Comprehensive Review and Evaluation of the Game Star Wars Outlaws

Comprehensive Review and Evaluation of the Game Star Wars Outlaws

After the announcement of the game Star Wars Outlaws a while ago, we were honestly not interested in the game through the initial presentations or gameplay elements. However, in the past few months, with more focus on it, both in terms of gameplay videos and the impressions of many testers, we became curious to delve into this experience. Ubisoft Middle East gave us the opportunity to review the game in advance and provide our opinion on this game that was a subject of discussion and controversy among gamers. This review will dive deep into the content of the game, both the positives and negatives.

Basic Information:

Game Title: Star Wars Outlaws
Developer: Ubisoft Massive
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action Adventure Open World
Platforms: Playstation 5, Xbox Series, PC
Release Date: August 30, 2024

As we usually do in most of our previous reviews, the first thing we can talk about is the story of the game. In Star Wars Outlaws, which is the first of its kind in the history of the series, offering an open-world experience with absolute freedom, there was great excitement to know what the story and main characters offer. Playing as the protagonist Kay with her alien friend Nix, finding herself wanted throughout the galaxy after an incident at the beginning of the adventure, which will be an enlightening task and introduce players to the gameplay style and atmosphere of the game.

Returning to the story, the main character Kay finds herself on a lone mission to escape to an unknown location before meeting a group of lawless characters. She decides to carry out the biggest heist in the galaxy and during this journey, she encounters a series of enjoyable side events and stories. The game is characterized by high-quality dialogues and well-crafted cinematic scenes, as we have come to expect from the development team, especially Ubisoft Montreal and Massive, who have previously delivered titles like Avatar and The Division.

The game’s events remain extremely exciting, with missions ranging from direct combat and action-oriented stages to stealth and focus-oriented segments. However, one of the real drawbacks that was annoying during my experience was the overly linear character, which we were not used to in recent Ubisoft titles, especially in the Assassin’s Creed series, for example. While there were successful elements, there were aspects of the game that I wished had been more strategic, especially since it was the first open-world experience in the series.

This linear nature sometimes spoiled some stages that were intended for more creativity. However, you find yourself forced into a specific path and unable to backtrack. Every decision or path you take requires careful consideration before moving forward. On the positive side, the choice system during each mission is noteworthy. At the beginning, you agree with the faction you will work for.

However, at the end of the mission, you have the option to either continue with the initial agreement or betray that faction in favor of another. The faction system, in fact, is one of the distinctive and prominent features in the game. It includes multiple levels, and based on them, you receive privileges and bonuses. You can gain or lose perks depending on the level of trust between you and a faction. The system of trading rare materials with merchants, for example, is a fun and engaging aspect of the game.

Continuing to explore the content of Star Wars Outlaws, it is packed with side missions and random events that you can only find while exploring. The game utilizes the open world effectively, rewarding players for exploration. As you pass by houses or abandoned villages, you may come across written notes pointing to deserted areas with treasures and upgrade pieces. The game offers a fantastic way to upgrade most of your items, such as the motorcycle, weapons, and your spacecraft.

In addition to the necessary pieces for upgrades, even exploration is essential for unlocking certain modifications through various challenges. This encourages players to engage in various activities in the world, such as card games and mini-games found in major cities. Despite some negatives in the story mission system, the exploration element and space travel, vehicle control, rare material scavenging, and trading remain extremely enjoyable, especially in the Star Wars universe.

Now we come to one of the key points in any game, and here we talk naturally about the gameplay in Star Wars Outlaws, which has its pros and cons. It offers a different experience between exploring the world and intense action moments. In exploration and vehicle driving, whether on a bike or a spaceship, the game is truly enjoyable and easy to navigate. While it may be unfamiliar at first, you quickly adapt and immerse yourself in this new experience.

In addition to the developments provided by the game through upgrades, the possibilities become endless. For example, space wars are extremely fun with a simple and easy control system, offering immense capabilities when fully upgraded. The same applies to riding the bike, as it provides the ability to face risks directly with various other possibilities.

However, during gameplay with the main character, there are several points to mention. For example, combat with the pistol can be initially challenging, as the character is always in aiming mode, in addition to their slow movements. With an understanding of the system and getting used to it, it becomes more fluid, especially after unlocking some abilities, as well as utilizing the creature Nix, who assists you with special abilities.

Features like grabbing distant items and bringing them to you or distracting enemies, sometimes turning them into tactical tools in the adventure. As we dive into the stealth element, the game heavily relies on this system in missions, which made me set high expectations for a deep experience.

Unfortunately, the stealth element is very lacking in this aspect and does not provide a qualitative leap. Even enemy encounters are repetitive and limited, and you only have to go behind the enemy and press a button to complete the task without any variety. Similarly, climbing mechanics are also severely limited, where you can only climb certain surfaces, and the movement is restricted to the appearance of the climb button; otherwise, you cannot move from your position.

These were the main negatives during my experience, which I mentioned sparingly, yet they remained impactful throughout the adventure. These aspects should have been improved, especially for a major product within the Star Wars universe. On the positive side, several elements are worth noting, such as the ease of navigation in the game world and the planets in general. All you need to do is pass by a key point in each area to unlock fast travel across the world map, mitigating many problems, especially when exploring all corners of these worlds.

Not forgetting one of the fantastic additions that the development team deserves thanks for – the accessibility features for players with special needs. This addition was truly excellent, especially making running automatic through the controller stick, among other assisting elements that we often need in most major games.

One of the inclusions that has become commonplace in Ubisoft games recently is the photo mode, which provides advanced options in Star Wars Outlaws for capturing stunning shots due to the game’s beauty and diverse environments. It was an opportunity to take dozens of photos throughout the adventure.

Our review of Star Wars Outlaws has come to an end, highlighting its positives first and then the negatives. It stands as a unique experience, especially since it is the first title of the Star Wars series with an open-world system, which was a significant challenge for the development team. They believed in the idea and succeeded in it to a large extent, which is reflected in our opinions in most sections of the review. We tried to shed light on every detail of the game’s content, highlighting elements that were impressive and those that needed improvement. Although there are some flaws, the most important thing is that it is a title worth experiencing, especially as it is packed with content that guarantees numerous hours of gameplay.

Final Rating: 8/10