So recently, I have been binge-watching Andor, and, while enjoying the show immensely, it really put me in the mind to play a STAR WARS game. Initially, I decided to replay Cal Kestis’ adventure as a Jedi, and while the first was fun, the sequel ended in disaster. See, there is a bug in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor that sees you lose all your New Game Plus benefits the first time you die. So that idea quickly went out the window. Then I noticed a title that I never played, one that was much maligned when it was first released: Star Wars Outlaws.
Now, there’s no doubt that Outlaws’ release wasn’t ideal: it got a heap of bad reviews and a lot of hate. Some were just due to the gender of the main character, which was dumb, while others had a bit more weight behind them. However, the game has seen a lot of updates in the months since our review, so I decided to give it a go and see what it was like.
First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I never played the game when it was released, so I’m looking at its current state. As such, there might be a few things that are a bit different from the experience of anyone who played it at launch. With that out of the way, here’s what I like and what I don’t.
Firstly, I have really enjoyed the plot and the experience of working in the underground. We never really got a good look at this side of the universe in the movies, and not playing as a Jedi is always going to be fun. Kay Vess, the main character, grew on me over time, and Nix (her little cat/weasel thing) is constantly adorable. The two’s journey, and the host of other characters they meet, is engaging enough that I never got bored and wanted to see where it was all going. Although I will say that I wish as much thought went into the factions you deal with, as they’re all a bit bland on the character front.
I also like the mechanics of building trust with all the factions, and some of the choices can be real head-scratchers. For instance, if I rob a shipment of spice for the Crimson Dawn, do I hand it over, or do I sell it to the Hutts for more money, and an increased relationship that might come into play later? It’s interesting enough, but there is a point where all the missions really blend into each other, and it continues the issue of there being no real difference between the factions.
With that said, while the factions might not be that different, the worlds you visit are. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting such an interesting mix of biomes, some I recognised and some I didn’t. For instance, walking through the streets of Moss Eisley was a real treat and seeing the jungle on Akiva was impressive and engaging. The other thing you really notice is how present the Empire is on all these worlds, and it helps to build up the state of the galaxy.
Speaking of the Empire, I have to say that fighting them is a real dream come true for me. Unlike other properties in the series, including most of the movies, Palpatine’s white-armoured bucket heads are a real threat to Kay. They’re not always the best soldiers, but there are a lot of them, and they will hunt you. I recall breaking into one of their bases, getting caught, and then being chased across the map by Death Troopers and speeder bikes. It makes every engagement fun, and it allows you to create your own little stories as you go.
Speaking of fighting, let’s get into the combat and discuss if it works or not. First things first, there’s the sneaking, which is pretty good, and that’s from someone who is pretty terrible at stealth (trust me, there’s video evidence). The truth is that Kay is much better suited to sneaking around than getting into all-out firefights (although she can do that too). The stealth mechanics are pretty simple, but the maps offer enough routes, and the enemies are just smart enough to be challenging. Nix also plays a big role in the sneaking, and the few sections where he isn’t there feel like a real handicap.
When it comes to combat, Outlaws does something a little different from other games. For the most part, you only have access to Kay’s blaster pistol. It’s upgradeable and can be formatted to several different modes and functions (like rapid fire or EMP), but it’s still only a pistol. However, you can grab some of the enemies’ guns and use them, but they only have limited ammo. It’s a nice touch, and grabbing a minigun and blasting stormtroopers will always be fun.
Finally, there’s space travel, which is… fine. Honestly, it is fun, but it’s also very limited in what you can do. You have free rein to fly around a select area of space around a planet and can engage in the odd dogfight. However, there’s no real skill to them most of the time, as you just lock on and chase someone until they explode, or their friends kill you. While it is the weakest gameplay out of all of them, it’s nice that it’s there.
With all that said, there are some issues with the game that can be pretty grating. The biggest is the damn data spike mini-game that’s basically a sodding rhythm game. It’s tedious, and you have to do it constantly, which can get pretty frustrating. Also, while the worlds are pretty to look at, there’s not a lot to do in them other than find chests. Well, unless you decide to go shoot some stormtroopers.
Is Star Wars Outlaws the best game ever and the greatest STAR WARS experience? No, not really, and I honestly don’t think I would pay full price for it. However, it is much better than some would have you think, and if you can grab it for a discount, then honestly, it is well worth it.
I would love to hear what you think if you are a fan of the game, or picked it up in the recent sales and plan to give it a try.
