Summary
Leaks have become a common occurrence in the world of entertainment, be it the next major blockbuster movie or a long-awaited title such asGrand Theft Auto 6, and now, less than a month from its release, Massive Entertainment’sStar Wars Outlawshas been the latest title to have footage leaked online. Unlike the aforementionedGrand Theft Auto 6, which hadn’t shown its first trailer at the time of its leaks, there has been plenty of footage surroundingStar Wars Outlawssince its reveal last year, and its publisher, Ubisoft has been heavily promoting the title.
However, to me, theseofficial clips have always felt a bit scripted, as is often the case with showcases, as thestudios are trying to highlight new elements and features, so they will be playing the game in a certain way to sell it, rather than the more exploratory way players might. The game’s story trailers have also been a great way to show off the characters we’ll be meeting on Kay Vess' journey, but again, these were largely cutscene-based.
Therefore, even with the promises of plenty to do across an open world in iconic locations, I always had that feeling we’d barely scratched the surface in terms of what we were being shown. It’s that classic case with marketing of not wanting to be shown too much for fear of spoiling the game, but also still wanting to see a little bit more if things feel like they’ve been held back. It’s safe to say my curiosity has been piqued, especially when I saw the piece written by mycolleagues who were at Summer Game Fest, where they got hands-on with three different levels and were very complimentary about the game.
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The creative director behind Star Wars Outlaws spoke with Screen Rant at Summer Game Fest about what it’s like to step into protagonist Kay’s shoes.
Star Wars Outlaws' Leaks Have Shown Slightly More Natural Gameplay
From Aerial Combat, Sabbac, And New Locations
Last week, a group of leakers and dataminers,404LEAK, posted 13 minutes of gameplay from the start ofStar Wars Outlawsonline, which has very promptly been taken down with copyright strikes. Before it was pulled, however, I got a chance to watch all of it, and in my opinion, it felt like a more natural - or at the very least, less heavily scripted - exploration of the game that I’d been wanting to see, ignoring the obnoxiously slow walking and the “cinematic” camera panning that no one would normally do when playing a game, but served as a nice way to show off the Imperial stronghold town of Mirogana.
Mirogana is the capital city of the moon Toshara, a location created specifically forStar Wars Outlaws.
Of course, there were some cutscenes - it is a story-driven game, after all, so that’s to be expected - but then it finally showed a bit more open-world exploration. From what I could see,the environment seemed lively and bustling, with plenty of characters on the screen and plenty of things going on in the background. It also showed off some of the game’s tutorials, introducing lockpicking and how Kay’s stamina would work in battle, with more snappy, tight gameplay that is expected from the developers ofThe Division 2.
Another clip also showed off the game’s aerial combat, which is something I’ve been excited about since the reveal trailer, as I used to love theoriginalStar Wars Battlefront 2’s space-based combat, along with other titles such as theRogue SquadronorX-Wingseries. In my opinion, while we have seen some sequences,the aerial combat hasn’t been shown off enough inStar Wars Outlaws' promotional footage, so it was nice seeing most of a mission involving it in these leaks.
Lastly, there was a clip involving the gambling mini-game Sabacc, which is responsible forStar Wars Outlawsreceiving a 19+ “Adults Only” ratingin Korea. Essentially, inStar Warscanon, Sabbac plays a bit like Blackjack, but with more random cards that can be changed as parts of a “Sabacc Shift” to make the game a bit more complex, but the version seen inStar Wars Outlaws' leaks seems to be a more simplified, accessible version of the game.
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I’m Aware Of The Backlash To Star Wars Outlaws
But I’m Keeping An Open Mind
I knowStar Wars Outlawshas seen some backlash. From what I’ve seen, some are simply complaining just because Kay Vess is a woman, and they can’t build their own character, to which all I have to say is that it’s not like there haven’t been interesting female characters since the very start of the franchise. So long as Kay Vess is a well-written character who is interesting enough that I want to spend several hours in an open world following her story, that’s all that matters to me. If she’s not, then I’ll express disappointment, but I’m not going to judge until I’ve actually played the game, especially as I know there are plenty of interesting things going on in the underworld around the time the game’s set from the comics, and want to see how or if Kay’s story aligns with them.
The other main accusation I have seen is that it’ll be “another Ubisoft open world,” which I do somewhat understand given how stale some past Ubisoft-published titles got with oversaturation, particularly with annual releases andoverly large maps like theAssassin’s Creedtitlessaw at one point.From what I’ve seen in the leaks forStar Wars Outlaws, the game looks fun, at least, and hopefully, there will be plenty forStar Warsfans to appreciate as they are given the freedom to explore iconic locations. Personally, I think the enjoyment I will get from the open-world aspect of the game will come down to just how empty the worlds feel between the missions and activities or whether they are littered with repetitive filler quests to pad them out. If there is a balance that doesn’t overwhelm me but also doesn’t feel too barren, I’ll be happy.
I’m willing to giveStar Wars Outlawsa fair try, as there’s plenty I’m looking forward to in the game. I want toexplore places like Tatooine freelyand interact with the seedy criminal underworld and I have no problem with the fact Kay Vess isn’t a Jedi. If I wanted to play as a Jedi, I would go back to the many otherStar Warstitles that let me do that already, including the recentStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, which I already enjoyed and can’t wait to see continued in whatever Respawn’s next game in the series is. This feels like a fresherStar Warsgaming experience that is doing its own thing by focusing entirely on the scoundrel side instead.
In fact,the most controversial aspect ofStar Wars Outlawsto me is the pricing, which seems to be the case across all of Ubisoft’s upcoming AAA releases. It’s going to take a lot to convince me that any game is worth over $100 - and if you want the Season Pass, you’d be looking at the $109.99 Gold Edition at least - and I feel studios increasing the prices that much is going to turn many gamers away entirely rather than push them towards yet another monthly subscription like Ubisoft+.
With less than a month to go until the game’s release, while it must be disappointing for Ubisoft to seeStar Wars Outlawsgameplay being leaked, if anything, it seems to have helped promote the title rather than hinder it. Several comments on ther/GamingLeaksAndRumorspage where the leaks were collated and shared have agreed that the game looks like it “could be fun” and that this footage has sold them more thanIGN’s official gameplay coverage, which the channel even addressed “wasn’t airing at optimal quality by default,” resulting in accusations that the game had been graphically downgraded. Fortunately, the leaks certainly seem to back up that the issue was on YouTube’s end, not with the game, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it firsthand next month.
Source:404LEAK/X,r/GamingLeaksAndRumors/Reddit,IGN/YouTube
Star Wars Outlaws
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game where players hop into the scoundrel boots of Kay Vess, a woman who travels the galaxy Looking for a better life. Together with her furry partner Nix and new allies she meets along the way, Kay will navigate the various landscapes, towns, and planets across the galaxy while outsmarting both Crime Syndicates and the Empire.
