Star Wars: Outlawsthe first open-world game set in the universe of Star Warsrepresents an ambitious attempt to Ubisoft to expand the franchise in a new direction. Despite high expectations, the game manages to balance moments of great atmosphere with design choices which, in some cases, reduce its potential. Let’s look in more detail at the strengths and weaknesses of this title definitely not to be missed for every fan of the saga created by George Lucas.
Not everything is legal
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back And Return of the JediStar Wars: Outlaws puts us in the shoes of Kay Vessan outlaw trying to escape the influence of the Empire. The game world includes five planets explorable, each with a unique setting: from the sands of Tatooine to the vibrant Myrrh on Akiva, passing through the icy Kijimi City. These locations are brought to life by a design that captures the essence of the distant galaxy, creating a sense of immersion that is one of the game’s strongest points.
The story is well written and offers some interesting narrative momentsbut it is sometimes predictable. The moral choices Kay faces influence her relationship with different factions, offering a reputation system which adds depth to interactions, though it doesn’t quite reach the impact of similar systems seen in other RPG games.
Tempting, but not innovative
The Gameplay from Star Wars: Outlaws it’s variedwith sections ranging from exploration to pure action. The game offers a mix of stealth phases, firefights and platforming moments. The stealth sections, in particular, see Kay collaborating with her partner Noxan animal that can distract enemies or sabotage security systems. However, theartificial intelligence of the enemies often leaves much to be desiredwith predictable behaviors that reduce challenge and engagement in these sections.
THE fightson the other hand, are more dynamicthanks to a variety of weapons and modules that Kay can use to adapt to different situations. Despite the presence of a fair amount of variety in enemies and approaches to combat, the system is very reminiscent that of other Ubisoft gameslike Watch Dogswithout particularly innovating. The exploration phases, although pleasant, suffer from a sense of already seenwith platforming mechanics that add nothing truly new to the genre.
The open world of Star Wars: Outlaws is vast and richly detailed, but its structure shows some weaknesses. The main missions are interspersed with numerous secondary activitiesincluding minigames like Sabacc and Fathier races, which add variety to the experience. However, these activities often lack depth and are reduced to fillers rather than real opportunities to enrich the story or gameplay.
The secondary missions, while contributing to expanding the narrative universe of the game, do not always manage to be memorable or stand out for their originality. Furthermore, the lack of innovation in mission design and in the management of the open world dynamics it ensures that the game cannot detach itself from some of the most common clichés of the genre.
Technical aspect
From a technical standpoint, Star Wars: Outlaws offers a graphics that alternates moments of great beauty visual to less curated sectionsThe lighting and particle effects are well done, but some elements of the game world, such as the texture or character animation, can be datedespecially on next-gen platforms like PS5 and Xbox Series X. The soundtrackalthough not as memorable as those in the movies, manages to capture the atmosphere of Star Wars, adequately accompanying the various phases of the adventure.
Star Wars: Outlaws is therefore a title that, despite its ambitions, fails to emerge as a masterpiece within the gaming landscape. The game offers a well-finished setting and an engaging story, but is penalized by some conservative design choices and a lack of innovation in the gameplay. Fans of Star Wars There are certainly things to like, but those looking for a revolutionary open world experience may be disappointed.
In short, a interesting but imperfect experimentwhich paves the way for possible future chapters that could better exploit the potential of this beloved galaxy.
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