Tell me if this game sounds familiar: A third-person action-adventure has you scale bright yellow ledges, deploy a grappling hook when prompted, and hunt down chests filled with random crafting supplies. Some missions have stealth sections to avoid guards, who seemingly have no peripheral vision; later, combat sequences have you crouch behind cover, shooting at waves of brainless enemies. The grand finale? A dramatic escape sequence that smoothly shifts into a space battle, complete with an auto-aim system that essentially plays the game for you.
Have you guessed the game? No, Nathan Drake hasn’t been sent to a galaxy far, far away. This is my preview experience of Star Wars: Outlaws at the Summer Games Fest 2024, which left much to be desired and had me walking away less excited about Ubisoft’s upcoming title.
My hour-long demo session was spread across three distinct missions in three separate locations. These were presumably designed to showcase different elements of the game’s design but struck me as an odd demonstration of what has always been billed as an open-world experience. The first mission saw Kay and her companion Nix explore an abandoned structure. The environment was classic Star Wars—big metal walls, vast caverns, and a reactor to power up for escape. Great! But the gameplay, unfortunately, did not equal the visual charm. The platforming and exploration here felt like a checklist of AAA action-adventure staples from the 2010s; a vertical slice of “how to make a AAA action game,” void of any real creativity or freshness in the experience.
The second mission shifted to a stealth-action quest. We love those, right? Kay had to infiltrate a facility and steal… something or other. Here again, the mechanics were a letdown. Star Wars: Outlaws’ stealth system is as shallow as they come, with guards who have minimal awareness, and only limited ways of tackling any given scenario. It felt like a throwback to older games where stealth was more about following a script than engaging with intelligent AI. Enemies were predictably positioned and behaved in a scripted fashion and lacked dynamic responses to player actions.
The final mission transitioned to space combat after a brief escape from an Empire star destroyer. The seamless transition from ground to space was impressive, but the dogfighting mechanics were disappointingly simplistic. Aiming assistance made the combat feel too easy, and the experience lacked the depth seen in more recent space combat games like Star Wars: Squadrons. The space battles felt more like a formality than an engaging challenge, reducing what should have been thrilling moments into predictable sequences.
I’m aware that my critique of Star Wars: Outlaws is so far seething, which is perhaps unfair of a preview build limited in scope. There are, in fairness, some things that Outlaws does very well. As I’ve alluded to, it does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the Star Wars universe. The environments, character designs, and sound effects are top-notch, immersing players in the iconic franchise.
Again, however, this attention to detail in aesthetics does not carry over to the gameplay. Outlaws is the epitome of play-it-safe game development, sticking to well-trodden paths instead of venturing into new territory. This conservative approach might appeal to mainstream audiences and die-hard Star Wars fans, but it left me yearning for something more. There’s no question it feels dated, a game that might have won awards in 2010 but will struggle to do the same later this year.
Compared to Jedi: Fallen Order, Outlaws feels lightyears apart from those finely tuned mechanics —even if they are largely a copy of other mainstream titles too. But where Cal’s platforming was fluid and acrobatic, Outlaws feels clunky and uninspired. Pirouetting in light-saber duels against Sith Lords felt like playing out a Star Wars fantasy, while blasting enemies from cover as Kay was dull and by the numbers.
Might Outlaws’ storyline save the day here, then? It’s tricky for me to say based on my short time with the game; as mentioned before, it was rather limited in scope. Each mission did seem to have a coherent story driving it forward, but Outlaws’ female protagonist –arguably its boldest design choice–, seemed a little bland. Again, where Jedi: Fallen Order’s Cal Kestis has a distinct charm, Kay’s character felt one note, overshadowed by the legacy of Han Solo, and lacking in personality. Still, it’s early days to form a critique of her character based on what I played; she may yet prove a welcome new addition to the franchise’s lore.
Indeed, this was just a demo without full context, and there’s still time for improvements. I would be lying if I said I could shake the feeling Star Wars: Outlaws will prove a missed opportunity, though. I don’t see Ubisoft addressing these issues — many inherently woven into the core design philosophy– before the final release in August. It seems as though the game is destined as a pretty yet ultimately hollow adventure. I hope I’m wrong.
