I had more fun with the game than I’d like to admit. The sum of its parts ultimately adds up to an enjoyable time, but one that I won’t be remembering much come the end of the year. I really do hope Massive gets another crack at this, because there’s a good game in there, just not one that stands out in any real way.
RATING: 3/5 (It’s Fine)
This game was reviewed using review code provided by the publisher. Follow Jamie on social media at @jamiemgalea
