Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Thanks to the information given at a special event organised by Ubisoft recently, we had the chance to preview Star Wars Outlaws, which will be released on 30 August. I’m very excited to share what we’ve been told and what we’ve seen. I’ll start sharing it quickly without making you wait.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview

Outlaws, the first open world game set in the Star Wars universe, takes us to a galaxy far, far away. Set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the adventure follows the story of Kay Vess and her formidable sidekick Nix.

Star Wars Outlaws Story

We have to say from the beginning that this is a bit different from the Star Wars stories we know. As Kay Vess, a character trying to be on the good side, we have to experience her lawlessness while at the same time surviving among the most ruthless lords of the galaxy.

The Rebels have retreated into the background after losing the battle of Hoth. The Empire is gaining more and more power in the galaxy, but this creates a space for criminal activity and criminal organisations. Kay, who we can call a bandit, thief or outlaw, has the most suitable environment to steal a spaceship, which is her biggest dream.

Star Wars Outlaws introduces Kay Vess, a fugitive trying to survive in the galactic underworld. Kay is attempting to pull off one of the biggest heists in the Outer Rim, but she also has a plan to overcome the reach of the Empire, the grip of the Syndicates, and her past. One of her biggest dreams is to start a new life with the proceeds from the heist.

Kay must navigate the underworld and various criminal organisations, making choices that will affect her reputation, experience and support throughout the game. Depending on the missions you perform, you will gain various friends and enemies. Of course, it is also possible that this will result in rewards that will be placed on your head. The idea of being pursued by the notorious criminals of the galaxy sounds exciting enough.

Given the story’s place in the Star Wars universe, I believe that Star Wars Outlaws will be a single production like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which means the narrative will need to be very strong, and from what I’ve seen, it’s proving to be a well-crafted story.

Star Wars Outlaws Gameplay

Although Kay has many tools that she can use during the game, such as a grappling hook, only her weapon was shown to us in the presentation. The first use of the blaster, which has three modules, is the plasma module. Although it is the most preferred module to deal damage, there are situations where it is useless or less useful. For example, an enemy using a shield. In such cases, the ion module becomes especially effective against disabling shields or overcharging droids. Third and lastly, there is the stun module. Sometimes there are situations where we need to move forward only by stunning our enemy without making a mess. Under such circumstances, the stun module is the most ideal. However, the weapon has a cooling time after use. For this reason, we should prefer to use it strategically instead of using it for everyone.

And, of course, there’s our travelling companion, Nixx. She makes up for our hero’s shortcomings. With some unique skills that perfectly complement the situation, from helping to scout the area to fetching weapons or items, distracting and even jumping into battle with you, Nixx is always there to support Kay.

Missions

The Relic

In the episode we were shown, we saw three missions. The first one was to infiltrate the Crimson Dawn region to make allies and retrieve the item stolen from the Yashiga Clan in the wreckage.

The Wreck

Part of the second mission reminded me of the famous train scene in Uncharted. In order to retrieve a tracker navigation device, we had to escape from a collapsing wreckage. In a non-stop run, we were able to reach the result by realising a very high level of excitement.

False Flag

In the last mission, we enter the depths of space. Against the Imperial Forces patrolling here, we got into a dogfight against the Tie Fighters with our own ship Trailblazer. But not in an empty space. As we move in the direction we are travelling, we have to try to survive and destroy our enemies while moving through the wreckage of previously blown up ships and wreckage from past wars.

While performing the missions, there are also some points that we need to pay attention to. For example, no alarms should be activated. For this reason, the fainting feature of the weapon I mentioned above is very useful. And sometimes our fists. However, we should not forget our close friend Nixx. Many times it gives us great advantages to complete our missions. For example, distracting a Stormtrooper.

Star Wars Outlaws also features a reputation and search system. The reputation system updates itself depending on the decisions we make and the missions we take. In the demo I saw, after completing a mission, the word “Wanted” suddenly appeared on the screen. Grand Theft Auto series came to my mind for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would say “Busted” when we die.

Interaction with the Environment

Even though the game is open world, I had some problems with communication with the environment. It seems that our interaction with the environment does not go beyond shooting and blowing up the oil barrels around. Of course, this may be related to the limited demo we saw. However, I found it a bit strange that an Emperor officer who falls on the control panel after being shot down stands there without any effect.

When I thought of the environment, I also thought of planets. Ubisoft wasn’t kidding when they said they were building a massive open world Star Wars game. Although Outlaws prefers closed areas for missions, we can travel around the planets by jumping on our spaceship Trailblazer.

Graphics

I don’t know if I need to write much about it: It is a Star Wars game after all. Whatever I see will make me happy. However, I was very impressed by the huge landscapes in the intertwined story that we can progress both individually and by using vehicles. Also, travelling with our ship in the endless void of space looks very enjoyable. However, I have to say that all this is from the third point of view. I don’t think I would prefer a different point of view in a Star Wars game.

The trace left by the bullet when we shoot, the reflections of the explosions are quite impressive. While entering the atmosphere of a planet, the burning in front of our ship is not neglected. Although it looks like the 2010s graphically, I will see the real experience when I install it on my computer.