I’ve read a lot of Star Wars Outlaws reviews, including our own Jade King’s, and while I agree with many of the negative observations they raise about the enemy AI, stealth mechanics, dreary platforming, and countless other things, I can’t help but feel a strong dissonance between those pieces of well-thought out criticism and my own experience.

I’m a sucker for Star Wars games, I confess – I was raised on Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars Outlaws scratches that itch for me in a major way. But at the same time, I can’t help but wonder how much of the game’s negative aspects were made more grating because reviewers were given very little lead time to actually play the game, and had to speed(er) through a lot of it. While I can see the flaws they’ve highlighted for myself, as someone who gets to play through this game at my own pace, I’ve really fallen in love with it.

There’s so much detail and colour outside of the main missions that reviewers who were forced to speed through the RPG could easily miss, or dismiss as filler.

Before you remind me of all the doubt I cast on this game before it even launched, I know, and I stand by what I said. It is, in many ways, the kind of empty calorie game I abhor. And yet those Star Wars calories are so delicious. It has that Ubisoft patina in the sense that it lovingly recreates massive landscapes with astonishing detail, but that’s always been the best thing about Ubisoft’s games – it’s gobsmacking just how much attention has been put into the gorgeous setting.

There’s so much detail and colour outside of the main missions that reviewers who were forced to speed through the RPG could easily miss, or dismiss as filler. But because I’m playing through it slowly, taking time to meander through its environments and stop and stare at the little things, I can’t help but feel totally sucked into its galaxy. The Imperial bases, in particular, feel astonishingly faithful to the Star Wars universe. It’s unbelievable how well Massive Entertainment nailed the vibe.

I’m also saying all this without having even left Toshara, despite having played for 15 hours – which, by the way, is just an hour short of the time that HowLongToBeat says it’ll take to beat the entire game. Toshara is the first world you land on after leaving Canto Bight. If I’d wanted to get through the game as quickly as possible, I’d almost be done by now. But I’m enjoying mucking about in this one world so much. I like picking up new contracts and balancing out my reputation with different syndicates. I like working on progressing my skills under the tutelage of various experts and upgrading my speeder. I like playing Sabacc against the high rollers and coming out on top. And you’re telling me there’s three more worlds to do all this on?

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Star Wars Outlaws Is Too Simplistic For Its Own Good

I just wish there was more to Star Wars Outlaws.

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I won’t overstate the number of things to do on this one planet. The majority of it is picking up new, more useful gear from specific bases, collecting materials for more upgrades, and coming across hidden treasure while zooming across vast landscapes with your speeder. You know, Ubisoft stuff. But at the same time, I’m getting a lot of mileage out of getting stuck into the simple stuff. I like having to sus out the quietest route into an enemy camp, and dodge Stormtroopers on the roads. I like figuring out that preordained path through an Imperial base that lets me get what I need with the fewest casualties. I like doing the things that take time, which reviewers didn’t have the luxury of.

These critics might not have changed their mind with more time to play the game, and that’s fine. But I can’t help but be more generous towards the game because I do have that luxury. Outlaws’ magic is in the little things, and I get to stop and smell the roses. Or, rather, I get to hide from Pykes in the bushes. Same thing, I guess.

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Star Wars Outlaws

Open-World Action-Adventure Systems 3.5/5 18 7.4/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 75/100 Critics Rec: 67% Released August 30, 2024 ESRB T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language Developer(s) Massive Entertainment Publisher(s) Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games Engine Snowdrop
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Star Wars Outlaws follows Kay Vess as she bids to out manoeuver the galaxy's deadliest criminals. An open-world action-adventure game from Ubisoft, it also features grand space battles and a deep story.

Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse