I’m pretty sure I suggested Star Wars Outlaws to my friend Manky Kev when he was 14. “All the Star Wars games are about Jedi or fighter pilots. They’re the most boring ones in the entire saga,” I said, with the eloquence of a guy three times my age. “You want a game where you’re a bad guy, but you’re a good bad guy, not a Sith, and it’s open-world like GTA, and you’re Han Solo, but before he started hanging out with Jedi and fighter pilots.”
I remember this so vividly. Manky Kev threatened to kick my head in if I put out any more Star Wars patterns and the idea was lost to time. But apparently someone at Ubisoft stole it from me and all the other teenagers in the 90s who loved Star Wars and GTA and wanted to mash them up.
And yes, after decades of changing player tastes, genre convergence, and the general rise of Ubisoft’s Open World Formula™, it might seem a little odd to compare this Watch_Dogsy take on Disney’s 24th acquisition to GTA. Boss Baby. You can’t steal someone else’s speeder either. I checked and there was no prompt. Ubisoft is very serious about getting you involved in the speed bike upgrade system. Tech-savvy professional criminals like Kay Vess officially prefer to pay for a better vehicle legally rather than just steal one.
But you ~ can Explore the Star Wars galaxy (a large, walled-off area) freely aboard your trusty ship. Committing grand robberies, and relieving your appetite with petty theft. Engage in private NPC side stories about small-time gamblers. Play arcade games at a bar. Betray a local big shot. Getting to these bustling hubs is governed by pretty much the same traversal rules that govern GTA. There are vast open roads to enjoy, but others use them. Sometimes it’s the police, or someone in authority in a particular part of the galaxy, and you’ll reach a wanted level.
A vast space highway to the far reaches of space is – at least once – locked behind a story gate. Access to entire sections of the city depends on your loyalty to the faction that controls them. You work for various mobsters, rising through the criminal ranks, your journey punctuated by cutscenes directed by a du jour TV drama of the era, and filled with so much idiotic humor that you almost forget what a terrible idiot everyone is. Yes, it’s Ubi, and yes, it’s clear that much of Outlaws’ DNA comes from its stablemates. Assassin’s Creed and WatchdogBut if you want a concise summary, “Grand Theft Auto: Andor” is truly unlike anything else out there.
It’s familiar territory at this point (and arguably it may not have been quite as well-followed), but a big part of Outlaws’ appeal is its bold lack of lightsaber action. This isn’t about caped youths fighting across eternity for freedom or conquest of civilization in seemingly incompatible but often indistinguishable ways.hmm), it’s about people who have high midichlorian counts or who have to live in a Star Wars galaxy where their last name isn’t Skywalker. In short, people whose lives are messed up, but it’s even messier if they’re straight.
Kay Beth and her little lizard dog, Nyx, are not the kind of people who are likely to see or hear a lightsaber being unleashed. If Ubisoft is going to play up Peach’s core appeal here, they won’t. Or, if they do, it will only be once, and it will scare them half to death. That will be it. Should be. Likewise, the average pocket thief working on Dundee’s high street is unlikely to feel the thrust of a £3 million cruise missile, or know which buttons it presses.
They’re more Han and Chewie than Luke and Leia, but Kay and Vix aren’t tired of sneaking around. The Ubi-ness of the moment-to-moment gameplay is most prevalent on the enemy side. Naturally. There are the usual options: sneaking around stealthily (good players), shooting wildly (dumb players, complete idiots, how do you get dressed in the morning), or a covert third way where you start out with sneaky (good) intentions and then give up if the game goes badly or you miss something by being sloppy.
Your little dog, Nix, takes the place of the drones and gadgets in Watch_Dogs 2. Assassin’s Creed Eagle vision. He can open doors, distract bad guys, and give you a headache that makes important things shine. But unlike the Ubisoft tropes he replaces, he’s a cute baby, and I want to hug him and give him snacks.
And that’s it. Really. Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft’s take on Star Wars. You probably already instinctively know whether or not it’s your glass of blue milk, but I can offer this as an additional insight. Outlaws had barely any impact on my release schedule until this hands-on session. I didn’t necessarily think it would be bad, but the prospect wasn’t exciting. Perhaps it’s because it represents the heart of franchise fatigue, where Ubisoft’s much-maligned open-world template has been applied to media properties that have gone into production in recent years with wildly varying results. Whatever the reason, we were there.
But now? I’m excited. I can’t wait to really dive in. The little vertical slice we played (two distinct environments, a mix of urban and open-space gameplay, light space combat, and one hyperspace jump) definitely looked and felt like the Star Wars game of my childhood dreams. that It’s a lasting impression that has pierced decades of tempered expectations. Whether it will be the monkey’s paw remains to be seen. As always, we will reserve judgment until we review it.
Star Wars Outlaws launches August 30th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
