Star Wars Outlaws review

Ubisoft has the reputation of a trend-chasing collection of studios that make the same types of open world games over and over, but not enough people talk about the cool, unexpected, or just plain weird little touches its games have that no other massive publisher would ever greenlight.

What is it? An open world Star Wars game from Ubisoft where blasters rule and lightsabers drool.
Release date August 30, 2024
Expect to pay $70/£60
Developer Ubisoft Massive
Publisher Ubisoft
Reviewed on RTX 2080 Super, Intel Core i9 9900KS, 32GB RAM
Multiplayer No
Steam Deck N/A
Link Ubisoft Connect

I'm talking about the good stuff, like Assassin's Creed Mirage's robust codex of ancient Baghdad museum pieces, Rainbow Six Siege's overkill destruction engine, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's ambitious exploration mode that turns every waypoint into contextual directions so you develop a real sense of mastery over the planet's geography. I'm talking about designing an entire Watch Dogs sequel around the concept of plucking any citizen off the street—randos with simulated interests, relationships, and schedules down to the hour—and turning them into the protagonist.

Star Wars Outlaws is both sides of Ubisoft: it's conventional and safe in ways that really get on my nerves, but it's also ambitious enough to be more than just a third-person shooter in a sandbox. Outlaws is a game where nearly every story mission involves crawling through a vent that leads to a ladder that leads to a hallway. It's also a game with a reactive reputation system that matters, ludicrously detailed cities I didn't want to leave, and maybe my favorite open world side activity ever.

One of those good ideas is Kay Vess, Outlaws' wide-eyed protagonist with a background that reads like every D&D party's rogue: She grew up on the streets of Canto Bight (the casino planet from The Last Jedi), running jobs and taking scores from a young age. Kay is smart and arrogant in a Solo sort of way, but she's also less impulsive and