We Played ‘Star Wars Outlaws’, Here’s Everything We Learned

I don’t really care about Star Wars, but I did really want to play this new open-world Star Wars Outlaws game. This might be a controversial sentence for the diehard fans in the room who didn’t get the opportunity to play the game before it releases on the 30th of August, 2024. However, I think many people will be in the same boat, so here I am, sitting in a chair for four hours to experience this new game.

First, I need to set the scene because Star Wars Outlaws is unlike any previous title. This is not a recreation of a movie but a new open-world adventure set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s certainly not LEGO Star Wars, so strap yourself in for an involving adventure.

Within my four-hour time limit, I moved the storyline forward as quickly as possible. However, I found it challenging to stay on track, so if you’re looking for a full review, you’ll have to bear with me until I’ve played the game in full. Nevertheless, I experienced everything from riding protagonist Kay Vess’ speeder bike to sneak-attacking Pykes with the help of a Merqaal called Nix. Finally, I attacked a Pyke Poaching Station searching for Gorak’s Vault Keycard and jumped into Hyperspace in the Toshara Orbit.

I was excited about a full-blown Red Dead Redemption or GTA V open-world environment. I’m happy to say that in my short time with the game, Star Wars Outlaws can deliver this experience with the added shine of George Lucas’ universe.

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Opening Scene, First Experience With Fighting Mechanics

My gameplay experience started on Toshara (created for Star Wars Outlaws), where protagonist Kay is found on a crashed ship alongside her partner in crime, Nix. The rear hatch opens, revealing the planet in all its glory before a Rhodian mechanic named Waka attacks Kay and accuses her of being “one of them.” You’re then thrust into a fight with “them” (bandits), who are now shooting at you.

The game’s speed ramps up quickly, and you’re immediately taught to take advantage of Kay’s Adrenaline Meter, which fills up when she’s under pressure. The enemy marking system highlights three enemies and blasts them simultaneously, similar to Red Dead Redemption’s Dead Eye Targeting system.

Oddly, this is the first and last time I used this system during my gameplay experience. It seems stealth (and Nix, who can attack and distract) is the most efficient way to take down enemies.

Defeat the first round of bandits, and you can get behind the wheel of Kay’s speeder and head to Mirogana City, the home of the Pyke Syndicate.

Let’s Ride, Time to Get On the Speeder

I’m already riding the speeder less than five minutes into the gameplay. It’s the moment Star Wars fans have been waiting for, but if I’m being brutally honest, it’s far from a unique experience.

I prefer not to compare new games to legends, but riding the speeder in Star Wars Outlaws is like riding the infamous Oppressor Mark II around Los Santos in GTA V. However, you can only hover above the ground, and it doesn’t have homing missiles.

It’s mildly out of control at all times, but it’s the experience you would expect. It doesn’t handle like a sportscar and lands closer to a horse with two Rolls-Royce jet engines strapped to the back. It’s a little clunky, and you’ll crash many times, but it’s fun jumping off cliff edges and zooming around the open world with NPCs.

Controls are fairly rudimentary, including brake, dodge left/right, accelerate, lookback, and dismount. You can repair the speeder when prompted, but there don’t appear to be any weapons on board. Instead, you’re encouraged to use Adrenaline Rush with the left and right triggers. Maybe upgrades will be available further along in the story, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Gameplay Focuses, Mirogana is Stunning

Once you race away from the bandits, you’ll find yourself at Mirogana, home of the Pykes. If you’re following the main storyline, you’ll spend the next few hours stealthing, attacking, exploring, and talking to NPCs.

Walking through the underworld, it’s clear the game has tightened its focus, and you’re brought deeper into the storyline and Kay’s relationship with key characters. There’s still an opportunity to explore, and you’re often encouraged to find a secret vent into a room filled with saleable items. However, you can quickly find yourself distracted, confused, and a little lost.

I couldn’t dedicate too much time to exploring every nook and cranny because I had missions to complete to keep things moving forward, but there’s more than enough to keep you busy for hours.

Navigating the alleyways in Mirogana was quite tricky at first, but I soon got the hang of the story and watched every cut scene to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Sooner or later, you’ll be tasked with finding a way into Gorak’s suite by crawling through a vent and picking a lock. While I don’t want to spoil anything aligned with the dialogue here, you’ll learn how Kay’s reputation reflects the trust a syndicate has in her. This is the general advice given in-game:

• Good reputation opens doors to rewards and opportunities, while a bad reputation closes them.
• Please a syndicate, anger another.
• Kay’s reputation can fluctuate when you switch partnerships.
• Performing jobs for a syndicate helps Kay get in their good books.
• Loyalties change, betrayals are inevitable, and a resourceful outlaw needs to take advantage.

From my first impressions of this system, losing a reputation seems much more straightforward than building one. I lost my gained reputation with the Pykes before the end of my gameplay sessions, so play it safe. It was never a requirement, and it seems you can keep progressing without a great rep.

Exploring the Open World, There’s Plenty to Uncover

Complete a few more missions in Mirogana – including a blaster upgrade mission – and you’ll be sent away to Jaunta’s Hope, a distant outpost you visit on your speeder.

You can get distracted along the way with NPC conversations that unveil secret treasure and other tasks or simply make your way there and prepare to stealth your way through Pyke Territory as you take down enemies and find keycards to break into the Mirogana Pyke Syndicate Vault.

If you choose to run around blasters blazing, it can be much harder to take down enemies, as some brandish shields. That’s why I chose to stealth my way through most missions and use Nix’s ability to attack and distract enemies. While Nix can’t take them down alone, it’s a chance to sneak in and finish the job with a melee attack. Time your attacks, and that’s how you’ll find success stealthing through levels. Look around for areas to sabotage electronics, take out cameras, and blast explosive barrels.

How do you summarise four hours of intense gameplay? It’s tough to get through any storyline in a short experience like this, but Star Wars Outlaws was particularly challenging with so many avenues to explore.

Still, my first impressions were strong, and I can’t wait to return and explore the world in more detail. The hands-on experience proved that, in the first instance, Ubisoft created the world we’d all hoped for. The gameplay mechanics are simple and sometimes repetitive, leaving you unsure of the end goal, but they’re nostalgic, fun, and simple to play once you understand stealth (and rely heavily on Nix).

It’s clear to me that you can hop on and play for as little or as much as you want, and there are storylines throughout the world I explored. Sometimes, I found it challenging to navigate, and the storyline can seem disjointed, but I can’t wait to play this game in full.

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on 30 August 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC from $89 AUD.

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