skybridge

lgoctaviano.bsky.social · @lgoctaviano.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Star Wars Outlaws 7/10

Star Wars Outlaws feels very Ubisoft, and I mean that in the most immediately recognizable way possible. The way Kay jumps, walks, and runs gave me serious Assassin’s Creed flashbacks (although, I have to admit, the last time I played an Assassin’s Creed game was probably about ten years ago). There’s a lot of stealth, sneaking around, and stealth-killing, so the comparison is hard to avoid. It has that familiar Ubisoft rhythm where you’re moving through an environment, figuring out how to get somewhere without being noticed, and frequently putting someone very quietly to sleep.

Where the game really impressed me, though, is the Star Wars atmosphere. The environments and overall aesthetic feel VERY faithful to the universe. There’s a great balance between recreating the look of places we already know from the movies and creating new locations that still feel like they belong in the Star Wars universe. Imperial stations and other familiar settings have that instantly recognizable Star Wars look, while the newly explored planets manage to feel fresh without looking like someone just slapped a Star Wars logo onto a generic sci-fi world. The ice planet is a particularly good example of this. It feels like a place that could have existed in the movies all along, while still being something new to explore.

The outlaw and mafia side of the game is another part I enjoyed. You get to interact with familiar factions like the Hutts and Crimson Dawn, but instead of just seeing them as pieces of the giant Star Wars storyline, you get a better look at how these groups actually operate when the Jedi, Sith, and galaxy-shaking events aren't taking center stage. It gives the game a slightly different perspective on the Star Wars universe: these aren't the biggest heroes or villains in the galaxy; they're criminals trying to survive, make deals, betray each other, and generally do criminal things.

The starship sections are also really cool. There’s something inherently awesome about flying around in your own ship in a Star Wars game, and the visuals when you jump to lightspeed are REALLY cool. The space areas themselves aren't particularly large, which probably helps because the actual space mechanics can start feeling a little repetitive. But I still enjoyed exploring these areas, and the spectacle of taking off, flying around, and jumping to lightspeed does a lot to make the experience feel like Star Wars. Sometimes you just need to see that lightspeed effect and think, “Yep. That's the stuff.”

The biggest weakness for me was the story, because I felt like there was much more that could have been explored. There are some interesting elements here, particularly the relationship with Kay’s mother, Nix and the droid, which gives the main character a bit more emotional depth. But Kay herself was harder for me to relate to because she doesn’t seem to have a particularly strong sense of direction or ambition. There are pieces of a potentially much deeper story here, but I often felt like the game wasn't quite willing to develop them as much as it could have. The ending also left me feeling pretty numb, without much sense of meaning or payoff. It works as an ending, but it didn't leave me with that feeling of having experienced something particularly memorable.

I played Star Wars Outlaws on the Switch 2, and overall I thought the performance was good. The game looked impressive and ran well enough for me to enjoy it without many drops in FPS or hiccups. There was, however, one fairly significant exception: crashes. I experienced about 8 crashes during my playthrough. Still, outside of those crashes, I had a good time with it. Star Wars Outlaws isn't a game that completely reinvents the Ubisoft formula, and it certainly doesn't reinvent Star Wars, but it does a good job combining the two. For me, the strongest part was simply getting to exist inside a Star Wars world that feels authentic while exploring corners of that universe we don't normally get to see. If you're a Star Wars fan, I'd definitely recommend this game, especially considering the price point — the game also seems to go on sale pretty often, which makes it an even easier recommendation for fans of the universe.

#game

Published 2026-09-27 14:45 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere