Star Wars Outlaws Avoids Ubisoft's Biggest Mistakes (& I Couldn't Be Happier)

I had some serious reservations about leading up to its release, largely due to how often I'd been previously disappointed by Ubisoft’s other open-world games. I was far from unique in this regard, and the game’s developers seemed to know that too, offering promises that the game would avoid some common issues, going out of their way to mention ' more manageable runtime. This was meant to ease the concern that it would be a bloated experience like , and so far has delivered on this promise.

A bloated runtime isn’t the only thing that makes stand out from other Ubisoft open-world games. In fact, there seems to have been a deliberate effort to show players just how different was from other Ubisoft games as quickly as possible. The game wastes no time showing off some of its major strengths and proving that it will be a different experience than players are used to from the company.

Star Wars Outlaws focuses on a grimier, seedier side of the universe with a rich, detailed open world that features both new and legacy characters.

One of my major complaints about the series is how long it sometimes takes for the games to get going. has a nearly 20-minute introductory sequence before players even get to choose which Eivor they play as. While a game like does start off with a bit more action, it isn’t until over an hour into the game that players actually acquire the Jackdaw and start engaging in the game’s main selling point: high-seas piracy. ,on the other hand, gets started much quicker.

Star Wars Outlaws knew this and didn’t waste too much of my time.

Following a short cutscene and a basic introduction to Kay, let me loose on Canto Bite. It only took about seven minutes for me to start playing the game and another maybe five before I received my first somewhat open-ended mission to make some credits. Having started to play the game directly upon its release at 11 PM my local time, I’d had serious doubts that I would even get a good taste of what the game had to