I am here to formally apologise to Star Wars Outlaws on Nintendo Switch 2. Before it arrived on the console last week, I lambasted earlier trailers and expressed how utterly floored I was seeing Ubisoft willing to showcase this upcoming port in such a state. It looked terrible, and there was no other way to effectively describe things considering my only point of reference was Outlaws on more powerful consoles. On PS5 Pro it’s a visually stunning open-world epic depicting several different planets, each with their own distinct weather patterns and fauna.

The cities and structures found across these planets were vastly populated and filled with nuanced detail. To me, it’s the most alive a game in this universe has ever felt, and so trying and failing to squeeze it onto a less capable piece of hardware just didn’t seem worth it. I thought this for a long time until Ubisoft sent me a review code to try things out for myself. Now I’m a fool. There is blue milk spilling down my shirt and I need to go clean up my mess like a good little scoundrel. But what exactly makes this port so impressive? Let’s dive in.

Star Wars Outlaws Has No Right Looking This Good On Nintendo Switch 2

Initial trailers for Star Wars Outlaws on Nintendo Switch 2 were so badly received because the other versions look so good. Suddenly, we were seeing our hero Kay Vess in familiar scenarios with significantly less detail on character models, environments, and the open world itself.

It was easy enough to draw conclusions from that poor showing and think that the finished game would look and run just as terrible. Combine that with the track record of compromised ports on the original Switch, and it felt like a port that existed to move units instead of actually feeling good to play. Outlaws is more than the bad ports that preceded it, so much so that I’m gearing up for a proper second playthrough on Nintendo’s console.

Outlaws makes great use of HD Rumble as well, whether you’re playing handheld or with a Pro controller in hand. Lasers fire off with major impact, while driving your speeder across the open world makes it feel like you have a bumpy steering wheel in hand.

The campaign begins with Kay Vess scheming on her home planet of Cantonica, which is where you'll find everyone's favorite casino city from The Last Jedi, Canto Bight, ahead of breaking into a nearby mansion and infiltrating a prestigious vault.

The opening sequence takes place in a dingy local bar where alien residents sip on alcohol and bicker about the local races until we are asked to step outside in search of our first objective. From this small sequence alone, I was incredibly impressed. While the texture quality has clearly taken a hit and a handful of shadows and similar graphic details are subject to noticeable pop-in, most of what makes Star Wars Outlaws tick remains intact.

Similar Switch 2 ports like Cyberpunk 2077 give off the same vibe. Yes, the graphics are not up to scratch if you compare them directly to PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC; but the pure visual identity remains, and its presence alone means certain shortcomings can be forgiven.

That’s the case with Outlaws, because even though there are some obvious artefacts on Kay’s hair or smoke breaking into individual particles sometimes, it still feels like I’m living and breathing in a galaxy far, far away. Switch 2 was never going to match up with other consoles, but if it is capable of getting this close and allows me to take it on-the-go, it has a very bright future ahead of it.

And It Spells A Bright Future For Other Ports On The Platform

Outlaws also makes comprehensive use of ray tracing on Nintendo Switch 2, which is a big achievement considering other consoles still can’t handle it without tanking performance. It’s used to bring otherwise static environments to life with luscious lighting and reflections, all while performance sticks to its 30 frames per second 99 percent of the time.

There are some brief dips in busy city areas and taking off into orbit, but they’re so few and far between that it can be hard to notice them. This is, by all accounts, one of the most accomplished ports I’ve seen in quite some time.

Right now, I am currently exploring the open world and completing a handful of side quests before I continue on with the main story, but mostly so I can put the Switch 2 version to the test as I speed through populated areas or get into firefights with multiple enemies at once.

The screen can look busy when a lot of underbaked effects are flying at you, while it’s hard to ignore some of the lower -quality foliage and its lack of definition, but the fact that this remains the whole package is quite impressive. If anything, it makes me excited to see what things Nintendo will be capable of on this console in the years to come.

Part of me is hopeful this accomplished port will give Star Wars Outlaws a new lease of life. While it doesn’t break any boundaries, I still think it’s a great game that deserves to be experienced. History will be kind to it.

A lot of these graphical compromises are less notable in handheld mode, where it seems the resolution is capped at 720p, while in docked mode it makes good use of DLSS to achieve a 1440p resolution with a cleaner (albeit busier) image. Both methods of play work perfectly well, although it becomes much more obvious you’re playing a suited-down port on a big screen.

So, if you’re looking for something to play on your Nintendo Switch 2, Star Wars Outlaws is well worth your time. Please don’t worry about the port failing to meet expectations either, as it has proven to be one of the biggest technological surprises of the year. Hats off to Ubisoft.

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Star Wars Outlaws

Open-World Action-Adventure Systems 3.5/5 19 7.1/10 Released August 30, 2024 ESRB T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language Developer(s) Massive Entertainment Publisher(s) Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games
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