Review - Star Wars: Outlaws... A Loving Tribute

 

Image credit: Massive & Ubisoft

Star Wars as a franchise started with a shockwave of a debut in 1977, and since then there have been all sorts of sequels, spinoffs, and different forms of media released with the label. If it involves Lucasfilm, or the old school Lucasarts, then you are virtually guaranteed a Star Wars story that will take you to that galaxy far, far away. That doesn't, however, mean you are guaranteed the best time in your life. There have been plenty of Star Wars games released over the years that are lackluster. Hell... even some of the movies that have been released could bear that badge of dishonor. It seems like a gamble to throw the label on and try to engage a fickle fanbase, but that's what some of these entertainment companies end up doing anyway. 

  Star Wars: Outlaws takes place just after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. The rebels are on the back foot after a crushing defeat on the ice planet of Hoth, and the imperials are spread thin around the Outer Rim desperate to find and eliminate them. Meanwhile, crime syndicates are on the rise. The ongoing war the empire is hosting against the rebels leaves certain avenues open for criminals to make their moves, find their marks, and establish empires of their own in the underworld. 

  Enter Kay Vess.

  Kay is a confident young woman with a chip on her shoulder due to her mother having abandoned her years before. As an adult, she's an expert slicer always looking for her next mark. Unfortunately for her, she's already made a list of enemies on Canto Bight and needs to make the next one count. She decides to hook up with a gang about to hit a big score on a new crime lord named Sliro. He's in possession of tens of millions of credits in the form of unmarked beskar, that wondrous metal we heard so much about in The Mandalorian, but he has excellent security to keep it safe. As this is all within the first hour, it's not much of a spoiler to let you know that the mission fails. However, Kay is able to hijack her own sweet ride in the process and begin to make her way in the galaxy by dealing with rebels, imperials, syndicates, and freelancers. And this is all utilized to pave the way for her return to that illustrious vault with a new crew so she can try it again.

The Good

The narrative of Outlaws is pretty good. It's not something that's going to leave you shaking your head in awe for days to come. It's no Andor - more on that in another post - but it does its job in telling a compelling little story with a band of solid characters. I think one of the coolest aspects of Outlaws is the fact that you're not necessarily playing a character who is inherently "good" or "bad." Kay is just a survivor trying to make it the only way she knows how, and she makes no apologies for that. In some ways, the exploratory game design and faction reputation reminds me of Red Dead Redemption 2. That is by no means saying that Outlaws matches the feel, tone, and immersive investment of Red Dead, but there are some components that are clearly inspired.

  One of those inspirations comes in the form of a type of "deadeye" that Outlaws just calls "adrenaline rush." Regardless of whatever you label it... it's the same thing that Arthur Morgan does when he's surrounded. Interactions in towns and between the moments of romping around on your horse, I mean speeder*, are also reminiscent of the old criminal trying to reform his ways by extending a helping hand when needed. This is not to say that Outlaws is just RDR2 in Space. There are other games in the mish-mash that help put a bit of a different spin on this Star Wars title. Kay's cuddly friend Nix helps to scope out certain areas with the same approach that Ezio Auditore began to perfect in Assassin's Creed II in order to find and take note of certain enemies and interactive objects nearby. Assassin's Creed-style sneaking and knocking out is in there, although it could also be said that they used more of a Last of Us approach with this. Hell, even one of the boss fights of Outlaws was incredibly reminiscent of Ellie v. David in Part 1 or Ellie v. Abby in Part 2 moments. Hopefully none of this is putting you off. This is the section for "the good," and I don't want it to come off like a negative. It's these gameplay inspirations that combine to make Outlaws a fun experience.

  Visually, the game looks fantastic. I know that there were some issues upon its release, but anything that anyone whined about at the start has been rectified by now. Kay is a cute character, in spite of what others bitched about there too, and her voice acting matches her personality to a tee. Those who have something to say about her hair... get over it. Massive was trying to make a game where the hairstyles of the early 80s were in play because that's the time period that Empire and Return came out, and they did a good job in staying true to the tone and feel of Star Wars as a whole.

The Bad

There are not very many egregious errors that the game makes as a whole to be considered "bad." That is by no means an endorsement of legendary status... because even the things that Outlaws does well are not exactly pioneering new ground in gaming. They're basically just copying the things that worked with other games... and not bothering to do much improvement on them, either.

   Audio-wise I think the game is fine. Nothing sounded off or wonky. Nothing was especially groundbreaking, either. I couldn't tell you whether or not the score was any good. There is one... but it was certainly not the focus of the creators. It's no Asterigos in that realm.

  In the beginning, I found the game fun enough that I had started to consider purchasing the season pass. As time progressed, however, I found myself more and more willing to call it a day after Kay's main story came to a conclusion. There's not much keeping you there as a player in spite of how many mini-games and little puzzles that they give to us along the way. Fathier race betting, sabacc games, impromptu speeder races, and space exploration are all just a few of the things that Kay can dabble in. After 30 hours of scouting out the galaxy, though... I was hard-pressed to find the desire to do so.

My Ruling

I think that the best thing Outlaws has going for it is the nostalgia. It leans into the nostalgic aspects of Star Wars as a franchise really well. And I'm not just talking about seeing our favorite scoundrel encased in carbonite, or having to sprint away from a rancor. There are references and lore pieces about everything Star Wars from the prequel trilogy all the way through references to the ISB that are so prominent in Lucasfilm's latest creation in Andor. The dedication that was put in to the lore is more than enough to put a smile on your face, especially in the fact that Outlaws has been labeled as canon. It feels like you're playing "real" Star Wars and not just some fan fiction.

   It's a loving tribute, to be sure, but struggles to stand on its own against the games it draws inspiration from.

7/10

Good

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