take the air out of a cantina on Toshara and coming across some arcade cabinets in a rundown saloon . Playing Sabacc nestle away in a wickedness , snowy quoin of Kijimi . Slowly riding my speeder through the Brobdingnagian sand dune of Tatooine . These modest , placid moments ofStar Wars Outlawsare the 1 that dumbfound with me the most .
While some games likeStar Wars Jedi : Survivorhave flirted with clear - ended orbit , Star Wars Outlawsis the most explicitly open - world Star Wars game yet and is at its best when it leans into those sandbox element . It ’s merriment control your human relationship with factions , shift sides when it benefits you . It ’s thrilling to research several well - realized planets , including ones whose movies did n’t do them Department of Justice , like Kijimi fromThe Rise of Skywalker .
WhereStar Wars Outlawsstarts to falter more is when it narrows itself down . The fight , narrative , and linear missions have their moments but are n’t nearly as piquant as whenStar Wars Outlawslets players loose in its sandbox . That leave me conflicted about what ’s ultimately an uneven , though enjoyable , Star Wars game . It ’s worth playing if you care the estimate of live out a smuggler fancy in an open - world Star Wars sandpit . If you ’re only planning on its main story charge , though , it ’s not nearly as polished as its more linear peers . But do n’t ignoreStar Wars Outlaws ‘ small moments ; that ’s where its heart is .
Scum and villainy
Star Wars Outlawsfollows a smuggler named Kay Vess as she gather a bunch across several different planet to commit off a armed robbery against one of the wealthiest men on Canto Bight . Like most holdup - based narratives , it ’s full of twists , treachery , and surprising alliances . Kay Vess is a strong central character , backed up by a rattling performance from Humberly González that matches the charisma of Alden Ehrenreich ’s take on Han inSolo : A Star Wars Story .
Outlawsrushes the introductions of most other side characters .
Kay has a naiveness about the universe that we have n’t seen from a Star Wars protagonist before . That make scenes when she encounters characters like Jabba the Hutt more interesting because I was n’t quite sure how Kay would react or encounter the situation . Unfortunately , Star Wars Outlawsis get down by the fact that the rest of its ensemble is n’t as warm . I enjoy the droid ND-5 and animal sidekick Nix , Kay ’s primary companions , because they get the most CRT screen time and consecrated scenes together ( ones where Kay and Nix eat food together are exceptional standouts ) .
Outlawsrushes the intromission of most other side character , act as if we should already know who they are or just worry about get to know them afterwards . That injure becauseOutlawsultimately building toward an ensemble taradiddle . Some late - game betrayals did n’t touch me much because I never felt like I truly have sex some of the character postulate .
WhileStar Wars Outlawsdoesn’t escape the Rebels versus Empire narrative clichés of most Star Wars media set in this earned run average , it at least dodge off from being a Jedi - sharpen story , which is refreshing . Kay Vess certainly realize a spot in the pantheon of iconic Star Wars characters , but the narrative service does n’t hand the heights of Walt Disney - earned run average Star Wars great likeStar war Jedi : SurvivorandAndor .
This is where the fun begins
Star Wars Outlaws’better story moments are the ones that you make yourself . This is an open - Earth plot , after all . I ’ll retrieve when I accidentally strike a stormtrooper with a speed demon or at random stumbled on Lando in an Akivan casino more than any of the main write up set pieces . That ’s because the world intent and minigames ofStar Wars Outlawsare the plot ’s greatest strengths . I even hump its lockpicking and hacking minigames , which is a curiosity in this mode of game .
Other minigames , like Sabacc , are every bit entertaining . Pulling off contracts or other side quests for Syndicates leads to great emergent minute . I got get right as I set a spying machine in the dominion of a Syndicate that care me . Later , I made it to a cargo drop - off point in compass with second to save in a thrilling moment . Those are what trade the Star Wars phantasy more than anything .
That belief exsert to the actual stars . In addition to shooting on the terra firma , players get to navigate a starship as well — and even blast other ships . The sky combat is simple yet very polished , and the vista around its planet are a lot more interesting than those in games likeNo Man ’s SkyorStarfield . It ’s the sort of out quad experience so many studio apartment have dreamed of , but fetch to lifespan in the circumstance of Star Wars .
Outlaws ‘ onward motion system is build around that curiosity and exploration , as it encourages player to dynamically find experts across its planets and pure gameplay objectives to gain new ability at their leisure time . That also pairs with the Syndicate relationship scheme , as Kay ’s actions all gain and fall back her favor with the Pykes , Hutts , Crimson Dawn , and Ashiga Clan . These systems do n’t tie in with the main story as much as I would care , but they ’re engaging enough to toy around with in the sandpile . If I were n’t reviewingStar Wars Outlaws , I ’d have probably put off finishing the principal tale even longer than I did so I could make certain I explored every corner and cranny of this universe .
A fine addition to my Star Wars game collection
There ’s sure enough a dissonance between those two part of the game . At times , Star Wars Outlawsis quite an emergent sandbox . At others , it ’s a frustratingly linear experience with dull Uncharted - similar platforming and environmental puzzles and lots of instant - fail stealth section . This style of stealth , in particular , has been out of fashion in Ubisoft ’s ownAssassin ’s Creed seriesfor years , so I ’m surprise it ’s so prevalent here . Even then , combat is only fair to middling because the gunplay is a bit clunky .
Like Han Solo , Kay Vess use a individual chargeman in battle . Star Wars Outlawstakes a page out ofControl’splaybook by allowing players to raise and customise this chargeman in a lot of different ways . lamentably , it just does n’t feel nearly as right to sprout with strong-growing yet inaccurate objective assist and a general lack of impact with each gibe .
Thankfully , Nix is there to give Kay an boundary in battle as he can assail enemies or determine off some explosive in combat arena . That only belong so far during a battle , though . Kay is frail , so it ’s better to filch rather than defend forefront - on . Still , even just comparing this to other Ubisoft biz , that stealing is n’t as enjoyable as it is in anAssassin ’s Creedor Splinter Cell game , and the shooting does n’t match The Division or Far Cry .
That ’s why I ’m at last long for a version ofStar warfare Outlawsthat ’s better than it actually is . Or , more accurately , I ’m wishing it were more focused on its sandbox strengths . It ’s stuck judge to be both Uncharted and Red Dead Redemption , but it does itself a disservice by not perfecting one of those overture . I could see a great Star Wars game in the starring world design and emergent moments that truly put me in the shoe of a smuggler . AnytimeStar Wars Outlawsallowed me to live that phantasy , I was happy to be in its orbit . But so often , it left me hanging in the air lock .
Star Wars Outlawswas test on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
