Star Wars Outlaws hands-on: a galaxy far, far away from polite society
7.30.2024
By Francisco Dominguez, Contributor
Take away the Jedi and Star Wars can truly be a space western, with all the cutthroat lawlessness you might expect. Why bother with Jedi mind-tricks, mystical gymnastics, or humming glowsticks when a spot of subterfuge and a well-placed sucker punch do the job just fine? That’s Kay Vess’ attitude, and it’s working out for her so far. Depending on just her rapid-fire wit and equally rapid blaster-fire (and some help from merqaal companion Nix), she’s forging a reputation to rival Jabba himself, in a wretched hive of scummy cantinas, perilous heists, and untrustworthy gangsters.
Scoundrel simulator
The demo starts with a crash-landing in Toshara, the first of five planets featured in the game, and I'd be stunned if it’s not the windiest. Its expansive savannahs and trees look set to be ripped from their roots by devastating gales, while colossal dust clouds whipped up in the distance. But it’s not the weather you need to worry about.
Soon after arrival, I’m fleeing bandits in a speeder chase, dodging blaster fire and tearing through canyons and ruined starship engines to reach the planet’s capital Mirogana. It's all for a chance to scrounge a fistful of credits to fix up Kay’s busted spaceship.
The city offers shelter from those powerful winds, but no safety. Stormtrooper checkpoints are everywhere; rival criminal syndicates lurk in every sordid corner. They’re a promising source for the credits Kay needs, seeking every advantage they can get over each other in their galactic turf war.
My first “job interview”—an illicitly gained audience with Gorak, the Pyke Syndicate kingpin—ends with Kay unceremoniously booted from the room. It’s a humiliating introduction to the game’s reputation system. Simply put: you don’t have one yet, and you need to earn respect before you can start banking serious credits.
Undeterred by these setbacks, Kay's up to the challenge. After a detour emptying my pockets playing sabbac (the Star Wars version of blackjack) and enjoying the city’s unexpected arcade cabinets (including a fun homage to 1983’s Star Wars arcade rail shooter), I was ready to move on.
In the process of gaining the trust of criminals across Toshara, I was pleased to find that missions offer plenty of backstabbing opportunities. My calculations of my best interests were constantly tested; goalposts shifted and I had to shift with them, all the time indulging what became my petty grudge against the Pykes.
In one instance, I said I’d sabotage a Pyke base for the Hutts, until an unexpected showdown convinced me to mislead my employers and turn to the Crimson Dawn’s advantage instead. I was happy as long as Gorak got screwed over and I got paid. And that’s the moment I knew the game’s scoundrel simulation was working just as intended.
Having gained the trust of the Crimson Dawn, I then plundered their stores for blaster upgrade parts now I had easy access to their territories. When nobody’s a good guy, you don't feel too bad about taking advantage of each faction's trust.
The reputation system extends over gang territories across Toshara’s impressively realized open world (also stuffed full of wildlife, crafting materials, and raidable bases). The reputation you’re striving to build decides if they’ll open fire or let you explore at will. Maintaining a good reputation with multiple gangs promises to make some missions a breeze, but I suspect there’ll be a cost if Kay tries to please too many masters, and eventual consequences if you incite the other factions too much.
Never tell me the odds
Always outnumbered, always outgunned; Kay lives off her wits, and I found I had to as well. To help even the odds, I embraced the game’s stealth mechanics to avoid unnecessary shootouts, to the point that I’m sure 80% of my playtime was crouched in a squat position—my Kay doesn’t skip leg day, that's for sure!
Levels full of chest-high walls, crates, and barrels could otherwise risk becoming overly-familiar scenarios of ducking from cover to cover whenever guards turn their back. But thanks to Nix, the expected mix of patrolling sentries, security cameras, and aerial vantage points become rife with mischievous opportunities. Why throw a rock to lure guards from their stations when you can send your mewling merqaal to do the same thing? Stay safe in the shadows, let Nix sabotage those alarms, and make the most of a useful (and surprisingly cute) distraction mechanic.
When things go wrong and a firefight breaks out, then we enter conventional cover shooter territory, with some additions like upgraded shots to remove force-fields. Your blaster is prone to overheating—a handy excuse to bring back the QTE cooldown shortcut from Star Wars Battlefront II—and since enemies often take several direct hits to go down, you need to play it smart. Staying low, taking cover, managing crowds with grenades, and seizing any punchy weapons dropped by enemies helped me get out of trouble.
Of course, I also exploited some temptingly placed environmental props. For example, I enjoyed sending Nix to prime explosives for me as a crowd of enemies drew near—though my detonation timing wasn’t always perfect.
With lightsabers off the table (so far; I wouldn't put it past Kay to pinch one) rollicking fistfights are an option. Despite his size, Nix is a capable tag-team companion; like a furry miniature version of God of War’s Atreus or The Last of Us’s Ellie, he spontaneously leaps on enemy’s guns to weigh them down, leaving them open to Kay’s crunching right hook. Just don’t bother punching droids. Believe me, I tried, but Kay’s fists and Nix’s teeth were no substitute for blaster headshots when it comes to dealing with an Enforcer Droid’s metal chassis.
Rise of the Trailblazer
The second part of the demo let me put Kay’s ship (now fully operational) the Trailblazer through its paces as I approach Kijimi, an artic planet seen in Rise of the Skywalker. Twisting the Trailblazer through fields of icy asteroid debris, swatting aside troublesome raiders, and uncovering salvage makes for an interesting change of pace. For those of you who are less keen on space exploration, you can switch on the thrusters and accelerate for a planetary approach when you're ready to be on the ground again.
Upon landing, Kijimi City’s snowcapped monastery buildings offered a spectacular sight. It's a smaller locale, rich with wintry atmosphere. I can't name a Star Wars game with a bad snow level, so, with luck, there’ll be more to do there once Kay’s mission to enlist a safecracker is complete. I didn’t get far enough to find out, as I ran out of time after spending too long cruelly toying with the guards.
I left the session wanting more of Outlaws' crafty thrills, especially when I didn't get to re-experience one of the greatest pleasures Star Wars has to offer: gunning down a Stormtrooper or Tie Fighter. It’d be a sizable bribe indeed to convince any scoundrel to resist taking down the Empire’s most famous cannon-fodder when that opportunity arises.
Make a name for yourself across the galaxy in Star Wars Outlaws, available August 30 on the Epic Games Store.