Despite a blue-heavy presentation and a handful of migraine-inducing Na’vi moments, last year’s film tie-in, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, boiled down to much the same formula as Far Cry—just wrapped in a different skin. Ubisoft has a habit of borrowing from franchises that already struck a chord with players, and repackaging those pieces into something new. Still, with Avatar, the result didn’t quite spark the metaphorical Home Tree (apologies if that reference lands a bit early).
The quick player fatigue I experienced in Avatar (sorry, one more time) comes down to the fact that it was essentially Far Cry at its core, even with some Avatar touches that didn’t quite land. Star Wars Outlaws, on the other hand, isn’t just a simple remake of one existing game. Instead, Ubisoft has blended the strongest bits from several of its major franchises, combining recognizable systems into a more clearly Star Wars-flavoured experience. Individually, you can spot the influences; together, they click into something that feels genuinely at home in a galaxy far, far away.
When our spirited Deputy Editor, Chris Tapsell, tried Star Wars Outlaws back in June, he came away underwhelmed by the dated feel of the trio of linear missions he sampled. So, as if to answer that preview with a confident, “just wait—see for yourself!”, Ubisoft handed me a four-hour preview build that made room for a healthy amount of open-world wandering, giving players more freedom to explore at their own pace.
The main location we were able to explore was Toshara, a straightforward farming world with wide, open stretches that were genuinely great fun to tear across on a speederbike. Those fields are dotted with small settlements filled with NPCs—some mission-givers among them—and a major, bustling city called Mirogana tucked inside a mountain. It captures the spirit of “a wretched hive of scum and villainy,” with gangs, civilians, and imperial troops all jostling for space. At the same time, it’s a strikingly well-realized environment, packed with visual flourishes that deliver that familiar “used future” atmosphere. Honestly, the set dressing here is excellent, and the food details in particular are a standout.
During the Toshara portion of the demo, I spent most of my time inside Mirogana. When I wasn’t getting pulled off course by playable arcade cabinets (it feels like a missed opening not to include the classic 1983 Star Wars arcade game, if I’m being honest) or placing bets on Canto Fathier horse races, I kept pushing through the main story objective: repairing a ship called the Trailblazer so Kay can leave the planet. These tasks made Ubisoft’s fingerprints clear, especially through Assassin’s Creed-style stealth, where I could hide a crouched Kay in tall grass while nearby security cameras and guards went about their routes.
Then there’s Nix, Kay’s pet feline/canine/axolotl hybrid. When you strip it down to what it actually does, Nix can be sent to distract enemies, mess with objects, or activate buttons and switches—bringing to mind the mobile companion from Watch_Dogs. The big difference is that Nix can also retrieve items or weapons for you, and you can even pet Nix if you like, which, of course, isn’t something your phone can do in Watch_Dogs.
I leaned on all of those mechanics, and added a touch of Uncharted-like climbing to break into a restricted area controlled by the Pyke Syndicate. That’s where the familiar Far Cry outpost takeover sequence kicks off. I started by using binoculars to identify enemies, then moved through the area quietly, taking out foes until someone accidentally set off an alarm and called in reinforcements. If you’ve played a handful of Ubisoft games, the structure will feel familiar—but I still found myself genuinely invested. It struck a balance between comfort and novelty, and while I can see how the recycled gameplay loop might frustrate some players, for me it was like getting a warm pair of Star Wars slippers for Christmas.
Even though I mostly stayed in Mirogana while following the main storyline, I did get to dip into open-world activities. Once you’re outside the city, Kay can summon a speederbike with a button press and zip between settlements, using waypoints for both main and side missions. The zone is fairly active, with NPCs sometimes calling out for help. Still, compared to other open-world games, Toshara feels comparatively restrained. There’s plenty of the offbeat, unexpected humour you’d expect from a Ubisoft open-world title; more than once, I ended up flattening myself after being hit by reckless speederbike drivers. Rather than offering sprawling maps spanning multiple planets, it feels like a game that will deliver plenty of worlds to touch down in—just with smaller open spaces that act as “samples” of what you’re exploring.
I also had a chance to try my hand at space flight, and I liked seeing the “press the thumbsticks to Punch It” prompt appear on-screen before the inevitable jump to hyperspace. Even so, the trip itself didn’t fully impress, with fairly lacklustre dogfights and cargo-collection tasks filling the stretches between one waypoint and the next.
The final segment I played took place on Kijimi, a cold, wintry world made up of a dense web of streets where the Ashiga Clan lives. Unfortunately, I couldn’t spend much time there, because my biggest reservation about the game kicked in hard: its inconsistent checkpoint system. In this section, I had to sneak into an area patrolled by guards, which would send me straight to an instant game-over if I were spotted. To get into that area at the start, I had to get through a long and fairly dull lockpicking mini-game, and I had to go through it again every. single. time. I failed the mission. Later, I learned you can actually turn off those lockpicking mini-games in the accessibility settings, which would have spared me a lot of annoyance. Either way, I hope Ubisoft uses the time before release to improve the checkpoints, because aside from this, I hadn’t run into many issues.
Star Wars Outlaws might not turn into a brand-new, groundbreaking hit that sweeps the top game-of-the-year conversations, but based on the four hours I played, I can say with confidence that it’s the kind of Ubisoft release that will likely pull me in for good. It may not be the Star Wars GTA that some people wanted, but if what you’re after is a familiar, inoffensive slice of Star Wars, I don’t expect this one to disappoint.