ComingSoon recently got to spend four hours playing Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s new action-adventure game set in a galaxy far, far away. During our hands-on time, we got to play through four missions across two different cities, pilot a spaceship, and explore a massive open world. It’s all starting to take shape well ahead of the game’s August 30, 2024 release date.
Paid to Play: The Dead Game IGN Loves │Star Wars Outlaws
Most of the missions I played revolved around stealth, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering many of Ubisoft’s core franchises revolve around cunning. While you can take out enemies from behind up close, this is more in the vein of Watch Dogs than Assassin’s Creed . Players can command a small creature called Nix to interact with enemies, distract them, pickpocket them, and even attack them, similar to the use of drones and other technology in Watch Dogs. You’ll also find yourself hacking doors and other locks via quick-fire logic minigames, so making sure you don’t get spotted while engaging in less-than-respectable behavior is essential.
The most interesting mission I did was where my character sneaked around a Galactic Empire ship to secretly alter files in a database. There were a lot of cool aspects, like monitoring the Stormtroopers' patrol routes, using computers to unlock doors and turn off cameras, and a great atmosphere with troopers complaining about their daily routine while you obliviously listen. Of course, it eventually ended with a big firefight – you mainly use a modified blaster that has multiple firing modes, but can also pick up enemy weapons – that was just as exciting as scenes in the movies.
The best moments of Star Wars Outlaws, however, came outside of the four missions and simply wandering around the two towns I visited. The first was a gambling den called Mirogana, where I could bet on space horse races and even play rounds of the card game Sabacc from the films. The other was Kijimi City, which had lots of temples and a peaceful snowy atmosphere. I enjoyed watching a food vendor robot make ramen for customers, and there was plenty of Star Wars charm in each area to just take in.
