Star Wars Outlaws Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Star Wars Outlaws boldly tackles two things that could sink most games in 2024: A license as historically important as Star Wars and an open-world sandbox within that universe.

A third-person open-world romp from developer Massive Entertainment and publisher Ubisoft, Outlaws introduces new characters and aims to offer an immersive experience within some of the universe's familiar haunts.

But Outlaws' focus on immersion and steering clear of action-heavy, colorful lightsaber combat puts an emphasis on other things, like depth to locales, RPG-like progression, conversations and reputations, and genre trappings such as wanted systems.

As such, the task is even harder than it sounds—avoiding just-another-Ubisoft-open-world-game accusations won't be easy.

And yet, Outlaws is very, very much more than a simple new coat of paint on a tired formula, which players will find out quickly as the breakneck narrative gets them into the story quickly.

Graphics and Gameplay

Star Wars Outlaws was clearly never going to have any problems in the visuals and presentation department. A project as big as this, spanning a license as important as this, was always going to flirt with best-in-class presentation.

Still, Star Wars Outlaws impresses despite those lofty expectations. There's a staggering level of detail in pretty much anything that appears on screen, be it small fabric or hair sways on a character, impressive facial animations and lighting, reflections and shows that make up anything from a forested area to a brightly lit, stormtrooper-heavy hallway.

Sound design is top-notch too, for the varied voice acting to the staggering musical score and the moody, even whimsical vibes that accompany most scenes. When players aren't scanning detailed environments, the density of populated areas to the draw distances on more open-ended locales presents some of the best variety and immersion in gaming.

Along the way, main character Kay Vess negotiates the world with melee attacks, blasters, grapple hooks, vehicles and spaceships.

In combat, Vess is something of a scoundrel with an almost impossibly good shot against some rather questionable A.I. enemies. The latter point isn't the end of the world, though, given, well, the infamous struggles of Stormtroopers and their ilk to do anything right. That said, shooting combat does seem to lack a punch and feels a little floaty.

It also helps that straight-up combat is very much not the intended or more enjoyable route through Star Wars Outlaws.

Rather, this is more of a stealth-based experience. Yes, Kay has an Adrenaline ability for a bullet-time-esque slowdown effect. There, she marks targets like past Splinter Cell games before unleashing a rain of laser fire that mows through enemies.

Speaking of Splinter Cell, the stealth aspect of the game is refreshingly good in the sense that players can avoid detection, yes, but also pickpocket, tamper with security and more. Oh, and that includes a lockpicking minigame that is about as fun as Sam Fisher's minigames of old.

There's something meaningful, perhaps even vulnerable, about being unable to simply press a win button in the form of a lightsaber when things go wrong. Kay can't take that many hits before death, and her weapons aren't that strong, which encourages a gritty, grounded-feeling experience. Surviving in the Star Wars universe for a scavenger with a pet just wouldn't be all that simple, and it makes for compelling gameplay—and, more importantly, immersion.

The grappling hook for traversal is an obvious idea, though swinging and climbing, while fun at times, feels a little played out with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in the rearview mirror. It is the very familiar "hop on the yellow painted ledges" sort of traversal at times, complete with Assassin's Creed animations.

While doing all of this, Kay has a cute little companion named Nix that scans, interacts, distracts and even attacks—with scan effectively providing the player wallhacks to see things while avoiding detection. It feels like a fun expansion of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's BD-1 companion and makes sense as an aide to Kay.

Kay also uses a speeder bike to get around worlds and can partake in space combat when off-planet. Both control just fine, though it's important to keep in mind that the latter isn't trying to be as strictly simulation as some of the dogfighting space games of the past.

With boots on the ground, Star Wars Outlaws very much lives up to its "open world" aspirations with genre staples such as a "wanted" system that is effectively what it sounds like. To shake the heat, players can do things like hide or bribe NPCs.

Along those same lines, there are plenty of side activities like speeder races, arcade cabinets, gambling on events and even a card game. Will anything rival Gwent or playing a round of poker in Red Dead Redemption? Maybe not, but partaking in the little delights of the universe is, well, a delight.

All of the above creates an incredibly immersive experience on a moment-to-moment basis. There are some video-gamey hiccups that are forgivable, like how quickly Kay, a random stranger, gets involved with so many factions and people so quickly. But for players who wanted to just live the life of a character in the universe and get lost in the back street and yawning open spaces of these destinations, this is as good as it gets.

Story and More

Star Wars Outlaws takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Given that, Outer Rim black markets and crime syndicates are naturally surging at near-peak levels for the universe.

Which is perfect for the narrative, where Kay crash lands into all of it and, like names such as Han Solo, prioritizes cash while adhering to a well-defined moral code.

The story is fast-paced and engaging, especially because Star Wars Outlaws works hard to show players that their role and decisions have tangible impacts on the worlds and even greater universe.

There are dialogue trees that can impact how missions play out. Paired with multiple ways to actually tackle some missions physically via entry points, then deciding on stealth or otherwise, the feeling of player agency is immense.

More to the point of decisions mattering, a reputation system built into the narrative across four different factions plays a role in everything. It feels like almost every notable action has an impact on faction reputation bars.

To that end, each faction has different locations, shops, discounts and missions up for grabs based on how Kay interacts with them. Thankfully, this is at least a little meaningful beyond simple percentage boosts in shops—a bad enough reputation will result in a faction sending enemies at the player.

Overall progression won't shock players—earn credits to buy stuff and use upgrade trees for Kay and Nix to make them stronger. Enhancing weapons, vehicles and ships is also on the menu.

Improving weapons is actually deeper than simple percentage buffs across the board, too. There are basic plasma attachments for raw damage, yes. But there's also a stunning attachment or even one that is more effective against barriers, so intel before fights can be key in formulating the right loadout for a task.

Players can also complete assignments to earn new abilities and skills. This impressively goes beyond simple "click buttons on skill trees" too. Players can only find these specific assignments from "experts" around the galaxy, which helps the sense of exploration and the rewarding feeling of actually earning an ability.

Customization and player agency extend to visuals, too. Players can throw charms and new attire on Kay and Nix, and in the former's case, there is already a transmog system that allows players to wear their favorite styles and not need to wear something they don't like merely for the stats.

Star Wars Outlaws does fall into some of the modern-gaming traps of setting itself up for criticism via a season pass that includes missions and story packs.

And while pre-release material pounded the table all the time about a seamless transition from surface to orbit in Star Wars Outlaws, well, it's true. That's impressive and as a whole, the game runs well and comes packed with layers of options menus.

Conclusion

Those worried can breathe a sigh of relief—Star Wars Outlaws isn't just the latest Ubisoft open-world game in the same vein as Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, etc., albeit with a new coat of licensed paint.

Star Wars Outlaws is very much its own thing and impressively never feels like it routes players into checklists that must be done. Side content is there for players to explore, but hardly mandatory. And the majority of that side content? It's fantastic and immersive.

More importantly, Star Wars Outlaws offers a stunning side to a universe fans don't get to see that often—to the point of effectively living in it. And the vulnerable stealth-out-of-need emphasis is a pleasant surprise that fits the likable new characters and fun narrative.

There are nitpicks, like so-so enemy A.I. behavior, sure. But Star Wars Outlaws is a seriously impressive undertaking that does its subject and fans justice with a level of immersion that players could lose hundreds of hours to while clamoring for what might be next—and how other studios might be able to do similar IPs this fantastic of an experience.