Star Wars Outlaws: PS5 Review

Developed by Massive Entertainment
Published by Ubisoft
Platform: PS5

Star Wars games have traditionally focused on the Jedi at the expense of the rest of the worlds around them.

That's not to say the hauling of a light sabre and the Force powers are to be sniffed at, merely to suggest there are plenty of other characters to explore.

So it's with a certain amount of glee that Massive Entertainment have brought a "scoundrel" to the fore in the new game in the shape of Kay Vess and her animal companion Nix. What's refreshing is just how normal she is - she's someone just trying to make a living her way in the Star Wars universe - whether it's taking on jobs or using her pet pal Nix to steal from others to make ends meet.

As the underworld grows, Kay is offered various jobs and allegiances around a series of planets in the Star Wars universe, giving her the chance to grow her reputation among crime syndicates. But if at any moment she goes rogue, a Wanted system is put in place, making her persona non grata at the drop of a hat - and hunted by all.

There's a loose story to Star Wars Outlaws, but in truth, the open world concept works better for the game, a subtle mix of most of the mechanics of other Ubisoft titles and Star Wars. Throw in some climbing mechanics that look ripped from Tomb Raider and the game's familiarity could feel like a bad thing, a distinct feeling that there are no new ideas within gameplay in general.

But that's where Star Wars Outlaws uses its basics to build a world around Kay and Nix; from eavesdropping in cantina bars to hear about bounties and hidden treasures to hurtling around on a speeder bike, there's just something about the galaxy cruising that makes Outlaws work.

From messy blaster attacks to take down villains to an infuriatingly oblique rhythm game mechanic to pick locks, Massive Entertainment's made this the kind of world that's worth inhabiting, warts and all. It's not perfect - in parts some of the stealth work goes a little awry and the game begins to frustrate rather than entertain. And graphically there are times when this really doesn't feel like a next gen console game, with hair and facials not quite adding up.

Yet ultimately, Star Wars Outlaws succeeds as a game that's fun, that develops the Star Wars model away from what it has boringly become and which grounds you delightfully in a galaxy far, far away.