Star Wars Outlaws is the closest we'll ever get to being part of the films

Ubisoft has possibly crafted the most immersive corner of the Star Wars universe we’ve ever seen with Star Wars Outlaws, so much so that it genuinely felt like we were characters in the films.

From what we’ve seen of Star Wars Outlaws so far it’s looking like a very different take on the galaxy far, far away. This time there are no Jedi, no force abilities, no end of everything stakes, just a fight for survival as an upcoming scoundrel.

Check out our video preview for Star Wars Outlaws below

During my exclusive preview with the game which gave me free roam of two of its expansive worlds, I got a first-hand look at the open exploration, as well as the leisurely strolls around its close-knit communities.

When my play session concluded and I stepped away from the demo it wasn’t the stunning landscapes I saw on my speeder bike,the intense shootouts with crime syndicates, or even the several rounds of sabacc that stuck with me, it was the people.

Star Wars Outlaws takes place in the Outer Rim, a part of the galaxy that’s still controlled by The Empire, but brimming with criminal activity, environmental hazards and millions of desperate lifeforms fighting for survival and their own little piece of the galaxy.

What blew me away during my preview is how much you could feel that desperation as you walked through the towns. You don’t have to look hard to see individuals struggling to make ends meet, and the characters I came across didn’t feel like mindless NPCs; they felt like living, breathing citizens of the Star Wars universe.

Ubisoft

As I strolled through I could overhear conversations about how someone had bet their savings on a fathier race only to lose it all, or another explaining to one of the syndicate members that they didn’t have enough credits or material to trade this week. Sometimes I even saw fights break out into the street in front of me only for Storm Troopers to arrive and intervene.

Things got slightly merrier in the cantina, which was filled with individuals drinking, plotting, playing games and more.

The entire experience felt like that scene from Star Wars: A New Hope where Luke, Obi-Wan, C-3PO and R2-D2 enter the Mos Eisley cantina for the first time. As the first film in the franchise, viewers up to that point had only really seen humans and droids, with Tatooine’s jawas being the first real aliens we get a glimpse of. When the gang get to Mos Eisley and eventually enter the cantina we’re treated to a cacophony of alien sights and sounds, with all of the creatures brought to life with practical effects. We get to see just how big this Star Wars galaxy really is, and it makes the Imperials stick out like a sore thumb with how uniform and unnerving they look.

Star Wars Outlaws captured that same feeling almost every time you came across civilisation through its background characters, and I can only imagine how much more magical that’ll feel if this is your first introduction to the Star Wars universe.

Ubisoft

Previous Star Wars games have done a good job of making the world feel lived in, with the best of the best in my opinion being the Knights Of The Old Republic games, but when the crux of the story is a battle between the Light and Dark side the background characters are just that, the background.

With Star Wars Outlaws telling a more grounded story it’s no wonder Ubisoft endeavoured to make you feel like you were part of this galaxy, with Kay and ND-5 knowing the Outer Rim and its dangers all too well.

After those first few hours of playing game I can safely say the settings and attention to detail on those NPCs and their stories is what solidified this game a place on my wishlist, and I can only imagine what the rest of Star Wars Outlaw’s galaxy has in store for us, both in terms of visuals and character.