Summary
- Star Wars Outlaws draws creative inspiration from Ghost of Tsushima for its open-world design and environmental aesthetics.
- Players will explore familiar Star Wars worlds like Tatooine and new locations.
- Set during the Imperial Era, Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws featuring Kay Vess is expected to release in 2024 on PC and ninth-generation consoles.
Ubisoft's upcoming title, Star Wars Outlaws, is touted to be the first open-world Star Wars game of its kind, but its game director had a little creative help crafting its galaxy from Ghost of Tsushima's spellbinding open-worlds, in particular. Taking place across vast landscapes and areas that serve up key events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws will take players to both old and new settings in the Galaxy Far, Far, Away.
Throughout the game, players will be introduced to characters such as ND-5, Vail the bounty hunter, Lady Qi'ra, and Jabba the Hutt as the scoundrel protagonist Kay Vess leads the adventure in which she'll face dangerous missions, arcane villains, and side characters who will mold the criminal underworld. Of course, let's not forget Nix, a cute yet mischievous salamander-like creature who serves as Kay's pet and companion but, most importantly for her, it has the ability to fetch weapons as well as cause distractions.
Star Wars Outlaws Open World Gameplay Preview: What Type of Scoundrel Are You
Ubisoft lets The Best War Games go hands on with the open world of Star Wars Outlaws, seeing what type of chaos we can create in space.
Initially, players had been dubious about Ubisoft's sci-fi adventure due to the studio's past open-world titles like Skull and Bones, but given the game's previews, Outlaws has the potential to be a hit as the story unfolds into surprising Wild West-like environments. Although Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment have said that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was an inspiration in terms of its environmental design and technical achievements , it seems as though Ghost of Tsushima' s visually stunning open world served as the creative directors' "biggest reference."
Star Wars Outlaws Took Inspiration From Ghost Of Tsushima
Sitting down to chat with Games Radar about all things Star Wars Outlaws, the game's creative director, Julian Gerighty, revealed that Ghost of Tsushima was his biggest reference point while accumulating open-world ideas for the Ubisoft title. In reply to how the game felt like it had taken some Red Dead Redemption influences, akin to how comparisons have been made to Starfield's sci-fi adventure, Gerighty stated that the Sucker Punch Productions title set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan had been a pretty big inspiration for Star Wars Outlaws when it came to its environments.
"It's super interesting because my biggest reference was Ghost of Tsushima, which is more on the Kurosawa side of inspiration than the Western, the John Ford side of the inspiration for George Lucas," expressed Gerighty before going on to discuss Red Dead Redemption and how well it managed to craft its open world into something that wasn't "a checklist of activities that are repeated often." In the end, though, it was the power of Ghost of Tsushima's "purity" of allowing players to fully incorporate themselves into the fantasy of the game that piqued his interest. "This is the story, the world, the character, everything fits together with the gameplay guiding everything," expressed Gerighty. "That's the fantasy of 'you are a samurai ninja in Japan.' That was one of the guiding lights for this."
Players will certainly be able to immerse themselves in the "fantasy" Gerighty speaks of as Vess as they explore planets like Tatooine, Cantonica, Kijimi, Akiva, and Toshara, while also experiencing a colorful mix-up of familiar Star Wars worlds as well as brand-new locations. Of course, if all the zooming around on the speed bike sounds a little tiresome, taking a break to enjoy a host of Star Wars Outlaws' mini-games could be a good plan.
Star Wars Outlaws
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
- Released
- August 30, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games
- Engine
- Snowdrop
- Franchise
- Star Wars
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars game and explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, an emerging scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life. Fight, steal, & outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted. If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity.
DISCOVER A GALAXY OF OPPORTUNITY
Explore distinct planets with bustling cities and cantinas before racing across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each planet brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
EXPERIENCE AN ORIGINAL SCOUNDREL STORY
Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. With Nix by your side, turn any situation to your advantage: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
EMBARK ON HIGH-STAKES MISSIONS
Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
JUMP INTO THE PILOT SEAT
Pilot your ship, The Trailblazer, as you engage in thrilling dogfights with The Empire and other foes, finding the right opportunities to chase, evade, and attack to get the upper hand.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure
