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The rich world of Star Wars has captivated fans across the world since the first film premiered in 1977.
The Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back hit the box office in 1980, and two years later a tie-in video game inspired by the film followed — the first game inspired by George Lucas’s intricately designed universe.
Since then, the games have come thick and fast, but with varying reviews.
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However, in all of these games, the world of Star Wars was explored in mostly linear narratives. Or they were multiplayer affairs devoid of meaningful context that a single player narrative can deliver.
But the promise of a true open world may soon be answered.
Ubisoft is set to release the latest game in the Star Wars franchise: Star Wars Outlaws.
Developed by Massive Entertainment, players will take on the role of a scoundrel named Kay Vess and get to explore iconic Star Wars locations set between the events of Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
“Working at Massive Entertainment, we have expertise in world building and crafting worlds that are deep and have rich layers of environments and storytelling” said associate world director Cloe Hammoud.
“What I was most excited about was creating all of these different planets and locations. Not only ground planets, but also space regions that would allow players to discover very different environments across their journey.”
As a scoundrel, the player will most likely be spending a lot of time interacting with powerful and shady figures in the many city-style locations. In these cities, there are many shops where you can buy upgrades for your equipment, people you can steal from (with the assistance of your sidekick Nix) and off limit places you can sneak into if you are bold enough to try.
However, outside the bustling cities, players can traverse the wide landscapes with the use of a speeder. Also, during more explorative levels, Kay can perform some parkour climbing and swinging with the help of her grapple hook.
“Kay has a lot of tools at her disposal,” said associate art director Marthe Jonkers.
“But of course, there’s also Nix, who can help Kay sneak around by distracting enemies or crawling into smaller spaces to push buttons somewhere, so they work together well. But there are a lot of different things that you can do, so it’s up to you how you want to play.”
But it’s not just the general land encounters with which players can engage. Outlaws also promises to have an expansive space exploration element. Piloting the ship Trailblazer, fans can engage in action packed dogfights.
Space combat in this game works by locking onto an enemy with the press and hold of a button, which will get your ship tracing the enemy quite tightly. But players will still need to aim precisely to land their shots on target. Outside of combat, players are free to fly in open space and approach planets to land on the surface.
“We wanted to craft different space regions just like the planets to look and feel very different,” Hammoud said.
“Of course, with your ship, you are going to have to upgrade it by meeting experts and new characters. So there is also a story progression to it, and you can do plenty of things with your Trailblazer.”
With the open world and the multiple crime syndicates that exist within it, there is a strong emphasis on reputation. Depending on your actions, it may raise or lower your reputation with different factions. This will determine who will be willing to help you, areas you can access, and resources you can use.
Bear in mind, many of these factions will have conflicting goals, so it will be up to the player to choose whom to trust and whom to betray.
“It’s up to you how you want to play the game because Kay has such a wide range of tools at her disposal,” said Jonkers.
But it is important to navigate the underworld as you have the crime syndicates that you interact with and have to make some choices. You can’t be friends with everyone.”
Star Wars Outlaws is out on August 30 and will be available on Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5 and PC via Ubisoft Connect.
To stay up to date with the latest info, head here.
The writer travelled to Los Angeles for a Star Wars Outlaws preview as a guest of Ubisoft. The writer has hands-on experience with the game after being allowed to play certain missions for an hour.
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