When it comes to Star Wars games, they’ve typically had you playing as Jedi, Stormtroopers, bounty hunters or something in between. However, for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft has decided to go with a more grounded story where you play as a scoundrel navigating your way through the seedy criminal underworld of the Star Wars universe.
According to Ubisoft, the game is about:
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, an emerging 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.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-11.jpg Star Wars Outlaws The gameplay for Star Wars Outlaws will feel very familiar to those who have played Ubisoft’s open-world action-adventure games such as the Watch Dogs, Far Cry series etc. The feel of the game is almost like you’re playing a Watch Dogs game but in space, which can be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-30.jpg Star Wars Outlaws The game has you playing as Kay Vess (portrayed by fellow Canadian, Humberly González) as you explore various open-world environments on galactic planets such as Toshara, Kijimi, Akiva and Tattooine.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sachin-with-humberly-gonzalez-web-03.jpghttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sachin-with-humberly-gonzalez-web-06.jpg To travel to and from these planets and across them, you have a couple of vehicles at your disposal. To get between planets, you have a spaceship called the Trailblazer.
To get across planets, you’ll have a speeder bike. Both your ship and speeder can be upgraded at various merchants in the game.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-26.jpghttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-51.jpg Kay Vess can take on enemies in several ways, including using her trusty blaster (which has several different firing modes including a stun option or plasma), bombs and melee. Kay also has an Adrenaline ability that will charge up during combat and when used, will trigger a time-slowing effect, almost like the Dead Eye system from the Red Dead Redemption series to target and take out multiple enemies. The Adrenaline ability can be used either while on Kay’s speeder bike or when pinned up against enemies. Kay also has a grappling hook, a slicing kit for hacking, a data spike for unlocking doors and chests and more.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-33.jpg Star Wars Outlaws She also has a trusty companion, Nix, who can fetch items, distract, use buttons & levers or you can just give him a couple of pets for being a good boy. Similar to the Eagle Vision in the Assassin’s Creed series, Nix also has a Nix Sense which you can use by holding up on a D-pad and he’ll highlight items and enemies near you.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-18.jpghttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-42.jpghttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-47.jpghttps://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-55.jpg Similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, Star Wars Outlaws has a wanted system. If you are caught committing crimes against the Empire, you’ll be put on a wanted list. Depending on your wanted level, the Empire will send out different levels of troopers to arrest or neutralize you.
To remove your wanted level, it might be as simple as hiding out of sight for a bit if it’s a low-level crime. If it’s a higher level, you might need to bribe a corrupt Imperial officer, hack an Imperial terminal or defeat Deathtroopers.
As you progress through the game, you can unlock more abilities with the Experts system. Basically to unlock some more skills, you’ll need to find specific items or complete certain tasks.
Another big part of the game is the Reputation System, which shows you your relationship with different crime syndicates like Crimson Dawn, The Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Cartel and the Ashiga Clan.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-32.jpg Star Wars Outlaws Your reputation level will change how syndicates will interact with Kay, if you have a good reputation with Crimson Dawn, they’ll let you walk into their controlled areas or give you certain rewards. Meanwhile, if you have a bad rep with the Hutt Cartel, there’ll be more negative consequences. It’s worth mentioning that your reputation with the syndicates will fluctuate throughout the game, so don’t worry about keeping one happier than the other.
One gripe I had with the game is that sometimes when on a mission and the game is asking you to do something, it doesn’t give you very clear instructions. For example, one mission had Kay finding a way into a crime syndicate boss’ room. The mission marker just led me to where the room was vaguely located but no clear indication of where I needed to go.
Beyond the main story, there are side quests and activities to take part in. You can go gambling or even just take in a meal with Nix, which comes with its own little quick-time event.
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From a visual standpoint, Star Wars Outlaws looks great. The game is running at up to 4K resolution on Xbox Series X with HDR.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-review-screenshot-4k-web-31.jpg Star Wars Outlaws The different environments in Star Wars Outlaws looked amazing. There are a lot of details with bustling cities with mostly crowded markets filled with human and alien creatures. It feels like you’re truly walking around within the Star Wars universe.
https://thecanadiantechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/star-wars-outlaws-screenshot-web-08.jpg Star Wars Outlaws The game does feature several different graphics modes including, Quality, Performance and a Favor Quality (40fps) option. In the standard quality mode, the game runs at 4K 30fps, I found myself playing the game at the Favor Quality (40fps) option to get the mix of both worlds.
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