2024-09-21 00:06:26
“Star Wars: Outlaws” aims to impress with charming characters and varied gameplay. We have tested the action adventure in detail.
Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment have created “Star Wars: Outlaws”, the first open-world game in the “Star Wars” universe. The adventure takes place in the film series between Episode 5 (“The Empire Strikes Back”) and Episode 6 (“Return of the Jedi”). But can the game meet the fans’ high expectations? We set off on a journey to the “galaxy far, far away” for the test.
The story of “Star Wars: Outlaws” revolves around Kay Vess, an inexperienced petty criminal from Canto Bight. After a failed mission, Kay is forced to leave her home and make a living on other planets. She tries to hire a crew and make a name for herself in the favor of the ruling crook syndicates. Her animal companion Nix is always with her, but he is much more than just cute.
As the game progresses, the young crook is given plenty of opportunities to prove her skills. Her clients include the factions already known to “Star Wars” fans: the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutts and Crimson Dawn – and the Ashiga clan is a new addition.
The plot develops over the course of the game and offers some interesting twists, which we don’t want to spoil. The focus of the story is also the relationship between Kay and her companion Nix and the battle droid ND-5.
“Star Wars: Outlaws” offers a beautiful open game world with varied level environments. The different planets are atmospherically designed with attention to detail, from the barren deserts of Tatooine to the snowy streets of Kijimi, the familiar “Star Wars” feeling comes through in many places.
On powerful PCs, the game runs smoothly at over 60 frames per second in WQHD resolution, even with ray tracing activated. Minor graphical weaknesses can be seen in the facial animations of the computer-controlled characters, which sometimes appear a bit stiff. Individual bugs and unexpected crashes were a bit annoying in the first few days, but some of them have already been fixed with the first patches.
The gameplay of “Star Wars: Outlaws” consists of a mix of stealth passages, shooting and climbing. The controls are intuitive and the various game mechanics work well together. The interaction with the companion Nix, who functions as a versatile tool, is particularly fun. For example, he can distract enemies, support Kay in battle or wind his way through small openings to activate switches and open doors.
The developers have taken different playing styles into account. Many missions can be solved either by stealth or open combat. Sneaking still feels a bit imprecise in some places and the enemy AI sometimes acts too predictably – but this should also be fixed soon.
Outside of missions, Kay can upgrade her blaster, spaceship and speeder. These improvements offer more flexibility as the game progresses. Kay can weaken certain enemy groups in a more targeted manner or enter areas that were previously inaccessible.
A central aspect of the gaming experience is the clan system in “Star Wars: Outlaws”. Kay can join or become enemies with the four different criminal organizations. Depending on who Kay works for or plays against, her reputation with the respective factions increases or decreases.