Not so long ago in this very galaxy, Ubisoft released an open world-game, and much of the gaming world shrugged. Perhaps you’re picturing Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla or Far Cry 6. It doesn’t really matter, and that’s the point. Many of Ubisoft’s open-world games fall victim to the same reputation: they are theme parks, hand-holding simulators, and map icon extravaganzas. Exploration, in the true sense, doesn’t exist, because Ubisoft has marked the trail (and even the hidden trails) in such a way that you don’t so much “stumble upon” adventure as you do coast along a track until you reach it. Star Wars: Outlaws looks like it just might avoid that fate.
Outlaws Might Actually Feel Like Star Wars
Handholding isn’t the only problem with the Ubisoft method. Another is the cutting and pasting of missions, locations, and ideas. The results often feel bloated rather than rich with content. Why didn’t the Star Wars: Outlaws feel that way during its gameplay showcase at the Summer Game Fest? In part, because it maintained the rhythm of an adventure. Kay Vess’s mission just flows: from accepting the assignment to boarding her ship, getting into a dogfight, plunging through Tatooine’s atmosphere, and landing in Mos Eisley, everything feels intentional. Her story feels authored, and therefore exciting, in ways that Ubisoft games rarely do.
Showcases can be misleading: they exist to show off a product, and you can bet it’s being shown in its best light. Maybe, when we get real time with the game, trespassing in Hutt Cartel territory will feel like filler. As someone who loves open-world games almost as much as I love Star Wars, Outlaws feels like what I always wanted. It feels like what Starfield wanted to be. It feels like A New Hope. Plus, watching Nix yeet himself on a guard’s head, distracting said guard long enough for Kay to land a finishing uppercut, feels Han Solo-y in the best way. Just let me be a proper scoundrel, Ubisoft. You know who shot first.
Star Wars: Outlaws will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
