Massive Entertainment’s ambitious dive into the galaxy’s criminal underworld delivers a rich narrative and immersive setting, giving fans the quintessential Star Wars smuggler experience.

As someone who’s been crazy for all things Star Wars, I’ve always yearned for an open-world Star Wars experience for this generation (yes, I know the Lego Games offer this and more!).

While we’ve gotten close to seeing the larger world with Jedi Survivor and Fallen Order, Star Wars Outlaws marks Ubisoft Massive’s ambitious entry into the beloved universe, offering players the chance to explore the galaxy’s seedy underworld and uncover its stories.

What really drew me in, however, is Ubisoft Massive’s storytelling, which captivated me enough to fully experience the world the studio has built. Without a shadow of a doubt, Outlaws is made by Star Wars fans for Star Wars fans.

Star Wars Outlaws is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a time when the galaxy is under the tightening grip of the Empire. The story follows Kay Vess, a scoundrel and thief who has been alone for some time, accompanied by her loyal companion, Nix—the only creature she completely trusts.

What I loved about the story is that Kay is just a little speck in a galaxy far, far away and the story focuses on her in the context of things happening in the background but the game doesn’t need to tell you this. She doesn’t want to get involved with the rebels nor does she have any love for the empire. Almost sounds like another smooth talking rogue we all know and love.

The opening sequence of the game puts you in this rich hand crafted world and this even saw me getting distracted from the tutorial mission just to snoop around and hear conversation of the NPCs.

The game doesn’t tell you this but exploring is its own reward to net you some extra valuables and credits that you can find or, steal using the adorable Nix and in the opening act alone, you learn more about Kay from NPCs not associated with the story. The most you learn is that Kay is down on her luck and down on her promises.

After a heist gone wrong and making enemies with the crime syndicate, Zerek Besh, Kay steals a spaceship, then crashes it on the remote moon of Toshara but they’re not done. Kay Vess needs a big score to settle things. This opportunity comes through another scoundrel, Jaylan, a ring master of sorts who has his own personal score to settle with Zerek Besh.

Kay Vess is then accompanied with the commando droid ND-5 who is there to assist her, and also end her should she detract from the plan. I was afraid that we would have too many characters to care about but I genuinely fell in love with ND-5 and the dynamic between him and Kay as the story moves along. Their story arc is one of the defining parts of Outlaws I truly enjoyed.

Playing the scoundrel

Kay Vess is a versatile and resourceful character who embodies the life of a scoundrel in the Star Wars universe. Most of the gameplay loop reflects her identity as a thief navigating the galaxy’s dangerous criminal underworld. Unlike many open-world games that include stealth as a secondary feature, Outlaws makes it a core part of the gameplay. The environments she navigates are classic Ubisoft-style multi-level, open-air areas that offer various pathways and opportunities to do things quietly.

Kay is equipped with a limited but effective set of tools and abilities designed to keep her out of direct conflict whenever possible. However, when stealth isn’t an option, Kay has a variety of tools to outmaneuver enemies if things go loud.

The game encourages players to approach each situation with subtlety. Rather than relying on brute force or powerful weapons, Kay’s move set revolves around minimizing violence. She can perform silent takedowns from behind, use Nix to distract or lure guards, and sabotage alarms to prevent reinforcements from being called in.

While you can’t keep other weapons permanently, you can pick up enemy blasters during fights for a temporary boost, adding extra options when you need more firepower. You can also have your companion, Nix, retrieve these weapons for you in the middle of combat, which adds flexibility to your strategy. Although these enemy weapons can’t be upgraded or stored, they provide a helpful edge in tougher battles.

Kay’s blaster has four different modes: a standard plasma bolt, an electrical shot for disabling droids and shields, a heavy blast for tougher enemies and obstacles, and a quick stun shot with a cooldown. This makes your single blaster feel like multiple weapons in one.

This encourages players to think strategically about when and how to use it, as opposed to relying on it as a catch-all solution to threats.

You don’t get a wide variety of weapons and you only have your capable blaster and are forced to improvise with other weapons that might drop in missions. Your blaster can be upgraded over time provided you find the right amount of materials for it.

After all as Han Solo put it, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

As the game progresses, the stealth mechanics, while initially engaging, start to show limitations. After the first few hours, the experience can feel repetitive. There were times when I’d be spotted by a trooper from across the map, while other times I could be right next to multiple enemies and remain undetected. You also can’t  hide bodies or dispose of evidence that you’re nearby.

Over time, however stealth becomes more manageable, especially after unlocking new abilities through the game’s expert system, which rewards you with upgrades by completing specific challenges.

By the time players reach the later stages of the game, they may find themselves using the same tactics over and over—distracting guards with Nix, sneaking up for takedowns, and avoiding direct combat. There were times that I wanted to start a gunfight because all out shooting is an incredibly fun experience that I found myself wishing I could do more of.

A wretched hive of scum and villainy.

As you build your crew, Kay finds herself in deep with the galaxy’s major crime syndicates which are the Pykes, Crimson Dawn, The Hutts, and the Ashiga Clan.

Each syndicate offers missions that can enhance your reputation with them, providing benefits like easier access to their territories, discounts on items, and exclusive contracts. However, failure or betrayal can damage your standing, making it harder to navigate certain areas and increasing hostility from that syndicate.

Balancing your relationships with these syndicates is a crucial aspect of Outlaws. If you’re in good standing with a syndicate, completing missions in their territory becomes easier. For example, if the Hutts like you, starting a mission on their turf is straightforward. Conversely, if you’ve angered them, you’ll have to sneak around and deal with more challenges. This dynamic adds a layer of strategy, as you’ll need to carefully manage your reputation to avoid making enemies that could complicate your progress.

The game also encourages you to play the syndicates against each other for better rewards. For instance, you might start a mission for the Pykes, only to be offered a better deal by Crimson Dawn to sabotage that very mission. This forces you to make tough choices: betray one syndicate for a larger payout or maintain your loyalty to keep their favour. These decisions aren’t just about immediate rewards; they can have lasting consequences on how you approach future missions.

While this mechanic adds depth and replayability, it also means that your actions in seemingly minor side quests can have significant impacts. You might find yourself weighing the pros and cons of each decision more carefully, knowing that upsetting one syndicate could make certain parts of the game more difficult.

The need to balance these relationships means that even the side missions feel meaningful.

Breathing life in the Outer Rim

The opening sequence I mentioned sees you roam around in Canto Bight, a playground for the galaxy’s rich and famous in the desert world of Cantonica. Where you start off however are Canto Bight’s less fortunate residents who are trying to make their own way through honest work or otherwise. You start off by trying to acquire a data spike ( a lock pick ) which teaches you the first lock picking mini game.

After you get the tools you need, you then enter the night club to steal something valuable. The atmosphere alone, the music and of course the game lets you lean on the wall and allow you, the player to take it all in the ambiance. As a kid who grew up watching Star Wars, there’s so much we miss out on the little details which in Outlaws is perfectly captured.

When the game does open up to you to explore other planets, you’ll find that you can explore four planets which are Tatooine, Akiva, Kijimi, and Toshara. While this does seem small, each location is packed with things to do, items to steal and opportunities to capitalize on that you’ll be spending plenty of time on each.

I found myself exploring the little back alleys and seeing random merchants who choose not to interact with you unless you know the password. This password you can find if you walk around and overhear a conversation between two characters in the cantina. There are also plenty of mini games to experience in Outlaws, including arcade cabinets, bet on “horse races” to earn extra credits and playing the card game, Sabacc.

There’s also a very cute and wholesome eating mini game where you can give a boost to Nix to do special things depending on what you feed him. It’s the little things like this that Massive Entertainment put in that make the game come alive.

This experience is every Star Wars fan’s fever dream. Whether you’re walking across Mos Eisley or just taking a stroll on the sands of Tatooine to see the twin sunsets, Ubisoft Massive have created something truly breath taking.

The Force isn’t strong with the Machines

There are some elements that fall short of my expectations, particularly in the areas that were the most exciting to me and that’s riding the speeder and piloting Kay’s ship.

The speeder, while unique with its hover mechanics, quickly loses its appeal. It’s tricky to control at first, with wide turns and sudden acceleration that require some adjustment. However, beyond getting the hang of its movement, there’s little else to engage with. The movement slider didn’t play nice and considering that Ubisoft makes great vehicle physics, this seemed like an odd choice for navigation.

Combat on the speeder is also restricted to marking enemies and executing them, you can’t beat enemies on the speeder otherwise which was a very curious decision.

This restriction makes the speeder feel less dynamic, as you can’t aim or shoot freely, reducing the thrill of potential high-speed chases or combat scenarios. As a result, I found myself just speeding straight to waypoints without much interest in what could happen along the way and if there was trouble, I’d just zip away to safety.

The Trailblazer, Kay’s spaceship, is another aspect that left me wanting more. I love Star Wars’ ship combat and was hoping that they’d give us more with it.

While the seamless transitions between ground and space are visually impressive, there’s not much to do once you’re in orbit. Space feels mostly empty, and unless you’re traveling to another planet, there’s little reason to spend time exploring. Toshara, one of the more populated areas, offers some scrap piles, a space station, and a few asteroids to navigate, but these quickly become repetitive.

Space missions are sparse, with only a few main quests involving space combat or docking at space stations. Most space activities are limited to side jobs like picking up cargo or fighting a few pirates, which don’t offer much excitement but at least it’s not like Starfield so there’s that.

Overall, both the speeder and the Trailblazer feel underutilized in Star Wars Outlaws. While they had the potential to add depth and excitement to the game, they end up being forgettable parts of the journey. There’s a lot of empty space between points of interest, both on the ground and in orbit, which makes these sections feel like missed opportunities in an otherwise vibrant and detailed Star Wars universe.

Verdict