A major selling point ofStar Wars Outlawsis that the game doesn’t go for a typical Jedi experience, but the lack of one feature makes protagonist Kay Vess even more of a stickler for the rules than the Jedi are. As an opportunist on the wrong side of the law, Kay Vess starts the game much more interested in acquiring credits than taking down the Empire. She’s not especially cold-blooded, and the game provides plenty ofopportunities to pet creaturesand help people, but upholding any kind of order across the galaxy could hardly be further from her interests.
AlthoughStar Wars Outlawsbreaks up its gameplay loop with plenty of different objectives, stealing is one thing that Kay Vess tends to do pretty consistently. Valuables are left lying around on tables or tucked into chests that can beopened with a bit of lockpicking, and pawning off items found throughout the world is, aside from some luck at the Sabacc table, the best way to raise funds for upgrades.For the most part, theft is easy inStar Wars Outlaws, but the game doesn’t allow it in some situations that seem like obvious opportunities.
Star Wars Outlaws Review: Dazzling Hives Of Scum & Villainy
Star Wars Outlaws focuses on a grimier, seedier side of the universe with a rich, detailed open world that features both new and legacy characters.
Kay Can’t Steal Speeders In Star Wars Outlaws
Kay’s Way Too Loyal To Her Own Vehicle
The world ofStar Wars Outlawsis filled to the brim with speeders, butit’s not possible to hop on unattended speeders and take them out for a spin. Over-the-ground transport instead centers around Kay’s own bike, which can be summoned to her side in typical video game mount fashion. Kay’s speeder certainly gets the job done when it comes to transportation, but locking her off from using any other speeders feels needlessly restrictive and locks off a lot of potential spontaneity in the game.
The omission is particularly striking when comparingStar Wars Outlawsto theStar Warsfilms, whereeven the Jedi aren’t above commandeering vehicles. Anakin’s heroic moment inThe Phantom Menacestems from illicitly flying an N-1 Starfighter, for example, and he appropriates a speeder for the Coruscant chase inAttack of the Clones, which Obi-Wan doesn’t complain about after dropping into the vehicle soon after. If Kay’s attempting to make the cut in a galaxy of scum and villainy, it’s bizarre that she holds herself to higher standards than the Jedi did during the late reign of the Republic.
Star Wars Outlaws Isn’t A Grand Theft Auto Sandbox
An Open World With Limited Opportunities
Although it’s tempting to compareStar Wars Outlawsto a space opera take onGrand Theft Auto, the lack of casual vehicle theft immediately shuts down a key aspect of the comparison. The game lacks the same sandbox impulses in general, focusing principally on reasonably linear stealth missions and side content that idly bounces Kay between objectives. There’s nothing wrong with a difference in priorities, butwhen it comes to things that feel like arbitrary boundaries,Star Wars Outlawscould be improved by letting loose just a little bit more.
Star Wars Outlaws Does This One Thing Better Than Starfield
Star Wars Outlaws and Starfield both feature open-world exploration between a variety of planets, but one key feature sets these experiences apart.
Another big limitation of the speeder experience is how gunfights are handled, asKay’s usage of her blaster is limited while on her speeder. There’s no way to casually fire shots, with the only option lying in a slow-motion mode that allows her to select multiple enemies to blast. Add in a tendency for the speeder to come to a violent halt at the slightest environmental hurdle, and it can be hard to get into a natural flow where speeder gameplay feels like the dynamic traversal it should.
Slow-motion shot setups can be triggered through activating the Adrenaline Rush ability, which has a refill meter indicated on the bottom of the screen.
It makes sense thatStar Wars Outlawsisn’t fully embracing the anarchic glee ofGrand Theft Auto, asStar Warstends to be a relatively family-friendly property where even the most flawed protagonists have a lot of fundamental good in them. All the same, if the game isn’t going toallow some basic criminal activities, it might do better to spend less time rubbing them in Kay’s face. Walking past landspeeders right there for the taking is a uniquely painful feeling, and even the most righteous in theStar Warsuniverse might laugh at Kay’s reluctance to take a chance.
Star Wars Outlaws
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game where players hop into the scoundrel boots of Kay Vess, a woman who travels the galaxy Looking for a better life. Together with her furry partner Nix and new allies she meets along the way, Kay will navigate the various landscapes, towns, and planets across the galaxy while outsmarting both Crime Syndicates and the Empire.
