Star Wars: Outlaws initial thoughts after playing the game

The newest Star Wars video game, Star Wars: Outlaws, just came out. I just began playing the game this past week and it is a lot of fun thus far. This article will break down some of my initial thoughts about the game.

I will try to be fairly vague in describing any plot elements to avoid any spoilers for those who have yet to play the game.

Basically, you play as the character Kay, a sort of rogue character who wants to get off the planet Cantonica which is probably more commonly known as the casino planet from The Last Jedi. It makes sense that an outlaw's origin story would begin here in a sort of depraved place that seems to exist outside of Imperial or Rebel influence.

This game takes place in between Episode V and Episode VI and you definitely cannot avoid some interaction with rebels and the Empire, but its main focus is on that sort of rogue criminal element that is taking advantage of the Empire as they are preoccupied with the Rebel Alliance.

I really like that aspect of the game because it makes Star Wars feel a lot bigger. It is cool to think about how during all the iconic moments of the movies, there are countless interesting stories going on in the galaxy involving characters who are probably oblivious to the greater galactic conflicts between the forces of good and evil.

This is similar to why the TV show The Mandalorian works well because, in that first season, we see a side of Star Wars that is more morally gray and mostly involved with getting ahead rather than doing the right thing which can be a nice change of pace.

The game gets going fairly quickly and you see action pretty much right away. You slowly learn more about the various criminal factions and get to make meaningful choices that impact your reputation with each of these criminal elements. You will often find yourself faced with choices that will harm your reputation with the Pyke syndicate or the Hutts, so they are not exactly easy choices. But adding that element of choice and self-determination to the game is really fun and makes the game feel very malleable and alive.

The gameplay is very solid. It is similar to Jedi: Fallen Order except obviously, you wield a blaster rather than a lightsaber. Instead of having BD-1 as your sidekick you have the trusty Nix, a cute little creature who can usually get you out of a bind if you feel stuck or lost in a certain section.

Overall I have probably played the game for close to 2 hours and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have barely even scratched the surface of the game so I am really excited to see what else is in store for the rest of this game. If you are on the fence about getting the game, I would say that it is definitely worth it as it seems like a very worthy entry into the lengthy Star Wars video game canon.